Brooklyn

Brooklyn, New York City

Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn

A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.

November 14, 2021 - Gothamist

An image of the Brooklyn Tower under construction in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn's First Supertall Skyscraper Almost Done

The tallest building in Brooklyn is nearing completion. The Brooklyn Tower will reach 1,066 feet tall.

November 12, 2021 - Crain's New York Business

Brooklyn, New York City

Opinion: It's Time to Rezone Gowanus

As the New York City Council considers a controversial plan for the Gowanus neighborhood in Brooklyn, Moses Gates calls on the city to pass "one of the best and most inclusive community planning processes in recent times."

October 13, 2021 - New York Daily News

Brooklyn, New York City

Gowanus Rezoning Clears New York's City Planning Commission

A controversial rezoning plan is moving toward the finish line in Brooklyn.

September 23, 2021 - The Real Deal

Gowanus Canal

Gowanus Racial Impact Study Predicts Increased Diversity After Rezoning

The report outlines the potential impacts on the neighborhood's racial diversity and the availability of below-market housing units.

August 16, 2021 - Urbanize New York

View of New York City from Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Brooklyn Waterfront Development Unveils Revised Design

The massive River Ring Waterfront Master Plan includes two towers containing 1,050 residential units, a three-acre beach, and 5,000 square feet of community kiosks.

March 23, 2021 - Urbanize New York

Brooklyn, New York City

Planning via Zoom: Legal Scrutiny for Pandemic Realities in New York City

The question of whether a public review process conducted by Zoom is sufficient to approve a sweeping rezoning plan is a matter of no small legal concern in New York City.

February 24, 2021 - Commercial Observer

Brooklyn, New York City

Lawsuit Challenges Zoom Hearings on Gowanus Rezoning Plan

Planning departments relying on online public hearing processes will want to keep monitor this lawsuit in New York City.

January 18, 2021 - Brooklyn Paper

Newtown Creek

How Broken Planning and Development Processes Hobble the Potential of Neighborhoods

A stinging critique of the public review process in New York City.

November 30, 2020 - Curbed

Gowanus Canal

Big Day for Brooklyn: Gowanus Canal Clean Up Begins

Local advocates are celebrating the start of clean up work on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

November 18, 2020 - Brooklyn Paper

Brooklyn, New York City

Rezoning a Wealthy Neighborhood in the Name of Equity

An opinion piece makes the case that a rezoning proposal for the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gowanus has a higher potential for new affordable housing and lower risk of displacement compared to other rezoning plans in the city.

September 24, 2020 - City Limits

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Controversial Rezoning for Industry City Mega-Project Finally Withdrawn in New York City

A controversial summer has finally claimed the grand ambitions for a waterfront site in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

September 23, 2020 - Politico

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

A Planning Showdown in New York City

The proposal to rezone the Industry City redevelopment area in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn has won a key approval, but a controversial showdown in the City Council still awaits.

August 23, 2020 - The Real Deal

Sprawl

Another Grim Coronavirus Milestone: This Time in Southern California

COVID-19 deaths topped 5,000 in Los Angeles County last week as deaths continue to mount due to a hasty reopening after an early shutdown. The center of the of outbreak in California now shifts to the Central Valley.

August 19, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Councilmember Nixes Rezoning Request for Massive Brooklyn Redevelopment Project

Gentrification and displacement concerns won the day over a plan to rezone a former industrial area in Sunset Park, Brooklyn for new retail, offices, hotels and restaurants.

August 11, 2020 - The Real Deal

Brooklyn, New York City

Questioning the Fairness of Rezoning During a Pandemic

Virtual reality meetings are a poor substitute for the normal public engagement process included in the city of New York's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, according ton opinion piece recently published by City Limits.

August 4, 2020 - City Limits

Newtown Creek

Measuring the Coronavirus Effect on Development in Brooklyn, Queens

Two development markets charged by an early 2000s rezoning will test the reach of the coronavirus in New York City's development market.

July 8, 2020 - The New York Times

New York City

Advocates Push for Gowanus Rezoning, Stuck in COVID-19 Limbo, to Move Forward

According to advocates, the relative affluence of Gowanus is the reason a plan to rezone the neighborhood must move forward.

June 23, 2020 - The Real Deal

Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane

Bike-Centered Brooklyn Bridge Redo Under Consideration

City officials in New York are discussing the possibility of converting a car traffic lane on the Brooklyn Bridge for use by people on bikes.

June 22, 2020 - Brooklyn Paper

Curbing House Flippers in Brooklyn

A new cease-and-desist zone, meant to control the activities of house flippers, is under consideration in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, as well as state laws that would increase the real estate transfer tax.

March 3, 2020 - The City

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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.