Land Use
San Francisco's Bay Area Growth May Change With Climate
Officials forecast need to adapt development model: to retreat from some areas, build in others, and reduce reliance on cars.
Do Houston Residents Want Zoning?
With planning likely to become a major issue in next year's mayoral campaign, a recent survey shows that most residents would support new rules -- including possibly land use zoning -- to manage the region's sprawling development.
To Save Detroit, Plan For A Smaller City
A recent editorial argues that Detroit must look for ways to concentrate its dwindling population in a smaller, more compact city if it is to survive.
New Website Shows Impact Of Transportation On Housing Costs
A new interactive mapping website launched by the Center for Neighborhood Technology in partnership with The Brookings Institution shows how affordability changes from neighborhood to neighborhood based on housing and transportation.
A Battle Over Building Heights
In anti-growth Santa Barbara, preservationists and smart growth advocates have forged a compromise that will permit taller buildings for developments that include affordable housing.
Bay Area TODs Helping To Cut Emissions
New transit towns around the Bay Area's BART stations are attracting residents who value the convenience and savings of a walkable community and nearby transit.
You Can't Escape Sprawl
With sprawl proceeding largely unchecked in North California, residents who fled the city for more rural areas now find that urbanization has encroached their once sleepy communities.
German City a Model for 'Sane Transportation'
The German city of Bremen has lessons to teach North American cities about sustainable transportation, according to this article from The Toronto Star.
In the Eye of Beijing's Boom
This article from National Geographic looks at the construction boom that is rapidly changing the face of Beijing.
American-Style Suburbia Spreading Across The Globe
Cookie cutter subdivisions typically associated with American suburbs are popping up in the outskirts of cities in countries as far away as Argentina, China and Pakistan.
'Fully Contained Communities' Spark Comprehensive Plan Debate
Officials and residents in Snohomish County, Washington, are grappling over proposed changes to their comprehensive plan. A major point of contention is whether "fully contained communities" should be allowed.
Can Landscape Architects Get Kids to Walk to School?
Fewer kids are walking to school these days. This piece from the American Society of Landscape Architects' Land Online wonders what landscape architects can do to reverse the trend.
Planning Cities In The Age Of Global Warming
A recent conference hosted by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy focused on how planners around the world are designing urban areas that respond to the impacts of climate change.
The Explosive Growth of Homestead, Florida
Perhaps named as a self-fulfilling prophecy, the last seven years have brought unprecedented residential growth to Homestead, Florida. Commercial development is just trying to keep up.
Los Angeles Official Takes Up Anti-Density Cause
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has becoming increasingly outspoken against the city's new density bonus, saying it goes against the will of residents and will contribute to the destruction of stable neighborhoods.
Transplanting The Vancouver Model To The Middle East
The man largely responsible for planning modern day Vancouver has found his next challenge in the Middle Eastern capital of Abu Dhabi.
Black-Tie Optional: 'Stepsister' Cities Flourish in the Shadows
Say you're a big city. But right next door is an even bigger big city. What do you do to stand out? Josh Stephens explores the unique plight of America's so-called stepsister cities.
Is Vancouver Ready For EcoDensity?
Already praised for its efforts at encouraging residential density in its urban core, Vancouver's mayor is pushing for a new EcoDensity charter that would push for higher densities citywide. But even in Vancouver, residents are wary of more density.
Eco-Cities: Today's Garden Cities
England's plans to build 3 million new homes by 2020, and much emphasis has been placed on making them environmentally friendly. The push for "eco-town" draw a strong parallel to the "Garden Cities" of the past.
Urban Trends Erasing Rural Past
Rural communities in Ottawa are being wiped out as urban trends take over the minds of developers and consumers. Rural residents are looking at ways to preserve the character of their communities.
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
