Land Use
Designing Happiness into Cities
This piece from Shareable looks at the urban work of Enrique Penalosa and how it emphasizes the importance of happiness in cities.
O.C. Homeowners Sued for Removing Lawn
In Orange, California, city codes require that front yards be 40% landscaping. After considerately adding drought-resistant plants and bark to save water, the city sued an Orange couple.
T.V. on a Stick
That's what citizen groups are calling digital billboards, saying they area a safety hazard for distracting drivers. States around the country are grappling with how to regulate the glowing signs.
Rewiring Manila to Avoid Devastation of Natural Disasters
The leading architect and urban planner from the Philippines is calling on the city of Manila to take stronger precautions in the face of earthquakes and other natural disasters.
No Dough for Smart Growth
The desire to create walkable neighborhoods is alive in cities around the U.S., but the recession has made it difficult or impossible to follow through.
The Challenges of Sustaining Smart Growth Over Time
In the late '90s a trio of North Carolina suburbs tried to ditch their suburban past with a new, much lauded Smart Growth planning effort that revised the way they used their land. The success of the celebrated developments didn't last long.
Community Gardens Sprout in Seattle
Activists in Seattle have created a community garden on empty land to help provide food for the city's needy.
Designing Cities for Food
Nicola Twilley and Sarah Rich are launching a project called Foodprint NYC with the goal of creating a comprehensive vision for a food policy for New York. Urban Omnibus has this interview.
Regional Land Use Plan Approved in Metro Portland
Much of the land use plan is focused on what will not be used -- areas set aside as urban preserves.
Breathing Life Back into Seattle's Alleys
The City of Seattle is looking to revive some of its often forgotten and neglected urban spaces: alleys.
American Cities Awaken From 35-Year Parking Policy Coma
Planning policies that produce cheap, abundant parking are fundamentally at odds with efforts to promote transit, biking, and walking. A new report from ITDP shows how some cities have started to align parking policies with sustainable transport.
'Drive 'til You Qualify' Foreclosures on the Rise
Long commute + High Fuel Costs = Home Losses in Exurbs.
Bay Area Naval Base Approved for Neighborhood Conversion
A former Naval weapons station in Concord, California will be converted into a new, 12,000-home neighborhood.
Interview With 'Sustainability Czar' Shelley Poticha
OK, there is no such czar, but now that Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities is established, why not be creative? Poticha is former CEO of Reconnecting America, and before that, Congress for the New Urbanism.
The New World of Roads in China
The New York Times reviews a new book about driving in China, and how the vastly expanding roadways are changing the Chinese way of life from the farms to the cities.
Sprawling Madrid
While Madrid's urban core is highly dense, the city has sprawled out over the last two decades much further than its growing population requires, says Madrid resident and planning consultant Marco Adelfio.
Sidewalks Emerge in Jordan's Capital
Seemingly simple, the Jordanian city of Amman has finally managed to build walkable sidewalks.
As Dealerships Empty Out, Cities Look at Options for Reuse
As the auto industry evolves, the vast car lots that sprung up in many California towns over the past few decades are falling out of use. Cities are looking at new ways to reuse these spaces.
Indonesia Considers New Capital as Jakarta Sinks
As sea levels rise and flooding threatens the foundations on which the city was built, the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is literally sinking into the sea. Now the president is pushing a plan to find a new home for the country's capital.
Sustainability Through Schools
Efforts to desegregate schools in the 1970s weakened neighborhood ties. Now, a return to school assignments based on where children live could make communities stronger.
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
