Land Use
Is A Denser Urban World Inevitable?
Writing in Foreign Policy, Joel Kotkin argues that increasing urbanization and density are not inevitable realities.
Unleashing the Planner in Everyone
This piece from Next American City looks at a variety of urban planning-focused events being hosted by cultural institutions, and how those events help to include the regular citizen in the process of planning.
The Top 20 Urban Planning Successes of All Time
An interesting post appeared on the Public Servant Blog a few days ago. The list includes Amsterdam, Eugene, Oregon; Ponce Center City, Puerto Rico; and the city of Philadelphia among others.
Is the Magic Word "Density", or "Location"?
Looking back at research from 1977, The Overhead Wire decides that maybe there is an overemphasis on residential density increasing transit ridership, when the greatest impact comes from location.
Urban Cemetery Space Running Out
In crowded New York City, finding a final resting place in one of the city's cemeteries is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. Other major cities are facing the same crunch.
Making Sense of Neighborhood Structure
Planner Sam Gennawey details a public participation exercise he regularly uses, taken from the ideas of Christopher Alexander, that makes complex ideas simple for public understanding.
Solar Power Moves Ahead in The California Desert
"Nine projects in California are making their way through the Bureau of Land Management's fast-track program which, if completed, will bring over 4,500 megawatts worth of generating capacity onto the grid."
The "Monumental Folly" of California City
Created by Nathan Mendelsohn, California City is the state's thrid largest in size but exists mostly in his imagination. Home to 14000 people who inhabit one end of the massive tract, just a corner next to over 185 square miles of empty development.
The Extremes of Detroit
Jay Walljasper pays a visit to Detroit, and finds an intersection where wealth and Detroit's famous urban decay live cheek-by-jowl.
All-Ages Design in Toronto
Designing cities for all age groups means designing places where everyone from kids to seniors can feel safe walking, according to this column. Groups in Toronto are calling on mayoral candidates to get behind that idea.
Beyond the Priesthood
In 1995, author and planning authority Peter Katz wrote an article scolding planners for being "planners who talk" rather than "planners who draw". The original article generated much controversy, and appears here with a postscript added by Katz that reveals a glimmer of hope for the planning profession in the U.S.
'Density Lobby' Helps Rail Kill Bus
Investments in rail systems in cities across America are pulling crucial funding away from better-used bus systems, according to this column from Joel Kotkin. He blames the "density lobby".
Food Farms Become Solar Farms
Decommissioned farms and fields in California are being scouted as possible sited for renewable energy production.
San Francisco Could Learn A Thing Or Two From NYC
San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King returns from a trip to New York with a look at several lessons that the City-by-the-Bay could (gasp!) learn from Manhattan.
Most Successful Urban Planning - Ever?
Public Servant Blog dares to compile a completely subjective list of the Top 20 Urban Planning Successes of All Time, with selections ranging from the obvious (Amsterdam) to the less so (Marimont, Ohio). See if you agree.
A City on the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Dutch conservationists are proposing to create a floating community built on top of the patch of garbage swirling out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The Past and Future of Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture is not a new idea. Grist's Tom Philpott says the renewed interest in the idea should look for good ideas from its past.
When is a Suburb Not a Suburb?
Joel Kotkin has said there is a war on suburbia. But as Michael Scott writes on New Geography (Kotkin's home base), where does suburbia start and the city end? Where do inner-ring suburbs fit in this model?
Resale Value No Longer the Key Factor in Homebuying
Alison Arieff asks, "At what point did the house become more about the future tenant than the current resident?"
The Role of a Big City Planning Director: Visionary or Expeditor?
Michael LoGrande, recently approved as the next Planning Director for the city of L.A., is a city hall insider with a reputation as an expeditor. Former interim Planning Director Mark Winogrond questions the process by which LoGrande was selected.
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
