Development

Developer Pins Los Angeles' Infrastructure Problems on Bureaucratic Bloat

According to developer and consultant Michael P. Russell, the city of Los Angeles has a chronic shortage of funds for infrastructure due to a bloated bureaucracy, small district city council elections, and term limits.

September 15, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Examining Commercial and Mixed Use Development Trends in the Rocky Mountain West

Market trends have changed in recent years, but how exactly are they changing? A newly published report examines the commercial and mixed use market landscape in the rocky mountain west, and suggests how to properly capitalize on evolving trends.

June 26, 2014 - Community Builders

Greene Medical Office Building

Self-Starter Urbanism: Small Firms Tackle Big Projects on Their Own Terms

Development and research projects allow small firms entry into large-scale design.

June 18, 2014 - Anna Bergren Miller

Santa Monica Route 66

Anatomy of a NIMBYcide in Santa Monica

A look at how the previous approval of the Hines Bergamont Transit Village project was rescinded after pressure from community activists, by real estate developer and consultant Michael Russell.

June 15, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Questioning Chicago’s Development-Friendly Reputation

Chicago has a reputation for being the most development-friendly city this side of Houston. But Stephen J. Smith cites restrictive zoning outside the Loop as one cause of the city’s anemic housing market.

April 10, 2014 - Next City

Moving the Hollywood Fault to Suit Developers

Morris Newman sees the lighter side of complaints over a new state geology map that puts an earthquake fault under some big real estate plans.

April 3, 2014 - California Planning & Development Report

How Public Surveys Aid the Planning Process

When planners are looking to find out what kind of developments residents like, one way is to ask them to weigh in. Planner Clement Lau shares key lessons learned about conducting and creating surveys as part of the planning process.

March 17, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Public Meeting

Community Surveys: Key Lessons for Planners

The concept of surveying residents to get their take on a development may seem like a simple idea, but it is no easy task. Planner Clement Lau shares key lessons learned about conducting and creating surveys as part of the planning process.

March 14, 2014 - Los Angeles UrbDeZine

Accommodating D.C.'s Rapid Growth; Heat Map Shows Permits and Construction

Adding 1,100 people every month, Washington D.C. is in the midst of one of the nation’s most powerful examples of population growth. A recently developed heat map shows where supply is being built to meet the new demand.

January 15, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

BRT Delivers More Bang for Your Development Buck

A study due out this month from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy captures for the first time the relative benefits of investment in bus rapid transit in spurring development. BRT outperforms both light rail and streetcars.

September 17, 2013 - Forbes

Exploitation or Affordable Option? Melbourne Debates Micro Apartments

The increasing scarcity of affordable accommodation in large cities has seen the rise of the 'micro apartment'. Taking its lead from studios but on a much smaller scale, this article questions the appeal of living in a space of less than 15m2.

August 23, 2013 - Sydney Morning Herald

Resurrecting Ancient Cities from the Dead

Rather than continually build new towns on the outskirts of today's cities or struggle with creating a sense of place in newly constructed environments, could we resurrect old settlements to connect the old with the new?

April 17, 2013 - Humanitarian Space

The Steps to Creating a Meaningful Vision

In the three steps of placemaking, crafting a meaningful vision is the first and most straightforward, yet it's the most under-leveraged. Continuing his series on "Municipal Placemaking Mistakes," Nathan Norris describes how to get it right.

November 23, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Greetings from Manila

Greetings from Manila where I'm attending the Asian Development Bank's Transport Forum 2012. It is an exciting and important event: the types of transport planning investments that the bank supports now can have huge impacts on the nature of future.

November 7, 2012 - Todd Litman

Why Aren't There More Women in Design and Development?

Amanda Hurley explores the gender imbalance present among women in architecture and the "male-dominated world" of development, and questions the societal and biological justifications that many argue are determinants for choosing professional roles.

September 19, 2012 - Architect Magazine

Your Prius Won't Save You

In his new book, The Conundrum, David Owen pierces the magical thinking that has repackaged high-end luxury goods, such as hybrid cars, as virtuous and the idea that we can consume our way out of trouble.

January 14, 2012 - Txchnologist.com

When a Project Lender Goes Under, A Developer Decides to Go Green

In Atlanta, plans called for a five-building development in the suburb of Dunwoody. With only three buildings completely built, the Providence Group decided to turn the undeveloped land into a park.

October 14, 2011 - Builder

85 New Homes to be Built on Redeveloped Land in San Francisco Bay Area.

The New Home Company intends to build 85 homes on land that has become "dilapidated and vandalized." The land has been target for a redevelopment process which is located in Marin County.

October 10, 2011 - Builder

Feature Doc on Urban Design Out Soon (Trailer)

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.

September 23, 2011 - urbanizedfilm.com

NIMBYs, For Better or Worse

NIMBYism served a purpose once, says Scott Doyon, preventing all sorts of heinous projects from being built. But eventually, it became about stopping ALL change. Doyon has some recommendations for changing course.

July 30, 2011 - PlaceShakers

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.

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

Senior Planner

Eagle County Government

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.