Land Use

Neighborhoods in New York City have built temporary "pop-up" playgrounds in an effort to encourage more physical activity among children.

August 16, 2011 - The New York Times

To be released at the end of the year, the Draft Chicago Pedestrian Plan will primarily address safety issues that street users experience for decades.

August 14, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Berlin Wall was constructed 50 years ago by Communist East Germany. Parts of the wall remain as a remembrance, but much of the area has been transformed into hip neighborhoods and parks.

August 13, 2011 - NPR

In downtown Vancouver, where bike lanes have replaced parking spots on some strips, shop owners have complained that they are bad for business. A new study disproves the theory - kinda.

August 12, 2011 - The Vancouver Sun

Freiburg, Germany has become a stunning model of sustainability, thanks in part to Wulf Daseking, the city's Head of Urban Planning since 1984. Sven Eberlein vists Daseking in Freiberg for this interview.

August 11, 2011 - Sven Eberlein

Community gardens are popping up all over Detroit. This post from Model D takes a tour through three of them, and explores how they balance art and nature.

August 11, 2011 - Model D

Dense downtowns provide more tax revenues for cities than strip mall and big box development on a per acre basis, according to a new study.

August 10, 2011 - Glendwood Springs Post Independent

Vacancy has left parts of the Midwest shattered, resulting in an insecurity which invokes a diluted "fight or flight" response. Restoring the psychological landscape of cities is a difficult, but essential, first step, says Richey Piiparinen.

August 10, 2011 - Rust Wire

Houston is leading the way in creating new public spaces. This article from The Project for Public Spaces looks at a few of the city's efforts.

August 10, 2011 - Project For Public Spaces

Utility boxes are cluttering city streets all over the world. But they're not going away, and cities should start to try to find new ways to blend them into the urban fabric, according to this article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

August 10, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cities across the country are breathing new life into abandoned and disused inner city rail lines.

August 9, 2011 - The New York Times

Public art plays a role in cities across the world. But what role exactly, and for what purpose? Glass House Conversations explores these questions in this series.

August 9, 2011 - Glass House Conversations

The doubling of car traffic in the past 20 years in Mumbai has created a transit culture that has become dangerous for pedestrians. More than 44 percent of Mumbai citizens walk to work, and 78 percent road fatalities are pedestrians, a study finds.

August 9, 2011 - The Times Of India

The New York City Council voted last week to alter the city's code to encourage green roofs and urban gardening.

August 7, 2011 - Inhabitat

New York City has led the way in tactical urbanism for some time, like the pedestrian plaza in Times Square. Now they're encouraging "pop-up cafes", or cafe table seating that takes over excess roadway.

August 7, 2011 - Pattern Cities

Washington D.C.'s first sidewalk cafe opened 5-plus years ago. This piece from The Washington Post looks at the history of outdoor eating in the city, and how the trend has picked up over the years.

August 5, 2011 - The Washington Post

"Vacancy begets vacancy." With more than 1,000 vacant lots adding to the city's running total of 20,000 each year, Cleveland is on an Ultra-Ex mission to prepare these sites for tomorrow's housing renaissance.

August 5, 2011 - The New York Times

The location of parked cars can either destroy walkability or enhance it, writes urbanist Steve Mouzon.

August 5, 2011 - The Original Green Blog

The Project for Public Spaces says that despite its reputation as a sprawling, planning-free city, Houston is turning the lack of city planning to its advantage by inspiring a bottom-up approach.

August 4, 2011 - Project for Public Spaces blog

Andres Sevstuk, lecturer at MIT and head of the City Form Research Group describes how the new Urban Network Analysis Toolbox is, "taking a much more rigorous approach to look at the work of urban design."

August 4, 2011 - The Boston Globe