Land Use
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Affordable Housing Needs Affordable Land
Witold Rybzynski details the vicious cycle behind the nation's shortage of affordable housing.
D.C. Ponders Density
Washington, D.C. is almost out of space, and planners are now considering building upward to combat sprawl.
Ideas to Outmode the Strip Mall
In a contest sponsored by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, architecture firms nationwide competed to show off how they would best use land currently devoted to strip malls. Bustler provides the winning entries.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
