Land Use
Brainstorm: What Should Cities Do With Their Newly Empty Car Lots?
With the auto industry struggling and car dealerships closing shop, what future do you see for empty car lots? Vote on ideas submitted by the Planetizen community, or suggest your own.
Zoning for Reefer
With growing concern over safety, Chico, CA, is considering creating new zoning restrictions to control where medical marijuana can be grown.
Debate Over How 'Smart' Waterfront Housing Plan Can Be
Plans to build a 12,000 home waterfront development on the San Francisco Bay have some environmentalists up in arms. But the developers claim the project will exemplify "smart growth".
San Francisco's Japan Center Struggles to Shake Urban Renewal History
The ongoing effort to improve Japantown shows just how difficult it can be to shed the past.
Pavement-to-Parks Plaza Opens Today in SF
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will officially open the new pedestrian transit plaza on 17th St., built on a swath of land in the Castro district that until recently allowed cars.
Can Charlotte Overtake Atlanta as Powerhouse of the South?
Atlanta is seen by many as the economic powerhouse of the South. But some say Charlotte's progress in providing transit and reducing traffic may begin to tip the scales.
Best American Cities for Walking
Prevention magazine has pulled together a list of the top 25 American cities for walking.
A City Without Cars
Michigan's Mackinac Island has been car-free since 1898. GOOD Magazine pays a visit to the island and finds that far from being Luddite, the island is very progressive, from extensive wifi to hydroelectric power.
Walking, Talking, and Remembering Jane Jacobs
Jane's Walk is a fledgling yearly festival following in Jacobs' esteemed footsteps. Participants in cities around the world like Winnipeg take people on walking tours of their neighborhoods, illuminating their local urbanism.
Capturing the Value of Transit
With stimulus funding creating new transit projects across the country, now may be a great time to use innovative methods for funding development around transit, say Nadine Fogarty and Gloria Ohland of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. Portland and Denver are just two communities that have seen property values rise around rail.
Areas Near Grand Canyon Approved for Mining
Despite a congressional ruling last year that prevents them, wight uranium mining operations have been approved near the Grand Canyon.
At Long Last, A Park on the Passaic?
A park proposed for Newark's Passaic River waterfront has been an unfulfilled vision for at least a decade. But city officials say the Trust for Public Land will help radically speed up plans for a park.
Comparing the Fates of Two Exurbs
Reporter Ben Adler travels to Leesburg, VA without a car and reports on the difficulties he experiences getting around. In comparison, Ben walks with ease around Kentlands, a New Urbanist development in Maryland.
The Battle Over Growth in Portland
A documentary focusing on Portland's urban growth boundary begins airing this month on public television stations across the country. It includes interviews with proponents on all sides of the smart growth issue.
The City After Cheap Gas
In Boston for a conference, Mary Newsom reflects on the lessons that Sun Belt cities can take from historic cities like Cambridge to prepare for the future.
Anchorage Needs to Heed New Bike Plan
Anchorage, Alaska recently completed a citywide bicycle master plan. Despite the costs of the projects in the plan, this oped argues it's exactly the blueprint the city needs to put into action.
New Plaza Conversion Projects Chosen For New York City
Nine new sites have been selected by New York City's Department of Transportation for conversion into public plazas.
The Evolving Field of Urban Design
Metropolis talks with William Saunders, editor of Harvard Design Magazine, about his new book covering the evolving field of urban design.
DOT and HUD, Together Again
DOT and HUD announce a joint effort to merge land use and planning to improve livability. CNU's John Norquist comments on the merger.
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
