Land Use
Evolving Beyond the Long Commute
Car commutes used to be long by necessity. But that's no longer the case, according to Richard Florida in this video from The Atlantic.
Bridge Construction Shutters Famous Skate Area
Bridge construction in New York City threatens to shut down an infamous and informal skatepark.
How Sprawl Created the Gulf Oil Spill
This commentary from Urban Omnibus looks at how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a problem with roots in unsustainable land use.
The Danger of Sinkholes
In the aftermath of an enormous sinkhole that swallowed a Quebec home, killing a family of four, officials are trying to determine how vulnerable communities in the region are to unstable leda clay.
City And Business House Homeless
San Antonio, Texas, is partnering with business and nonprofit groups on a project aimed at curbing homelessness.
Complete Streets Bill Heats Up
In Albany, NY, a "complete streets" bill that would dictate that all new roads follow guidelines for bike and ped accessibility is gaining ground as it passes through the state Congress.
Zoning and Fashion? Amanda Burden in Vanity Fair
Focusing on her Armani outfit, her upscale background, and the beet salad she was ordering, Vanity Fair finally gets down to brass tacks with New York's Planning Director Amanda Burden.
Ceding Local Control to Highway Planners
Roger Valdez looks back at the history of highways, and the switch from local control to state and federal control due to the burden of financing and maintaining roads.
Reconquering the Banks of Paris
Paris plans to eventually phase out automobiles in the city center in order to create a pedestrian friendly riverbank.
What Motivates Street Art?
Are street artists inspired by the desire to improve their environment, or to comment on the banality of it?
Sharing Land, Not Property
Community land trusts are an unusual but growing method of ownership, where the land is shared but members own their own homes. According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, they're good for neighborhood stabilization and rarely foreclose.
Families and Children Fleeing Cleveland
As Cleveland, Ohio has lost population over the last decade, a disproportionate number of those leaving town are families with children. Today, only 10% of the city's population is nuclear families.
Mapping for Solar Power - With Lasers
Part of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC campaign involves taking detailed scans of the city from the sky to determine the suitability if sites for solar power.
Jane Jacobs and the Times Square Bomb
Slate's Fred Kaplan points out that the Times Square bomber was thwarted because of Jacob's famous "eyes on the street."
Smart Growth, 10 Years Later
Wisconsin looks back at tens years with a smart growth law in effect, with most critics calling it a success with some room for improvement.
Mix of Successes and Failures for Pedestrian Malls
New York's Broadway goes pedestrian, while Sacramento's K Street goes back to having car traffic. Are pedestrian plazas a relic of the past, or the wave of the future?
Park Formulas do More Harm Than Good
Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land, believes that formulas for how much parkland cities and neighborhoods cause more harm than good.
Vancouver Considers $25 Million Investment in Bike Lanes
The city of Vancouver is looking to expand its bike network with the proposal of a $25 million investment in bicycle infrastructure over the next two years.
Buffalo to Get Form-Based Code
The Buffalo News praises efforts by Mayor Byron W. Brown to completely rewrite the city's 59-year-old zoning code. The Mayor's initiative, dubbed the Buffalo Green Code, would place a new emphasis on sustainability and walkable neighborhoods.
Planning for Development Around Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is looking to inject some life back into the area surrounding the relatively empty park atop the city's infamous Big Dig.
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
