Land Use
A Pedestrian Plaza for Outer Brooklyn
Public plazas aren't just for Manhattan. As part of DOT's Public Plazas program, one outer Brooklyn neighborhood has seen a traffic island turned into a pedestrian plaza. Matt Chaban reports on the praise it has earned.
London's "Pop-Up" Shopping Mall To Be One of a Kind
British entrepreneur Roger Wade has built "[t]he most environmentally friendly shopping mall ever built." 'Boxpark,' which recently opened, is composed of 60 standard size shipping containers stacked two stories high by five rows wide.
How the Suburbs Killed Our Connectivity, And How to Fix It
The deeper our sense of community, the better positioned we are to take on change, says Scott Doyon, but the leisurely lull of the suburbs may have killed our ability to work together.
Massive Mixed-Use Transit Oriented Development To Hit White Flint
In Maryland, the Washingtonian Tower has been the tallest skyscraper in Montgomery County. Developers in White Flint are proposing an even taller building that will incorporate mixed-use, transit-oriented, and retail/office development in one plan.
Janette Sadik-Khan, "Street Fighter"
MSNBC gives the NYC Transportation Commissioner the kung fu-like title, as well as calling her "The High Priestess of People-Friendly Cities." [VIDEO]
Doing it Old School with Physical Models
In this era of computer simulations, are models like the Bay Model (a giant replica of the San Francisco Bay previously used for research on estuary hydraulics and fluid dynamics) relevant? Janice Sinclaire says yes.
Regional Planners Sued for Promoting Sprawl
The Cleveland National Forest Foundation is suing SANDAG over a $200 billion transportation plan that purportedly only promotes sprawl through freeway extensions.
Pedestrian-Only Malls Failing, Opening Back Up to Cars
Tod Newcombe reports on pedestrian-only malls like Buffalo's, which after 25 years has been so unsuccessful that they want to turn it back into a road. So why are these ped malls failing?
A Plea for Quality Public Spaces
Architect and planner Alexander Garvin takes a walk through New York City's public spaces, and says the city has been paying too much attention to new buildings and not enough on the public realm.
In Some Ways, Downtown Brooklyn's Aspirations Remain Just That
A recent rezoning led to high economic hopes for downtown Brooklyn. But a more recent economic downturn seems to have undermined those expectations. Indeed, some growth has occurred, but success depends on whom you ask.
Art Creates a Sense of Place
Trail Towns, a program that promotes the economic potential of rails-to-trails systems, explains how art can create a sense of place and promote creative reuse along the trail.
Public Market to Open Over Big Dig
The Boston Public Market construction has been slow going - in fact, it's still in the blueprint stage - but officials say work will begin this summer in a site along the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the part built over the Big Dig site.
Walmart Talks Sustainability, But Keeps Sprawling
Walmart talks big about climate action, but its land-use strategy is anything but climate-friendly: It builds massive new stores on virgin land in sprawling areas, then abandons them in favor of still newer, still bigger stores, says Stacy Mitchell.
MCTS Announces Greenline, Blueline, and Redline
In Milwaukee, a new express service will operate on three new routes which will begin service on January 29th, 2012. In addition to the new service, MCTS is restructuring a number of other routes, and creating new routes as well.
Extensive Cycling Infrastructure Created By Mass Protest
The Netherlands gains the title of 'Safest Place to Cycle,' which is mainly due to their extensive infrastructure. But how did these high quality cycle paths come to exist?
Richard Florida's Most Artistic Cities
Richard Florida ranks the top ten artistic cities in America. Los Angeles takes the 4th place spot competing competing amongst other cities including New York, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, and Santa Fe.
Best Smart Growth Projects in America
This year, the Environmental Protection Agency looked at "articulate" city plans that aimed for a more sustainable future. There were five plans across that nation that were awarded for "achievement in smart growth."
Issues of Transparency Raised Over Brooklyn Development
As proposals for the large-scale development at Brooklyn Bridge Park come in, some members of the public are crying foul over a perceived lack of transparency and public involvement during a recent meeting.
Cycling Superhighways Raising Debate
In the summer of 2010, London launched a new program that had established bright blue bike lanes known as 'Cycle Superhighways' alongside main roads. These initiatives are intended to provide the quickest routes into the city centre.
New Urban Design Looks at Shared Spaces
In urban street design, a new movement known as 'shared spaces' has been emerging. This new movement "aims to reduce the dominance of cars by getting people and vehicles to share the road space," according to Walkonomics.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
