Land Use
The Greying of the Suburbs
In the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, the young people have mostly left and older folks have decided to "age in place." This worries city administrators, who see their tax base leaving the workforce.
'Streets are Never a Blank Canvas'
This essay from Pop Matters explores the connection between street art and urbanism.
Defining "Resilient Design"
The word "resilience" suffers from a vagueness of meaning shared with words like "green" and "sustainability", writes Michael Mehaffy, who sets out to clarify this meaningful term for architecture and planning.
Bulldozing Quincy, Mass - and Building it Back Up
Most cities don't get the chance to start from scratch. But Quincy, Mass. plans to raze most of its 50-acre center and build it anew with the aid of a private developer's upfront funding - a plan that may rewrite the rules of urban development.
Designing Out Unrest in Public Space
This episode of 99% Invisible explores public spaces and their role in political change, and how over hundreds of years, riots have defined New York's Tompkins Square Park -- despite efforts to design unrest out.
Form-Based Zoning "Fad"
The radio program Marketplace looks at the "fad" of form-based codes, and how this new tool encourages old-fashioned town building.
How An Inner-City Freeway Disappeared
A "crazy idea" to remove an inner city freeway in Seoul, South Korea turned to reality. This piece tells the story about how this unlikely event came to be.
Understanding L.A. in Dark and Light
This piece from Places discusses Los Angeles as a place difficult to wrap one's head around, and how light and darkness are so important to the city's identity.
Traffic Calming: Making Streets Safer
The concept of "traffic calming," in which urban streets are altered in order to make them feel slower for drivers is discussed in this video from Street Films.
Rethinking Retail Strategies in an Urbanizing U.S.
Writing for Retail Traffic Magazine, David Lynn claims that a renewed urbanization movement in the United States will drive retailers and investors to change their strategies to fit a more urban market.
Developer Claims That Public Transit Works For Baseball, But Not Football Fans
An executive of Majestic Realty, one of the developers bidding to construct an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, cited sprawl in the City of Industry as an advantage over AEG's proposal to build a stadium in downtown LA.
Lack of Talent Driving Business From Michigan
The head of a patent law firm that employs 40 in suburban Detroit explains that his growing business may need to leave the state because it can't recruit talent to the region. Andrew Basile Jr. writes that the problem is "poor quality of place."
31 "Silver Bullet Solutions" for Urban Redevelopment
Rod Stevens, a business consultant specializing in urban ventures, compiled a list of the most common "silver bullet" solutions put in place by city leaders to address redevelopment over the past 60 years.
Bringing Historic Renovation to Los Angeles' Westside
A developer is turning the former site of the Hughes Aircraft Company--adjacent to the huge new Playa Vista mixed-use development--into an office complex catering to the technology and creative industries.
The Spaces In-Between the Buildings
That's what architect Andres Duany says he and his team attempted to emphasize in their design for a new town center in Mandeville, Louisiana.
Visualizing Water in the Landscape
Water shortages are on the rise, and effective management of this dwindling resource is becoming increasingly important to cities. How architects and planners visualize water in the landscape plays a big role in how it is understood and managed.
'Pocket Neighborhoods' On the Rise
Small neighborhood developments of cottages with low square footage known as "pocket neighborhoods" are catching on, especially with empty nesters looking to downsize.
The Commons Commodified?
The "commons" are increasingly falling into the hands of private owners, prompting Jay Walljasper to what it means to have commonly shared spaces in the modern world.
Los Angeles' First New Office High Rise in 22 Years Approved
The skyscraper, developed by Thomas Properties and financed by Korean Air, required a new signage district and a TFAR transfer. The development will provide a link between the Financial District and the emerging Figueroa Entertainment Corridor.
Truly Public Space Disappearing
As cities grow, the spaces within them that are truly public diminish, according to this piece. But even with few public spaces, public activities can still thrive.
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
