Land Use

Living In A Food Desert

Researchers in Rhode Island find that residents in many parts of the state lack easy access to food.

August 24, 2007 - The Providence Journal

Is Joel Kotkin The Anti-Planner?

Los Angeles pundit Joel Kotkin's most recent diatribe about the alleged "Manhattanization" of Los Angeles has put Bill Fulton over the edge. Kotkin's arguments are old, tired and contradictory, says Fulton.

August 24, 2007 - California Planning & Development Report

Will Architects And Planners Fail The World's Urban Dwellers?

With rapid urbanization overtaking the world, experts worry that planners and architects are too few and lack experience to tackle the coming challenge.

August 24, 2007 - International Herald Tribune

Water Shortages Alter Growth Patterns In Las Vegas

Low water supplies are forcing changes to the growth patterns of booming Las Vegas, Nevada.

August 22, 2007 - Reuters via Environmental News Network

The Line Between Fighting Gentrification And Plain-Old NIMBY

When does an 'anti-gentrification group' cross the line to simply stopping progress in a community? That charge has been leveled against San Francisco's Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition after the city's environmental review process was expanded.

August 22, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

New Plan, New Growth Pattern

The City of Sacramento is looking to change its growth pattern as it prepares a new version of its general plan.

August 22, 2007 - The Sacramento Bee

Short-Sighted Plans Highlight Lack Of Vision In Melbourne

Plans to extend Melbourne, Australia's already-extensive freeway system are short-sighted and illustrate the lack of true planning vision in the city, according to this column from The Age.

August 21, 2007 - The Age

Adressing Parks Shortage Crucial To Future Of L.A.

Los Angeles is one of the most parks-deficient cities on the West coast. How planners address this shortage will shape the future of the city, writes Christopher Hawthorne.

August 21, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Drive-In Utopia

Drive-in movie theaters are satisfying a need for public spaces that also allow some privacy.

August 21, 2007 - The Globe and Mail

Suburban Officials Try To Build Sidewalks Amid Local Opposition

Facing residential opposition, city officials in suburban Minneapolis are having trouble getting sidewalks built in many neighborhoods. The residents argue that sidewalks are not needed in the suburbs.

August 21, 2007 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

Utopian Industrial City Becomes Model For Urban Disarray

Planners intended Ciudad Guayana to be the "Pittsburgh of the tropics". Today, the city has lost its former prosperity and is grappling with a array of urban epidemics.

August 20, 2007 - The New York Times

Flood Victims Call On Government To Limit Flood Plain Development

Residents of a British town that was recently flooded gathered to demonstrate against governmental housing plans that do not advise against building in flood plains.

August 20, 2007 - BBC

Desertification Causes Relocation Of Thousands In China

With desertification threatening thousands of acres of land, Chinese officials have announced the forced relocation of more than 10,000 people.

August 17, 2007 - The Christian Science Monitor

Development Threatens Wetlands

Citizens and homeowners in Washington have teamed up against a number of proposed housing developments that would replace more than 100 acres of open space and wetlands.

August 17, 2007 - The Columbian

Park Space Requirement Dismays Developers

Builders' groups and developers are upset over a proposal in Houston that would require them to include park space in any developments of 100 units or more. They say the requirement will stifle development.

August 17, 2007 - The Houston Chronicle

Measure 37 Causes Billboard Blight In Oregon

An unintended effect of Measure 37 -- Oregon's controversial 2004 land use law -- is that homeowners are allowed to build giant billboards on their property. Some have, and local officials are hoping a new ballot measure will address the issue.

August 17, 2007 - The Oregonian

Deceptive Planning Brings Wal-Mart To Disgruntled Community

This piece from The Roanoke Times laments the coming of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, and blasts the planning process that let a proposed mixed-use walkable town center transform into a "big-box juggernaut".

August 16, 2007 - The Roanoke Times

Measure 37's First Case Still Unsettled

Preparations are underway to take Oregon's land use legislation Measure 37 back to the ballot this November, but the property rights case that became the face issue still remains unsettled.

August 12, 2007 - The Portland Tribune

Lifestyles Clash At Urban Growth Boundary

At the edge of Portland's urban growth boundary, a clash of rural and urban lifestyles is causing disputes between homeowners, farmers, and hunters.

August 11, 2007 - The Oregonian

Town Hopes Smart Growth Plan Will Boost Economy

The city of Germantown, Tennessee, is on the verge of approving a new "Smart Code" based on Smart Growth and New Urbanism principles. City officials are hoping the new zoning changes will allow the city's economy to blossom.

August 11, 2007 - The Daily News (Memphis)

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.