Land Use

Preserving Detroiters' Way of Life

Forbes talks with Detroit Mayor Dave Bing about reshaping the city and how those plans will and won't impact long-time residents who may be opposed to change.

October 28, 2010 - Forbes

Urban Homestead Sectors, Naturescapes, and Green Venture Zones

A group called The Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) released a report this week that breaks the city down into 11 different district types, each with their own character and policy recommendations.

October 27, 2010 - New Urban News Network

EcoDistricts to Rise in Portland

Portland has five "eco-district" pilot projects in the works. The first two are expected to begin implementation over the next year, and organizers are hoping they lead to more sustainability efforts throughout the city.

October 27, 2010 - Sustainable Business Oregon

Public Space is Essential for Democracy

Architecture critic Sarah Williams Goldhagen says that streets can't create public interaction in the way that unstructured spaces like urban parks can.

October 25, 2010 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

A Return to Physical Planning

Planetizen talks with Peter J. Park, Manager of Community Planning and Development for the City of Denver, Colorado, about the return of physical planning, the city's form-based code, and more.

October 25, 2010 - Tim Halbur

Neighbors Ask City to Sell Park

In Knoxville, Tennessee, a neighborhood association has asked the city to sell off one of its parks. The reason? They have a surfeit of park space and want to focus their attention on another park nearby.

October 23, 2010 - Knox News

An Open Source "SimCity" for New York

"Betaville" is a virtual New York where users can experiment with the built environment and how new buildings will look in the cityscape.

October 22, 2010 - DNAInfo

What Would it Take to Ditch Your Car?

A conversation series from the National Trust for Historic Preservation asks what it would take for people to ditch their cars and rely solely on walking, cycling and public transportation.

October 22, 2010 - Glass House Conversations

Bill Takes Small Step Towards 'Livable Communities'

A bill working its way through congress seeks to institute more "livable communities" in America. But with few mandates, it's unclear what the bill would actually do.

October 22, 2010 - Metropolis

Cities and Suburbs at War?

There seems to be a lot of rhetoric pitting suburbs and cities against each other in some sort of ideological war. But, as this piece from Grist asks, is that war even real?

October 22, 2010 - Grist

Philadelphia Riverfront Plan Brings Transformation Closer to Reality

For more than 40 years, the city of Philadelphia has had its sights set on transforming the Delaware Riverfront, but few plans have taken hold and little transformation has actually occurred. A new master plan could finally make it happen.

October 21, 2010 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Asian Cities Face High Risks

Kathmandu, Manila, Dhaka, Mumbai and Jakarta are among the cities most prone to natural disasters, says The Guardian.

October 21, 2010 - Guardian

Griffin on Revising and Repurposing Detroit

Architect Magazine talks with Toni Griffin, the urban planner who's leading the effort to rewrite Detroit's comprehensive plan to help the city through troubled times.

October 21, 2010 - Architect Magazine

Height Restrictions Mean High Prices in DC

Responding to a report by the Washington Post that office rents have now topped those in Manhattan, Matt Yglesias says the district's austere zoning is to blame.

October 20, 2010 - Think Progress

Why Kids Can't and Won't Walk to School in Laguna Beach

Getting kids to walk to school has been a nationwide campaign for years. But some places say it's just not safe. Some urban forms -- like that of Laguna Beach, California -- prove it.

October 20, 2010 - NRDC Switchboard

Private Development Bringing Quality Public Space

The relocation of a museum in San Francisco offers a model for how private developments can create quality public space, writes John King.

October 20, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Neighborhoods As Employment Centers

The spatial needs of commerce and employment are shifting, and cities need to focus on bringing employment centers back to neighborhoods, argues Jay Hoekstra.

October 20, 2010 - Terrain.org

A Developer in the Park

Sitting in a controversial niche in the development market, Thomas Chapman develops plans for parcels within national parks, only to take buyouts from environmental groups or the government. He's got a bold new proposal on the way.

October 19, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Portland's EcoDistricts

Launched in 2009 as an effort to choose five neighborhoods where sustainability measures could be quickly implemented and tested out, the city of Portland's EcoDistricts are entering their pilot phase.

October 19, 2010 - Next American City

HUD Awards Spur Sustainability Planning

HUD has awarded $98 million to 45 regions throughout the country in an effort to spur more sustainability planning efforts.

October 18, 2010 - Next American City

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.