The general principle is simple: more density equals lower prices and less environmental impact. But suburbia's imprint is deep, both on cities themselves and on how we expect to inhabit them.
In an article on Grist, Ben Adler doubts whether the urbanist trend will be enough to combat the ills of low density. Although urban populations are rising, "We're watching the demographics of cities change without getting the carbon-emissions-reducing benefits that the back-to-the-cities movement promised."
After decades of what we now consider underdevelopment, cities face chronic housing shortages. "Given that it's the capital of a country with twice as many people as in 1950, you wouldn't expect Washington to have shrunk, would you? Well, it has, and it hasn't fully bounced back."
And even though developers are steadily adding units, social factors stemming from the suburban boom are getting in the way. "D.C. doesn't suffer from a shrinking stock of housing. In fact, it has the most dwelling units in its history — it just has fewer people in each home [...] Middle-class Americans have simply become accustomed to more private space and comfort than previous generations."
Adler traces part of the problem to the racial and spacial vagaries of urban infilling. "In certain neighborhoods that have become trendy, high demand bids up housing prices, empty lots get filled in, and the population grows. In other neighborhoods, demand remains low and abandonment continues." Environmentalists (and some urbanists) want to fill in these empty spaces, only to confront inevitable gentrification and displacement as prices rise.
FULL STORY: Thanks to social change, urban density ain’t what it used to be
High Housing Costs Driving Down Transit Ridership in LA
When neighborhoods gentrify and displace lower-income residents, transit ridership suffers, new research shows.
Commentary: A New ‘Grand Bargain’ for American Housing
For decades, many U,S, neighborhoods successfully resisted change at the expense of a few neighborhoods sacrificed to mass development. Is there a better way?
Denver Pauses Multifamily Development in Westside Neighborhoods Amidst Gentrification Concerns
City officials say the pause on permits for redevelopment projects aims to stop the displacement of long-term residents.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie