Land Use
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.
Candidates Must Appeal to Cities, Suburbs
Tonight's presidential debate is the candidates' last chance to address respective suburban and urban issues.
Urban Planners, Butt Out!
The authors of one study assert that vibrant cities can't be engineered by the application of "nuanced criteria"; however, this has very much become the paradigm of urban planning.
Creating A More Wildlife-Friendly Interstate
Roads are to blame for interfering with and "boxing in" various animals' migratory patterns, sending ecologists on the hunt for new solutions to get wildlife moving.
Branding Sustainability
Las Vegas' Union Park is a LEED-certified development that sits on a revitalized brownfield, but with no shortage of Vegas' glitz. Can smart growth be as marketable as it is environmentally good?
Not Quite Urban, Not Quite Suburban
One city in Virginia has gone from suburban to (quasi-)urban in just a few years.
A Tale Of Two Theaters
The theaters are in the same city, owned by the same company, a mile apart. One is by the highway on a 14-acre lot, the other is two stories in the middle of town with underground, metered parking, and eateries on the ground level. One is closing.
Golf Course Development Stuck in Sand Trap
The uber-wealthy are still buying homes on luxury golf course developments, but the rest of the market is hurting as courses close and projects stall around the world.
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
