Land Use

Note to New Orleans: Get Involved.

The proposed design for a New Orleans medical complex is being directed from state offices, and is out of place from local planning principles, according to findings.

September 16, 2010 - New Urban Network

The Local Food Movement Goes Online

Online tools designed to connect local farmers with consumers are helping sustain the local food and urban agriculture movements.

September 16, 2010 - Next American City

Pedestrian-Friendly Sydney On the Way

Officials in Australia have announced plans to recast downtown Sydney as a pedestrian-friendly central business district.

September 14, 2010 - ABC

The Personal Cost of Transportation

A new website created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology calculates how much an average household in your neighborhood would spend on transportation, with results for cars and public transit.

September 14, 2010 - Governing Magazine

The City of London Diversifies With New Mall

The City of London - the financial district comprised of one square mile of London's Roman boundary has erected a new shopping center that planners hope will stimulate the area's development as a competitor to the busier West End.

September 13, 2010 - The Guardian

Suburbs Go Head To Head With The City

"With cities worldwide busy repurposing their industrial districts and docklands as upmarket housing and waterfront retail centres, the suburbs need to find a new competitive edge," writes Sarah Murray.

September 12, 2010 - Financial Times

Five Plans for Reviving the St. Louis Gateway Arch Park

Five finalists have been announced in a design competition to rethink the park near St. Louis' iconic Gateway Arch. Fast Co. Design takes a look at the contenders.

September 10, 2010 - Fast Co. Design

The Urban Impact of Richard Daley

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who recently announced he would not seek re-election, has had a major impact on the city and its urban form, according to this review.

September 9, 2010 - Chicago Tribune

Developing Detroit's New Comprehensive Plan

The city of Detroit is looking to create a comprehensive plan for rethinking the struggling city. Next American City talks with the officials heading the effort about the challenges they face.

September 9, 2010 - Next American City

Brownfields Into Beaches

Alex Bozikovic hits the beach with his son at a new public space in Toronto: Sugar Beach, an urban park built on a former industrial site.

September 8, 2010 - No Mean City

Pedestrian-Only Zone Proposed for San Diego

With the centennial of the Panama-California Exposition that created San Diego's Balboa Square approaching, the city is considering turning back the neighborhood to its former car-free glory.

September 8, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Cambodia Joins Skyscraper Race to the Top

Cambodia has announced that it will build a new skyscraper that will be the tallest in Asia at 1,820 feet. Fast Company asks, why, in the face of grueling poverty, would they do such a thing?

September 8, 2010 - Fast Company

Freeways Going Green

Dallas, Texas is building a new park on a deck over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, a strategy for creating new public spaces that is being tried across the country.

September 8, 2010 - Governing Magazine

Southern CA MPO Snubs Air Board By Reducing Emissions Targets

The Southern California Association of Governments rebuffed the CA Air Resources Board by deliberately setting lower targets for greenhouse gas emissions per SB 375, the 2008 law intended to reduce GHG emissions from transportation.

September 8, 2010 - LA. Streetsblog

Legalizing and Protecting Jaywalkers Through Design

Most crosswalks are straight lines, but many people walk across streets in an arc. One designer has proposed changing the way crosswalks are painted to improve pedestrian safety.

September 7, 2010 - Fast Co. Design

Exporting Suburbanism

Developing countries have begun importing Western-style pro-sprawl urban planning policies, often to their detriment. Kuala Lumpur and cities across the communist world are examined.

September 7, 2010 - Market Urbanism

RLUIPA and the Mosque-Building Controversy

The recent controversies surrounding the building of mosques in cities across America have their resolution in one simple acronym: RLUIPA.

September 6, 2010 - The New York Times

The Urban and Civic Impact of Daniel Burnham

A documentary airing nationally on PBS today looks at the work of Daniel Burnham and the emergence of the urban planning profession.

September 6, 2010 - Architectural Record

Skaters Vs. The Dead

No, it's not a teen zombie movie -- a skate park planned for Miami is causing an uproar because of its proposed location, adjacent to the historic Miami Cemetery.

September 5, 2010 - The Miami Herald

The Vicious Cycle of Adding Capacity for Cars

Dan Bertolet argues that adding expanding car capacity in cities just inspires more people to drive and ruins the qualities that make the city attractive in the first place.

September 5, 2010 - Publicola

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.