Land Use
Learning from Flint's Experience
In this essay from Places, architecture professor Wes Janz documents and ponders the economic decay of Flint, Michigan.
Rio Begins Work on Massive Port Renovation
Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the host city of Rio de Janeiro is embarking on a massive redevelopment plan in its decaying port area.
Protests in Tokyo over Privatizing Public Space
Miyashita Park in Tokyo is an historic site with a history of homeless encampments. Officials plan to turn the park into a skateboard park, with naming rights purchased by Nike.
Disney's Thwarted Alpine Village
Mineral King is a site adjoining Sequoia National Park that the Park Service wanted to lease as a resort. Walt Disney was gung ho to do it, and got pretty far in planning an alpine village resort before the project was killed.
Treetop-Oriented Development
Finca Bellavista is a development on the southern coast of Costa Rica with 5 houses and 24 other buildings, all sustainable treehouse structures.
An Airport Transformed
Five international design teams released their ideas this week for redeveloping Edmonton's City Centre Airport into a dense, energy-efficient neighborhood. Green roofs, canals, ice rinks and geothermal heating all come into play.
Don't Forget Suburbia, Fix It
As more and more people move to cities, they will be the focus of much policy and investment. But the suburbs should not be forgotten, argues Mary Newsom. They should be fixed.
Planning a Future for Pittsburgh's Riverfront
The city of Pittsburgh has released a new plan focusing on revitalizing the Allegheny Riverfront, with proposed new housing, retail and public spaces.
Can an Airport Drive an Economy?
A new book suggests that airports can be the driving factor that creates vibrant global cities in the future. This review from Metropolis holds some doubts.
CA's Land Conservation Program Could Disappear
A successful, 1965 California farm and ranch land conservation tax mechanism is under threat by Gov. Brown of dissolution due to the $25 billion deficit. If dissolved, individual counties would have to determine to keep the tax program going.
Back-and-Forth on Downtown Vancouver
The Tyee presents a conversation between two Vancouver urban thinkers about the city's downtown and how some efforts to improve the city's core have worked while others have fallen short.
In Defense of Public Input
Using the example of the failed regeneration of Green Bay's downtown led by Victor Gruen, Della Rucker argues that disregarding input from the public can have devastating repercussions.
The Urbanism of Making Do
Communities in the slums of India are well known for "making do". A new exhibit looks at how that spirit of innovation and adaptation plays out in these cities and how other cities can learn from them.
Renewing Newcastle
Newcastle, Australia's downtown business district lacked street life and was littered with empty buildings. A "Renew Newcastle" campaign brought new life and new residents. PPS talks with the man behind the plan.
Updating and Improving Philadelphia's Downtown Plazas
Three public plazas in the center of Philadelphia are set to see much-needed makeovers, and soon.
In Charleston, an Affordable, Effective Alternative to a Freeway
A Charleston environmental group has suggested an alternative to a proposed expansion of Interstate 526 which solves the congestion problem with refinements to local streets and costs half the price.
Parking Minimums Make Housing More Expensive
A new report from NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy reveals that the parking minimums required for new developments are a significant part of why housing in New York is so expensive.
Pittsburgh Puts Urban Agriculture On The Books
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is promoting a number of green initiatives for the city, including new guidelines for the raising of chickens and honeybees in urban areas. The City Council approved the guidelines last week.
How Detroit's Mayor Attempts to Save the Great American City
With the challenges facing American cities of tight budgets and lost revenues, Major Bing openly asks how to shrink the size of Detroit and makes an open call for plans, concepts, and strategies to save the failing city.
Re-Zoning for a Future Population Averse to Single-Family Homes
As demographics shift and housing preferences of younger buyers lean away from single-family housing, much of the single-family-home-zoned areas in Charlotte will need to be rethought, according to this editorial.
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
