DIY Urbanism
'Crosswalk Vigilantes' Beset Pittsburgh
Diana Nelson Jones describes how residents of "one of the most spirited do-it-yourself neighborhoods in the city" took it upon themselves to improve pedestrian safety.
San Francisco Looks for the Next Big DIY Thing
With the global success of the city's homegrown "parklets" program firmly established, the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts is hosting a series of "urban prototyping" festivals in S.F. in the hopes of finding the next DIY superstar.
Democratic Design Arrives at Venice Biennale
One of the highlights of the global architectural calendar, the Biennale is a place to share and discuss the big ideas impacting the field. For this year's U.S. Pavilion, curators are going small by showcasing 124 projects by self-empowered citizens.
As Parklets Bloom, SF Stays True to its Roots
As the number of completed parklets in San Francisco nears three dozen, after debuting only two years ago, "the latest trend in urban placemaking" has entered the planning mainstream without losing its grassroots origins.
Little Libraries Are Having a Big Impact
Public libraries across America are threatened by reduced staffing, resources, and hours due to budget cuts. However, "little libraries" are popping up in communities across the country as urbanists seek to redefine public space and librarianship.
When Will the Pop-Up Bubble Burst?
Kelly Chan explores how temporary architecture is changing our relationship to the built environment, and asks "how permanent is our current fascination for the temporary?"
The Street Hacker Finds an Open Source Embrace in SF
Emily Badger tracks the hacking phenomenon as it migrates from the virtual to the physical world, and the official channels that are embracing and facilitating its emergence.
Guerrilla Crosswalk Debuts in France
Jeroen Beekmans reports on the pet project of "urban hacktivist" Florian Rivière to produce light-weight pop-up crosswalks.
Is It Time to Hit the Pause Button on Tactical Urbanism?
Mimi Zeiger pens a contrarian's take on the growing popularity of DIY urbanism, noting the danger in what she deems a conservative urban-planning position.
What Do Pop-Up Shops and Homelessness Reveal About Urban Land Use?
On the land use spectrum, pop-up shops and homelessness operate at very different ends and from disparate positions of power. Ann Deslandes investigates the commonalities that bind them.
Do It Yourself Urban Design
Gordon Douglas, writing for Good Magazine, explains that there has been an increase in the "unauthorized, creative alteration of public spaces for the common good" by enterprising citizens.
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.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
