Land Use

Pointing the Finger at Planners

In allowing places to be designed for cars before people, city planners are primarily to blame for creating an "autocentric" America, according to this article.

October 29, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

New Orleans Planning By Force of Law

New Orleans residents this Election Day will decide whether to grant the "force of law" to the city's master plan, making it more difficult for officials to make amendments and exceptions for specific projects. The master plan has yet to be written.

October 28, 2008 - New Orleans Times-Picayune

Inside the Mind of the Anti-Planner

Next American City chats with Randal O'Toole -- the "Anti-Planner" -- about the problems of planning and what makes the ideal city.

October 28, 2008 - Next American City

Stop Development, Stop Traffic?

October 27, 2008 - Nate Berg

Getting Food and Farming on the Next President's Mind

The next president should take farming seriously and personally, according to Neal Pierce, who writes that rethinking the scale of food production is smart for regions, the environment and the economy.

October 27, 2008 - Citiwire

How to Make San Francisco More Sustainable

As part of its series on creating a sustainable future, the San Francisco Bay Guardian has outlined a list of steps for improving land use in the city, and argues that current plans from the mayor won't be enough.

October 25, 2008 - The San Francisco Bay Guardian

Homeless at the Mall

A reporter goes undercover as a homeless person to find out what happens when the indigent pay a visit to L.A.'s first corporate-controlled public park.

October 24, 2008 - LA Weekly

Nancy Pelosi, Symbol of the West

The myth of the American West as a wild, natural place is long gone, says urban studies professor Carl Abbott. The Western U.S. is actually the most urban part of the nation.

October 24, 2008 - The Hartford Courant

The Homeless in Public Spaces

Robert Sibley comments on the worldwide problem of homeless people in public spaces, and reflects on how Canadians can and should manage them.

October 23, 2008 - The Ottowa Citizen

Rebuilding Underway in Sichuan Province

A California-based architecture firm has been selected by a Sichuan planning department to rebuild the city of Dujiangyan after the deadly earthquake in the province earlier this year.

October 23, 2008 - Architectural Record

Curing Urbanitis – the Metropolitan Disease

The problems of today's inner cities and the problems of the suburbs are inextricably linked, says William E. Finley, author of Curing Urbanitis.

October 23, 2008 - William E. Finley

The Experts' Picks for Prettiest Towns in America

Travel writers, photographers, and an urban designer selected by Forbes have named the 20 prettiest towns in America; their varied definitions of "prettiness" are reflected in their choices.

October 22, 2008 - Forbes Traveler

Legislations Rewards Affordable Housing with Parks

A new piece of legislation rewards local governments in California that build affordable housing with money to build and maintain parks.

October 22, 2008 - Marketwatch

Preserving Land to Save Money

Voters in suburban Minnesota will vote on whether to invest $10 million to preserve a closed golf course. Or they could save the $10 million and allow a developer to build houses. But many say it will be cheaper in the long term to buy now.

October 22, 2008 - Minnesota Public Radio

Land Use Reform Tops China Agenda

China's government has announced major changes in property rights for farmers, giving them the ability to 'lease, exchange, or swap' their plots.

October 21, 2008 - The New York Times

Report from the Congress For European Urbanism

Faith Cable reports on the CEU's 3rd annual conference, held in Oslo, Norway, which addressed cities and their ability to address climate change through urban design.

October 19, 2008 - WorldChanging

Want Smart Growth? Break Out the Carrots and Sticks

To paraphrase B.F. Skinner, if you want positive behavior, either reward it in return, or remove something unpleasant in response; to paraphrase R. Steuteville's commentary, if we want a green economy, we need to do the same thing with development.

October 18, 2008 - New Urban News

ARB Climate Change Plan Criticized By Both Sides

The CA Air Resources Board unveiled its final ‘scoping plan’ to meet the climate change targets set in the landmark 2006 law, AB 32. Business groups condemned it for its costs while land use planners criticized it for not doing more to curb sprawl.

October 17, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle

Affordable Housing Needs Affordable Land

Witold Rybzynski details the vicious cycle behind the nation's shortage of affordable housing.

October 16, 2008 - The Wilson Quarterly

D.C. Ponders Density

Washington, D.C. is almost out of space, and planners are now considering building upward to combat sprawl.

October 16, 2008 - The Seattle Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Planner

planning NEXT

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

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.