Land Use

Virginia Speed Bump Leads to Neighborhood Activist's Murder

A Virginia man who rallied to have a traffic-calming speed bump installed on his street became the source of so much local controversy that a neighbor recently shot and killed him.

September 17, 2010 - The Washington Post

Portland's Pavement Pulverizers

Grist looks at the volunteer group in Portland that legally removes unnecessary pavement from places around the city and replaces it with gardens and green space.

September 17, 2010 - Grist

Parking Behavior Changes Overnight

Bill Fulton, Mayor of the City of Ventura, reports that within moments of launching paid parking on downtown streets drivers began behaving as intended, with all-day parkers moving to new lots.

September 16, 2010 - Bill Fulton

Smart Growth = Clean Air

Kaid Benfield presents the evidence that compact development can bring about a decrease in noxious emissions.

September 16, 2010 - NRDC Blog

Note to New Orleans: Get Involved.

The proposed design for a New Orleans medical complex is being directed from state offices, and is out of place from local planning principles, according to findings.

September 16, 2010 - New Urban Network

The Local Food Movement Goes Online

Online tools designed to connect local farmers with consumers are helping sustain the local food and urban agriculture movements.

September 16, 2010 - Next American City

Pedestrian-Friendly Sydney On the Way

Officials in Australia have announced plans to recast downtown Sydney as a pedestrian-friendly central business district.

September 14, 2010 - ABC

The Personal Cost of Transportation

A new website created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology calculates how much an average household in your neighborhood would spend on transportation, with results for cars and public transit.

September 14, 2010 - Governing Magazine

The City of London Diversifies With New Mall

The City of London - the financial district comprised of one square mile of London's Roman boundary has erected a new shopping center that planners hope will stimulate the area's development as a competitor to the busier West End.

September 13, 2010 - The Guardian

Suburbs Go Head To Head With The City

"With cities worldwide busy repurposing their industrial districts and docklands as upmarket housing and waterfront retail centres, the suburbs need to find a new competitive edge," writes Sarah Murray.

September 12, 2010 - Financial Times

Five Plans for Reviving the St. Louis Gateway Arch Park

Five finalists have been announced in a design competition to rethink the park near St. Louis' iconic Gateway Arch. Fast Co. Design takes a look at the contenders.

September 10, 2010 - Fast Co. Design

The Urban Impact of Richard Daley

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who recently announced he would not seek re-election, has had a major impact on the city and its urban form, according to this review.

September 9, 2010 - Chicago Tribune

Developing Detroit's New Comprehensive Plan

The city of Detroit is looking to create a comprehensive plan for rethinking the struggling city. Next American City talks with the officials heading the effort about the challenges they face.

September 9, 2010 - Next American City

Brownfields Into Beaches

Alex Bozikovic hits the beach with his son at a new public space in Toronto: Sugar Beach, an urban park built on a former industrial site.

September 8, 2010 - No Mean City

Pedestrian-Only Zone Proposed for San Diego

With the centennial of the Panama-California Exposition that created San Diego's Balboa Square approaching, the city is considering turning back the neighborhood to its former car-free glory.

September 8, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Cambodia Joins Skyscraper Race to the Top

Cambodia has announced that it will build a new skyscraper that will be the tallest in Asia at 1,820 feet. Fast Company asks, why, in the face of grueling poverty, would they do such a thing?

September 8, 2010 - Fast Company

Freeways Going Green

Dallas, Texas is building a new park on a deck over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, a strategy for creating new public spaces that is being tried across the country.

September 8, 2010 - Governing Magazine

Southern CA MPO Snubs Air Board By Reducing Emissions Targets

The Southern California Association of Governments rebuffed the CA Air Resources Board by deliberately setting lower targets for greenhouse gas emissions per SB 375, the 2008 law intended to reduce GHG emissions from transportation.

September 8, 2010 - LA. Streetsblog

Legalizing and Protecting Jaywalkers Through Design

Most crosswalks are straight lines, but many people walk across streets in an arc. One designer has proposed changing the way crosswalks are painted to improve pedestrian safety.

September 7, 2010 - Fast Co. Design

Exporting Suburbanism

Developing countries have begun importing Western-style pro-sprawl urban planning policies, often to their detriment. Kuala Lumpur and cities across the communist world are examined.

September 7, 2010 - Market Urbanism

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.