Land Use
Soaking Up Runoff For a Greener Street
The city of Santa Monica has just unveiled its first segment of green street, one where rainwater runoff seeps into porous pavement and landscaping.
New Eco-Town Plans Meet NIMBY Resistance
The UK government recently announced the sites of four new planned "eco-towns". But local opposition to the projects remains high.
Changing Tune on Density
Back in 1971, Alvin Duskin mounted an all-out campaign to limit buildings in San Francisco to 72 feet. Today, he is one of many Bay Area activists reconsidering density.
A Perfect Storm of Construction
A perfect storm of projects, ranging from a new busway to an expanding sports arena, is just beginning to disrupt life in the village of Rozelle, Australia. Construction could continue past 2020.
Getting Resilient
A paper published earlier this year by a team of professors argues that cities need to learn to become more resilient as resources become more scarce.
Vancouver Requires Electric Car Inclusionary Zoning
The city of Vancouver is going to begin requiring that a certain amount of electric car charging stations be included in all new residential developments.
The Securitization of Public Space
Julia Galef takes a look at Secure Cities, a new website that maps the effect of security measures on public space since 9/11.
New Orleans Debates Highway To Boulevard Project
According to a new draft master plan, the Clairborne Expressway may be the next freeway to join the nation's growing highway to boulevard movement.
Emphasizing the Urban Angle of National Parks
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has said he wants to bring park programs back into the lives of urban dwellers. This piece argues that a good place for him to start is one of the few urban national parks at St. Louis' Gateway Arch.
Eating Healthy Now Required in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has issued a directive that seeks to mandate healthy eating and food production in the city.
The Fourth Urbanism
Columnist Frank Gruber seeks to define an urbanism separate from New Urbanism, Post-Urbanism, and 'Everyday' Urbanism: what he calls "Cityism."
Nuclear Power on the High Seas
A Russian manufacturer has announced plans to build a nuclear energy plant on a floating platform near the Bering Sea.
Communities Sue Florida Over Growth Management Law
Several communities in South Florida are suing the state government over the recent passage of a law that allows exurban development to occur even if there is no adequate transportation infrastructure in place.
Private Ads in Public Spaces
The new public plazas in New York City have gained much popularity among locals -- and earned much money for the city. Officials have been renting out the spaces to advertisers, blurring the lines between public and private.
Density is Victim of the Economy
In Austin, TX, a planned transit-oriented development went bust. The new developer is taking the density down from 1,200 homes to "plus or minus 700."
Next Steps for Shrinking Cities: Results of the Planetizen Brainstorm
Bulldoze? Densify? Walk away? There are many ways cities can react to shrinking populations and abandoned neighborhoods. Planetizen readers decide which ways are the best.
Balancing Preservation and New Construction in Downtown Charleston
As the city of Charleston, SC works to develop a plan to guide future development along the eastern end of Calhoun Street from Marion Square to the SC Aquarium, preservationists express concerns about possible new guidelines.
Highway Teardowns Benefitting Traffic Flow and City Life
The Infrastructurist offers four case studies of cities that have removed highways. The result: less congestion.
The Burnham Plan Was Also the Bennett Plan
The 1909 Plan of Chicago is widely credited to Daniel Burnham. But Burnham's right-hand-man, Edward Bennett not only played a big role in writing the plan, he also helped put it into action.
Struggling Cities Could Become Bike Utopias
As some cities in the Rust Belt depopulate, they present opportunities to develop into new bike utopias. This op-ed from The New York Times argues Detroit is a perfect example.
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
