Land Use
Ancient Cities Found in the Amazon
Anthropologists have discovered traces of highly organized and gridded cities in the Amazon rainforest dating back to the 1200s.
Woman Dedicates Life to Fixing Local Park
Viviana Franco became a planner so she could reform a park 100 ft. from her childhood home in Hawthorne, CA. But her quest has become mired in local politics as the site was sold in a local auction.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Three Years On
Jason Miller reports how coastal Mississippi cities and towns are moving post-Katrina plans and ideas towards implementation.
Friday Funny: SeXXXercise Thwarted
The ACLU is helping a woman in Pittsburgh sue the city for violating her right of free expression. The city denied her occupancy permit to open a pole-dancing studio, teaching classes in "power lap dance" and "seXXXercise".
Room for Public Art in Louisville?
In 2006, the city of Louisville set up a wall where graffiti artists were allowed to paint. But when the art started offending neighbors and officials, the wall was shut down. This article wonders if there's room for more public art in Louisville.
Aztecs Were Early Urban Gardeners
Urban gardening is spreading to Mexico City, resurrecting an ancient history of growing produce in the city.
Public Sculpture is Getting Better
After an experimental phase of earthworks and video installations, public art is on the rise. And, a New York Times art critic reports, the quality is looking up.
California's New Smart Growth Law Isn't So New
Bill Fulton says that California's new smart growth and climate change law doesn't really contain any new ideas, and it's unlikely to make a huge difference in California's growth patterns all by itself.
Something New Inside Failed Big Boxes
When big boxes go under, they leave big holes. Communities across America are coming up with some creative ways to reuse the huge spaces left behind when big box retailers move out.
Urban Farms Flourish in Oakland
In industrial West Oakland, backyard farming is flourishing, with more than 80 farms sprouting up with organic produce and a local bent.
Retooling the Exurbs for Global Warming
Scientists at the University of Michigan are studying ways to replant exurbs in order to capture more atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide.
Farm Resists Encroaching Sprawl
Development encroaches on one of the last family farms in Orem, Utah. Now the Cook Family Farm intends to stand their ground in the face of new city mandates and developer pressure.
New Daleville, Witold Rybczynski's Subject, is Failing
Witold Rybczynski wrote The Last Harvest about a new development being created in an exurban cornfield. NPR visits the half-finished community with Witold, which is suffering from the economic crisis.
The Social Functions of NIMBYism
Assessing NIMBYism: not just its agonies but also its value in democratizing land use planning decisions, and concluding with constructive advice on how to make the most of this painful but inescapable feature of the development landscape.
Should Industrial Neighborhoods Be Made 'Livable'?
With the success of livability efforts in Minneapolis, efforts are underway to do the same for the Hiawatha light rail corridor. But active industry and historically significant grain silos create a challenge for new development.
Landmark Smart Growth Bill Close to Passing in CA
CA's landmark smart growth bill, SB 375, is close to passing. It aims to reduce global warming by requiring regions to devise "sustainable community strategies".
Mayor Shuts Down Little Girls' Produce Stand
Katie and Sabrina Lewis of Clayton, CA have inadvertently gotten tied up in a political mess of zoning and commercial uses by selling produce from their family garden at a stand in front of their house.
Camelina: A Better Biofuel?
An overlooked native plant has a lot going for it as a biofuel, and wouldn't take away from food production.
Downtown Plaza Recovers from the 70s
New London, Connecticut, like many victims of the 1970s, was saddled with a harsh, ineffective public plaza at the heart of its downtown. Planners are working to return the plaza to its historic form.
Bikers vs. Environmentalists
Planners in Montgomery County, MD are nixing a proposed bike path because of its nearness to 'ecologically sensitive parkland'. Bicycle proponents think this argument doesn't hold water. Says one,'they're already running a big highway through there.'
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
