Land Use
Using YouTube to Make Zoning Understandable
The City of Oakland, California has produced a series of videos to help explain what zoning is and what the city's zoning update will do. The city's zoning code hasn't been comprehensively updated since 1965.
A Map of the Present and Future of Lower Manhattan
An online map developed by the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center documents change in New York City, and shows what development and construction is to come over the next eight years.
Google Earth Reveals Un-Permitted Pools
A town in New York has been using satellite imagery from Google Earth to identify illegally-built pools.
Volcano-Oriented Development
The Albuquerque City Council and staff are drafting plans for Volcano Heights, Volcano Cliffs and Volcano Trails, three sites bordering Petroglyph National Monument. A simmering debate over open space conservation seems cooled by public process.
Urban Farming Rising
Urban agriculture is becoming a well-known idea all around the world. Most of it is done at the small-scale, but there's still the idea of creating large skyscraper farms to feed our cities. Smithsonian takes a look at the idea.
Designing Urban Areas to Hear the Sounds of the City
Cities make more sounds than just cars driving by or factories humming. Trevor Cox says we should embrace the subtle sounds of cities, and update our urban design to make sure we can.
Reviving Struggling Urban Areas with Parks
Three cities -- St. Louis, Houston and Detroit -- have gained new urban parks that are playing big roles in reviving parts of town.
Ambitious Development Plan Crumbles Before City's Eyes
This piece from The New York Times looks at how an ill-fated development plan for the island of Alameda fell apart, and the city official tied up in the controversy.
The Harlem 'Under-Line'
Seeking to replicate the success of the High Line linear park in New York City, some are suggesting the creation of a linear small business market beneath a segment of Metro tracks in Harlem.
New Jersey's Forests Disappearing
A new study shows that the amount of urban development in New Jersey now outnumbers the state's forest acreage.
Cairo Facing Possible Future of American-Style Suburban Sprawl
Real estate investment is expected to rise sharply in the greater Cairo region. Some fear this will bring about American-style suburban sprawl.
Miami Approves 50-story Electronic Signs
The Miami City Commission has controversially approved a pair of 50-story electronic signs to be built atop a parking garage next to the City's Arsht Performing Arts Center.
Innovative Ideas for Urban Agriculture
Non-profit TerraformOne held a design contest for ideas for creating productive green spaces in cities. Winners include plans to put seniors to work as farmers and a global system of levees.
Wineries vs. Churches in Temecula County
The Riverside County Planning Commission is considering opening up more areas to churches, but local wineries are fighting the move, saying that the alcohol business and church don't mix.
Gentrification: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200
An artist collective staged a tongue-in-cheek interactive game in Brooklyn last month they called "Gentrification: The Game," putting developers against locals and with a generous helping of hipsters.
The Most Dangerous Road in Georgia
Blueprint America reports from suburban Atlanta, where getting to the other side of the road is nothing to take for granted.
Car-Dependent Kansas City
Urban Land Institute president Patrick L. Phillips says his hometown of Kansas City needs to mend its car-centric infrastructure and encourage denser growth in the suburbs.
San Juan to Ban Cars, Make "Walkable City"
The oldest city in the Americas bans cars from its colonial streets and outlines a plan to make San Juan more livable. David Soto gives us a look at this ambitious plan.
Homesteading 2010
A small town in Nebraska is reviving the Homestead Act, offering plots of land to people in order to cash in on property taxes down the line. Other places are following suit.
Unrealized Berlin
A new exhibit in Germany looks at a variety of unrealized and unbuilt plans for Berlin created by 100 different architects and planners.
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
