Land Use

Building the Skyline and the Street in OK City

Despite the economic downturn, a new skyscraper is rising in Oklahoma City. A suite of street improvements are also one their way.

February 1, 2010 - The New York Times

The Political Conflict of the Decade

Worldchanging's Alex Steffen says the question of cities versus suburbs is the political conflict that will define the next decade.

January 31, 2010 - Grist

Fish: the Future of Urban Farming

Cityscape Farms has developed a new technique for farming fish along with vegetables in combined urban food systems that allows them to farm in developed areas.

January 29, 2010 - Good

An Emerging Bike Friendly City

With a rapidly progressing bike infrastructure program, the city of Long Beach, California, is edging its way to becoming one of the country's most bike-friendly cities.

January 29, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Getting the Transportation Glue Back in Philly's Waterfront

Transportation has been called the glue that hold cities together. This oped argues that Philadelphia's waterfront is sorely missing that glue.

January 29, 2010 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

County Land Management System Ditches Paper for Web

In one North Carolina county, the land development process -- from permitting to building plan submission to inspection -- is now organized under one electronic, online system.

January 28, 2010 - Government Technology

Luring World Cup Tourists with Street Beautification Projects in Johannesburg

Residents in one of Johannesburg's most infamous townships are hoping that a new street beautification project will bring pedestrians out onto their streets and into their shops when the country hosts this year's World Cup.

January 28, 2010 - Scripps Howard News Service

Planning for the Rising American Interest in Soccer

Increasing amounts of Americans are soccer players, and the parks and park planners in American cities are beginning to reflect the sport's growing popularity, according to this piece from the Regional Plan Association.

January 28, 2010 - Regional Plan Association

Adapting Form-Based Codes to Local Conditions

Bob Bengford discusses the feasibility of updating land use/design codes using a form-based approach for planners in the Northwest.

January 27, 2010 - MRSC Planning Advisor

Cities With Car-Free Potential

This post from Treehugger looks at 6 cities that could potentially go car-lite or car-free.

January 27, 2010 - Treehugger

Making Use of Stalled and Vacant Developments

A new plan being pursued by the City of San Francisco would allow developers with projects stalled by the economic recession hold on to their development rights as long as they make some beneficial use of the vacant land until construction starts.

January 27, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Waterfront Park Opens in Tampa

A new 8-acre park has opened on the waterfront of downtown Tampa, Florida, the first of three downtown projects opening downtown this year.

January 27, 2010 - St. Petersburg Times

Group of Builders and Designers Brainstorm Haiti's Future

Every day since the earthquake that shattered Haiti earlier this month, a group of 50 planners, architects and developers have met to brainstorm and strategize the rebuilding of their country.

January 27, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

An Oasis of Safety in One of L.A.'s Toughest Neighborhoods

In the midst of a dangerous and crime-prone area, one small section of L.A.'s South central neighborhood has retained a lower-than-average homicide rate and higher-than-average property values.

January 27, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Public Gets Rare Charrette in Abu Dhabi

In a region where public participation is often excluded from the planning process, urban planners are hosting a charrette in Abu Dhabi.

January 26, 2010 - Al Bawaba

Skywalks Sprout in Mumbai

The streets of Mumbai are packed with pedestrians. With few sidewalks and little room for the growing masses of walkers, city officials are looking to beat the pedestrian congestion by building overhead "skywalks" to bring people above the street.

January 26, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

The Nitty Gritty of Urban Agriculture

A university in British Columbia is opening a "biological pest control laboratory" to develop strategies for small and urban farms to control pests through microbe- and insect-based systems.

January 26, 2010 - The Vancouver Sun

Underused Underground D.C. Station Could See New Life As Art Space

An underground trolley station in Washington D.C. that later had a turn as a short-lived underground food court is being eyed by local artists as a possible site for a new underground cultural center and art space.

January 26, 2010 - The Washington Post

The Transformation of our Cities

'I'm pretty convinced we're in the midst of a transformation which is probably as profound as what happened immediately after the Second World War,' says planner Ken Greenberg in an interview in Metropolis.

January 25, 2010 - Metropolis Magazine

A New Future for Haiti?

Raymond Joseph, Haitian ambassador to the U.S., sees the opportunity to build a smaller, better city from the ruins.

January 25, 2010 - The Seattle Times

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.