Land Use
A Return to Physical Planning
Planetizen talks with Peter J. Park, Manager of Community Planning and Development for the City of Denver, Colorado, about the return of physical planning, the city's form-based code, and more.
Neighbors Ask City to Sell Park
In Knoxville, Tennessee, a neighborhood association has asked the city to sell off one of its parks. The reason? They have a surfeit of park space and want to focus their attention on another park nearby.
An Open Source "SimCity" for New York
"Betaville" is a virtual New York where users can experiment with the built environment and how new buildings will look in the cityscape.
What Would it Take to Ditch Your Car?
A conversation series from the National Trust for Historic Preservation asks what it would take for people to ditch their cars and rely solely on walking, cycling and public transportation.
Bill Takes Small Step Towards 'Livable Communities'
A bill working its way through congress seeks to institute more "livable communities" in America. But with few mandates, it's unclear what the bill would actually do.
Cities and Suburbs at War?
There seems to be a lot of rhetoric pitting suburbs and cities against each other in some sort of ideological war. But, as this piece from Grist asks, is that war even real?
Philadelphia Riverfront Plan Brings Transformation Closer to Reality
For more than 40 years, the city of Philadelphia has had its sights set on transforming the Delaware Riverfront, but few plans have taken hold and little transformation has actually occurred. A new master plan could finally make it happen.
Asian Cities Face High Risks
Kathmandu, Manila, Dhaka, Mumbai and Jakarta are among the cities most prone to natural disasters, says The Guardian.
Griffin on Revising and Repurposing Detroit
Architect Magazine talks with Toni Griffin, the urban planner who's leading the effort to rewrite Detroit's comprehensive plan to help the city through troubled times.
Height Restrictions Mean High Prices in DC
Responding to a report by the Washington Post that office rents have now topped those in Manhattan, Matt Yglesias says the district's austere zoning is to blame.
Why Kids Can't and Won't Walk to School in Laguna Beach
Getting kids to walk to school has been a nationwide campaign for years. But some places say it's just not safe. Some urban forms -- like that of Laguna Beach, California -- prove it.
Private Development Bringing Quality Public Space
The relocation of a museum in San Francisco offers a model for how private developments can create quality public space, writes John King.
Neighborhoods As Employment Centers
The spatial needs of commerce and employment are shifting, and cities need to focus on bringing employment centers back to neighborhoods, argues Jay Hoekstra.
A Developer in the Park
Sitting in a controversial niche in the development market, Thomas Chapman develops plans for parcels within national parks, only to take buyouts from environmental groups or the government. He's got a bold new proposal on the way.
Portland's EcoDistricts
Launched in 2009 as an effort to choose five neighborhoods where sustainability measures could be quickly implemented and tested out, the city of Portland's EcoDistricts are entering their pilot phase.
HUD Awards Spur Sustainability Planning
HUD has awarded $98 million to 45 regions throughout the country in an effort to spur more sustainability planning efforts.
Duany and Speck on the Results of Sprawl
In an op-ed, Andres Duany and Jeff Speck discuss how the effects of sprawl they revealed years ago with the release of their book Suburban Sprawl is today being proven.
Four Visions for Future Living
In the face of climate change and sea level rise, Popular Science offers four designs for urban lifestyles of the near future.
The "Circus Tent" of Beijing
Dense cities, argues Daniel Garst, are shaped like a pyramid, with the most density in the middle and sloping sides. Beijing, on the other hand, has developed more like a circus tent, with density at the sides but single-story homes in the middle.
County Sues State Over Railyard
The State of Virginia wants to put up 2/3rds of the cost of a new private railyard in Montgomery County. County officials say it doesn't fit the character of the rural area, and have sued to stop it from being built.
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
