Density
Fear of Density in Houston
As Houston considers extending its urban boundaries, planners and locals struggle with the proper techniques for ensuring good development without zoning.
Granny Flats and Carriage Houses for Denver
Grass Root Efforts to Help Bring Back a Much-Loved Building Form
Back-To-Nature Plans Stall Innovation
According to this op-ed, allowing cities to de-densify undermines the importance of the city's role in society at large--namely, as a breeding ground for technological and cultural innovation.
Finding Public Space Wherever They Can in Cairo
Dense Cairo has few sanctioned public spaces. So residents make do wherever they can.
How Rail Spurred A Makeover In Tysons Corner
Tysons Corner is hoping to go from a 9-to-5 work farm to a 24-hour city.
Transit Stops Increase Property Value- But Why?
Sam Staley argues that the increase in property values around transit stations isn't attributable to increased ridership, and in fact the locations with the least investment had the highest ridership.
If A German Town Can Go Car-Free, Why Not America?
An article in the New York Times this week profiled Vauban, Germany, a town without cars. NYTime's Room for Debate Blog asked planners and developers to envision a car-free town in America.
Comparing the Fates of Two Exurbs
Reporter Ben Adler travels to Leesburg, VA without a car and reports on the difficulties he experiences getting around. In comparison, Ben walks with ease around Kentlands, a New Urbanist development in Maryland.
OK City Not OK for Walking
Jeff Speck takes a walk in Oklahoma City and finds too-wide streets, too-low density and too much danger for pedestrians.
Three Things the Mayor Can Do to Fix L.A.
Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne offers three pieces of advice to recently re-elected L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for improving his city -- and his urban planning credibility.
A Better Transit-Oriented Design
Kent Kammerer asserts that by jumping too quickly on a TOD bandwagon that stresses density, local municipalities may leave out elements of social infrastructure and adequate services--the real driving forces behind successful, walkable areas.
Seattle TOD Bill Needs Work, Critics Say
An ambitious bill encouraging dense, transit-oriented development in the Seattle area has drawn negative responses from residents who criticize its "one-size-fits-all" approach.
Cities Are Cleaner Than Suburbs
When it comes to carbon emissions, dense cities are better for the environment than anything else, says economists Edward L. Glaeser of Harvard and Matthew Kahn of UCLA. And right now we're inhibiting building where we should be encouraging it.
How Much Space Do You Need?
Charles Platt uses CIA Factbook data on populations to create a visual representation of how much land there is per person in different nations.
'Nonconforming Urbanism' the New Face of Density
Architect Teddy Cruz examines the south-north flow of "nonconforming urbanism" in the Tijuana-San Diego region, and how changing communities in this dynamic area could shape the way we think about increasing density.
The joys of medium density
It is a chestnut of urban planning that a neighborhood must have a certain number of dwelling units per acre (usually around 8 or 10) in order to have adequate bus service. But the quarter-acre lot seems to get no respect: too dense for estate-home luxury, not dense enough to constitute "smart growth". But a 9 year-old girl recently taught me that, at least for children of a certain age, these medium-density neighborhoods have their advantages.
People Who Live Alone Are Big Energy Wasters
A new study from SMR Research Corporation reveals that people who live alone use 18% more energy than two-person households, and 30% more than three-person homes. McMansions are, or course, cited as big wasters.
Sydney Pins New Growth to Mass Transit Plans
Officials in Sydney, Australia, are creating a blueprint for the city that envisions a broad mass transit system, increased density in the inner city and the suburbs and a much higher skyline.
Sweet Spot Density for Livable Neighborhoods
Single-family detached homes typically epitomize sprawl, while 4 or 5 story apartment buildings now seem to be the utopian ideal for livable neighborhoods. But some of the most livable and walkable neighborhoods I know are largely comprised of single family homes.
The 10 Best Commutes
Density gives cities an edge, according to this study of commutes around the world. Hong Kong, Osaka, and Berlin all rank highly.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
