Land Use
Reacting, Not Planning, in L.A.
Recently released plans for a possible new football stadium in downtown L.A. show how the city tends to react to developers rather than guide them, according to this criticism.
Moving Past Jakarta
Officials in Indonesia are increasingly considering a plan to relocate the capital from Jakarta to another, less troubled location.
Taking New York City's Parks Through Tough Times
New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe talks with Next American City about the city's increased emphasis on creating active public spaces and how his department is handling budget cuts.
Small-Scale Development in Detroit
Reviving a city like Detroit requires small steps, writes Roberta Brandes Gratz, who looks at block-level projects in the city.
Book Review: Makeshift Metropolis
In this highly readable volume, Witold Rybczynski makes a fresh argument for rethinking the field of planning. Lynn Vande Stouwe has this review of one of our selections for the Top 10 Urban Planning Books for 2011.
The Social Benefits of Walkability
People who live in walkable neighborhoods watch less TV, participate in more local organizations, and trust their neighbors more according to a new report from the University of New Hampshire.
What Do Good Public Spaces Look Like?
Deborah Marton, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, asks, "Obviously public space should be beautiful and well designed for circulation, but what else should it do?"
'Urban Farming 2.0' Takes Off
CNN looks at the next wave in urban agriculture: commercial-scale indoor farms that are hydroponic, climate controlled, and LED-lit.
Cairo 2050 Plan Makes Big Shifts in City
The Egyptian government is undertaking a broad plan to reimagine Cairo. The plan would redistribute the city's people and shuffle its industries to the outskirts of town. Some there see the plan as too much of a change.
Inside China's Ghost Towns
This post from Business Insider collects satellite imagery and pictures of ghost towns in China.
The Place Making Dividend
Edward T. MacMahon of ULI explains why cities and towns with unique character have an economic advantage over the sameness of chain stores and malls, and why people should fight to preserve and create a sense of place.
Futuristic Ideas for Smarter Cities
This piece from the Guardian lists a handful of ideas that could shape the future of cities and city design.
Status Quo Sprawl Lives On in Fresno
The approval of a massive shopping center in Fresno, California, highlights the city's inability to move beyond its sprawl-centric tendencies, according to this piece from The Fresno Bee.
Shrinking Cities Means Shuttered Churches
The Archdiocese of Detroit is working with city planners and local demographers as they develop their plans for Catholic parish closures.
Mapping Seattle's Bikeability
Comparing Seattle to Portland, transportation planner Adam Parast used GIS data to show the most bikeable parts of the city.
Township vs. Billionaire
A township of 3,000 people is waging war on a proposal from a billionaire energy magnate that would turn a beloved stretch of Lake Michigan coastline into condos, a hotel, and a golf course.The battle persists, even as town funding has become scarce.
High Line, Part Two
The next section of New York City's elevated linear park known as the High Line is expected to open next spring. The New York Times offers a preview.
Is "Urban Planner" One of the Best Careers of 2011?
Once again, US News and World Report singles out the world of planning as one of the best careers for the coming year. But the online comments tell another story.
Downtown L.A. Stadium Plans Fall Flat
Proposed designs for a possible football stadium in downtown L.A. leave a lot to be desired -- both architecturally and urbanistically, according to this review.
High Speed Rail Planned for Russia's World Cup
Russian cities will be connected by high speed rail by the time the country hosts the 2018 World Cup, according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
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
