Land Use
The High Cost of Status Quo Infrastructure
Infrastructure costs are towering in the U.S., but much of that could be because of old habits in road building. This column looks at how cities and states can reduce their infrastructure costs.
Portland Approves Plan to Preserve Large Areas as Rural
Portland, Oregon is already known for having a strict policy regarding its urban growth boundary. A new 50-year plan designates large rural reserves, while also holding large areas as urban reserves for possible future development.
My Future City is Houston?
The BMW Guggenheim Lab has released an online urban planning game called "Urbanology," which asks a serious of questions to determine the type of city you think is the future.
Sunday Funny: Fake "Proposed Land Use Action" in Seattle
In Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood, a local with a wicked sense of humor has taken planning into his/her own hands, posting a plan to turn an empty eyesore of a lot into a public park.
Publicly-Funded Stadiums Bad Deal for Cities
Sports teams often coerce cities into contributing public funds toward the building of new stadiums. Numerous reports indicate that it's a bad deal for cities with little to no positive economic impact, writes Neal DeMause.
A Fictional City Traced in the Desert
A recent art project in Peru utilizes a robotic vehicle to trace a scale outline of a city into the empty desert, raising questions about urbanization in deserts and the formation of cities.
Thousands of Public Gardens for London 2012
Leading up to the 2012 Olympics, a group in London is taking advantage of stalled building projects to create 2,012 public gardens in the city before the sporting event.
Pop-Up Planters Sprout Up Around the Streets of SF
John King of The San Francisco Chronicle examines the installation of mobile planters around the Yerba Buena District in San Francisco; part of a 10-year revitalization initiative to bring new meaning and boundaries surrounding public space.
Vision Lacking in Downtown L.A. Stadium Plan
Plans for a downtown football stadium in Los Angeles are seeming ever more likely to pan out. The project present an opportunity for the city to develop a major center, but shortsightedness could keep it from becoming an exciting part of the city.
The Trouble with Designing for Transit Preference
Suburban areas don't necessarily equate with car-dependence, according to some New Urbanist plans for far-out areas. But convincing residents to opt for transit can be a challenge.
Transforming the City Through Photography
The photographic distortions of architect and photographer Murat Germen take cities as their target, and transform them into single-axis representations of urban form and history.
Livability Grows in China's Emerging Megacities
A new breed of developers in China are increasingly trying to make the country's new cities into pleasant, walkable and even environmentally sustainable.
Tenderloin National Forest
An unconventional outdoor spaces has helped transform a small part of a problem-riddled San Francisco neighborhood.
Young and Idealistic Take Over Detroit
Meagan Elliott, an urban planning student at the University of Michigan, writes about a young, idealistic generation that is moving to Detroit.
Showing Industrial Cities Some Love
Bridgeport, Connecticut was known for post-industrial decay and crime. Today, people are talking about its "tantalizing" downtown that is ripe for redevelopment, writes Carrie Jacobs.
Georgia County Banks on Vacant and Abandoned Properties
Plagued by foreclosures, DeKalb County Georgia is buying up properties and creating a land bank in hopes of spurring redevelopment.
Are Slums "Cohesive, Sustainable" and "Here to Stay?"
Paul Mason takes a tour of Manila's 10-year-old Estero de San Miguel slum to test the theory that slums have upsides and finds that understanding the question's realities is as important as trying to find the answer.
Rahul Mehrotra Talks Indian Urban Planning
Rahul Mehrotra talks to The Hindu about sustainable cities, community participation, and infrastructure. The article also has a review of his most recent book "Architecture in India Since 1990."
Florida Found Most Dangerous Place for Pedestrians
Four Florida metropolitan areas recently ranked as the most dangerous places for pedestrians, according to a survey by Transportation America.
Philidelphia Comprehensive Plan Accused of Spreading Gentrification
Community leaders argue that the recently approved Philadelphia comprehensive plan does more for developers than the working class in this op-ed.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
