Land Use
Car-Dependent Kansas City
Urban Land Institute president Patrick L. Phillips says his hometown of Kansas City needs to mend its car-centric infrastructure and encourage denser growth in the suburbs.
San Juan to Ban Cars, Make "Walkable City"
The oldest city in the Americas bans cars from its colonial streets and outlines a plan to make San Juan more livable. David Soto gives us a look at this ambitious plan.
Homesteading 2010
A small town in Nebraska is reviving the Homestead Act, offering plots of land to people in order to cash in on property taxes down the line. Other places are following suit.
Unrealized Berlin
A new exhibit in Germany looks at a variety of unrealized and unbuilt plans for Berlin created by 100 different architects and planners.
Improving Suburbia Via A Contest
Can planners and architects build a better model of suburbia? Long Island Index thinks so, and has designed a contest to retrofit parts of asphalt laden suburban Long Island. Ideas are discussed in this NYT blog on design and architecture.
Tear Down Claiborne Ave. Expressway, Says Coalition
A group of activists and planners has released a report showing how tearing down the Claiborne Ave. Expressway in New Orleans and turning it into a boulevard would benefit the neighborhood and the city.
London's Suburbs Attempt to Assert Their Independence
"London's councils seem set on continuing the imbalance between the city center and outer suburbs, where the former supplies most of the jobs, and the latter most of the residents." Joe Peach reports on economic potential of suburban independence.
Visions of 2030: Bikes, BRT and Other Stuff We Have Now
A review of the Our Cities Ourselves at the Center for Architecture in New York, which features ten proposals to create better cities by 2030.
Money's "Best Place to Live" Is Seriously Lacking in Place
Eden Prairie, Minnesota tops Money Magazine's recent list of Best Places to Live 2010. Blogger Chris O'Leary points out that Eden Prairie is devoid of anything to separate it from any other suburb, and in fact has no downtown at all.
Agricultural Urbanism in Illinois
This piece from Grist looks at Prairie Crossing, a planned community in Illinois that integrates agriculture into its village-like setting.
Huge New District Expands Hamburg's City Center
An ambitious new mixed use district is gradually opening along the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. The project is huge in scope, expanding the city center by nearly 40%, and not expected to finish for more than a decade.
A Snapshot of Contemporary Land Use in America
This slideshow from Dwell gives a sneak peek at a new group art exhibit in New York that documents contemporary land use in America.
For Lack of a Better Term
Chuck Wolfe discusses the challenge of finding a more marketable term to encompass all of the prevailing theories of "transit-oriented development", "walkability", and "liveability." His suggestion? Urbandwidth.
Providing Services for Mixed-Use Buildings "Expensive"
Former Mayor of South Pasadena, CA Mike Montgomery is fighting new mixed-use development because he says "The cost of public safety and services exceeds the revenue generated."
Protecting The Open Spaces of Cascadia
Forest land and open space have been steadily gobbled up by development in the Pacific Northwest. A new initiative in Washington seeks to relocate some of developers' planned greenfield housing into cities.
Sustainable and Obtainable
A new sustainable housing development breaking ground in Oregon has put affordability on the same pedestal as sustainability.
Stepping Warily into the World of Form-Based Codes
Citywide form-based codes are gaining in popularity, with Miami's recently implemented code and a new code in Denver. But some architects worry about if and how these new codes will impact their work and the look of their cities.
Berlin's Former Airport Opens As Park
Decommissioned Tempelhof Airport in Berlin had been the subject of grand plans for reusing the massive space for the last two years. But with little money in city coffers, officials decided to simply open it to the public as-is.
Former Naval Base Could Become City Property
A decommissioned Naval base in Concord, California, may be falling into the hands of the city -- a prospect few thought possible.
Walkable Milwaukee
Andrew Knee calls Milwaukee a "walker's paradise," saying that the city has completely changed from a decade ago into a walkable network of neighborhoods.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
