The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Attractive New Park Makes Angelenos Realize How Ugly Downtown Buildings Are
Since it opened last year, throngs of Angelenos have flocked to downtown's Grand Park. With those crowds now paying attention to the massive public buildings that form the park's boundaries, some are wondering if they need to be replaced.
Urban Revival Increases Need for Places for Mental Renewal
Kaid Benfield argues that amid our focus on placemaking, density, transit, and walkability we need to find room to talk about how to create sanctuaries, or peaceful places, 'where one can get away and be quiet and still'.
Chinese Developer Reaches for the Heavens, Captures Hostility
Efforts to erect the world’s tallest building in Changsha are emblematic of a country that's constructing mega-towers like it's going out of style. But the backlash that the Sky City project has inspired may signal that tastes are actually changing.
Building Material Industries Lead LEED Backlash
The USGBC's LEED rating system certainly has its share of warts. But in states across the U.S., the timber, plastics and chemical industries are challenging LEED requirements for insidious reasons: to protect the market for their products.
'High-End' Berkeley Micro-Apartment Proposal Receives Chilly Reception
A five-story, 60 ft. building proposal in Berkeley, Calif. that would house 70 'high end' micro-apartments ranging from 307 to 344 sq. ft. was presented to the city's Zoning Adjustment Board, but commissioners and neighbors were not impressed.
D.C. is Nation's Capital of Bad Driving, Once Again
All of that Congressional gridlock seems to be causing a lot of accidents. For the sixth year in a row, Washington D.C.'s drivers have come in last place in Allstate’s annual "America’s Best Drivers" report.
How to Speak Libertarians' Language for Planning
Many planning policies, like zoning rules and parking minimums, undermine traditional "Main Street"-style development and, in fact, make the Strong Towns ethos more palatable to Libertarians.
Measuring Walkability to Improve It
After leading annual conferences and championing the International Charter for Walking, the non-profit Walk21 is expanding its efforts to improve walkability and livability across the globe by benchmarking the pedestrian-friendliness of world cities.
Pristine Lake George to be Made a 'Smart Lake' to Monitor Climate Change
New York’s Lake George will soon be wired to more monitoring technology than any other body of water in the world.
Celebrated Critic's Campaign to Save NY Library Triumphs After She's Gone
In the last column published before her death, pioneering architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable railed against plans to irreparably alter the New York Public Library. In response to such criticism, the library has altered its plans.
Why Did a 'Mysterious' Company Buy Hundreds of Properties in St. Louis?
Over the course of a year beginning in June 2008, a 'mysterious holding company' named Urban Assets bought 240 parcels across a five-mile swath of the north side of St. Louis. Since then, it's just let them decay.
One Billionaire's Extremely Valuable Hole in the Ground
A valuable lot overlooking the East River in Manhattan has sat vacant for years without a clear indication of whether billionaire Sheldon Solow will follow through on his redevelopment plans.
How Homeownership Has Kept Black Americans from Realizing MLK's Dreams
Fifty years ago today, participants in the March on Washington were seeking to narrow the economic gap between America's blacks and whites. After five decades, that gulf remains. Vauhini Vara explains how homeownership is partly to blame.
What Happens to Planning in San Diego Now that Filner is Gone?
Reconstituting San Diego's Planning Department was one of Bob Filner's signature initiatives during his short time in office, and a centerpiece of his promise to 'put the city’s neighborhoods first'. Will his vision outlast his scandalous exit?
Pittsburgh's Mayoral Candidate Pitches Light Rail Expansion
The University of Pittsburgh's student newspaper reports on mayoral candidate Bill Peduto's proposal to extend the city's light rail system to connect to Oakland, where three of the city's largest employers (including Pitt) reside.
Should Cities Mandate Yards?
In communities across the U.S., setback requirements and lot coverage maximums mandate acres of private open spaces. Eliminating such requirements could produce more affordable and more eco-friendly places, argues Matthew Yglesias.
Economists Agree: The Olympics are a Terrible Investment
As a group from Washington, D.C. announced plans to bid for the 2024 Olympics, economists released a report on the high costs of hosting the Games for cities, including expensive infrastructure and small economic benefits.
Why Millennials Might Save the Suburbs
Observers have anxiously wondered what will happen to America's urban revival as Millennials start families and seek the types of amenities more readily found in the suburbs. Relax, says Shane Phillips, cities will be fine and suburbs will be better.
A Battle to Protect England's Countryside as Greenfield Developments Double
Far from applying the government's policy of brownfield first, the number of new houses planned for greenfield sites has doubled since reform of the planning system in England reduced protection for greenbelt land.
Townhouse Trend Takes Toronto
In the land of the blooming condo high-rise a different housing type is starting to sprout - the 'urban townhouse'. Tracy Hanes explains what makes such homes attractive to buyers, and looks at three popular townhouse projects.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
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.
