Growth

Washington D.C. COnstruction

Review of D.C.'s 2005 Comprehensive Plan: Trying to Be All Things to All People

A look back at Washington, D.C.'s most recent Comprehensive Plan reveals lessons for how the city should plan for the future next time it undertakes a comprehensive planning process.

July 15, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Cool, California

How Some Cities Stay Little

Some cities that want to grow are stuck in the small town zone, while others growing cities would prefer to stay small.

July 8, 2016 - Community Development Strategies

San Francisco Parking

San Francisco Rethinks the Costs of Parking

The debate over the impacts of parking isn't new, but San Francisco planners are hoping that their approach to parking will provide new mobility solutions in a growing city.

April 28, 2016 - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority

Charlotte Housing Development

Battle Lines Drawn Over Density in Charlotte

The Charlotte Observer recently described the landscape of proposed apartment developments in the city of Charlotte.

April 25, 2016 - The Charlotte Observer

Population Growth Trends Return to Pre-Recession Norms

It's almost like the Great Recession and the Great Urban Renaissance never happened, as Americans are moving to the suburbs and the Sunbelt than to the nation's urban areas.

March 25, 2016 - Jed Kolko

The Trouble With Using GDP to Measure Economic Growth

Following recent bad news about the sluggish growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the Brooking Institution reminds policy makers that growth does not necessarily trickle down to economic well-being.

February 1, 2016 - Brookings Institution

Akron-Cleveland Covered Bridge

The Plan to Bring 50,000 People Back to Akron, Ohio

Down to a population of 197,859 from its 1960 peak of 290,351, the city of Akron is looking for a way to bring people back to its community. One thing Akron has going for it already: an enthusiastic champion of the cause.

January 27, 2016 - Akron Beacon Journal

Durham, North Carolina

The Cities Best Positioned for Growth Based on the Right Mix of Jobs

Having the right mix of jobs in a local economy might be a predictor for future growth.

December 13, 2015 - JedKolko.com

Toronto from the CN Tower

Costs Soar for the Suburban Lifestyle in the Toronto Area

Famous for its focus on dense, infill development and quickly ascending skyline, the Toronto housing market is still plagued by rising housing costs at the single-family detached homes end of the spectrum.

November 28, 2015 - The Toronto Star

Survey Finds Support for Transit in Atlanta

Residents of metropolitan Atlanta showed signs of a strengthening economy, a fast growing region, and, perhaps surprisingly, strong support for public transit.

November 2, 2015 - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Poll: Utah Residents Strongly Support Mixed-Use, Transit, and Walkability

Density isn't always a dirty word, apparently—as residents of Utah have voiced their support of more urban typologies to support its expected population growth over the next several decades.

September 8, 2015 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Beale Street Memphis

Planners Across America: Josh Whitehead Helps Memphis Live Within Limits

Josh Whitehead, planning director of the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning & Development (OPD), discusses competing with suburbs, implementing a new zoning code, and redeveloping, for a second time, historic streetcar corridors.

July 31, 2015 - Josh Stephens

Dallas Retail: Low Vacancies, Lots of Construction

Fast rates of growth in North Texas have produced the demand necessary to drive fast rates of construction for retail.

July 13, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Raleigh

Planners Across America: Raleigh Makes Room to Grow Under the Leadership of Ken Bowers

In this interview for the "Planners Across America" series, Ken Bowers, AICP, discusses how the city of Raleigh will rely on the city's new comprehensive plan and development code to accommodate 100,000 new residents by 2030.

July 6, 2015 - Josh Stephens

Arlington Virginia

What the New Census Data Reveals About the Urban Suburban Divide

Newly released population data provides entre for a discussion about the nature of cities.

May 22, 2015 - FiveThirtyEight

Growth Chart

U.S. Census Releases 2014 Population Estimates

The U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 population estimates shows persistent trends of growth in the Sun Belt along with a few other noteworthy data points.

May 21, 2015 - U.S. Census Bureau

Op-Ed: Austin a Shadow of its Former Self

An op-ed by David Heymann produces an elaborate, protracted metaphor of Austin as a former youthful "golden child" now showing the least attractive possible traits of middle age.

March 21, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Unaffordable, Growing Cities Lag on New Housing Permits

Stephen Smith follows up on an earlier report of New York City housing permits with a report on the entire metropolitan area. Included for comparison are the numbers of housing permit filings for metropolitan areas around the country.

February 15, 2015 - New York YIMBY

Cincinnati Hopes to Stay on a Roll with New Development Director Oscar Bedolla

Cincinnati recently hired Oscar Bedolla as its new trade and development director. Bedolla will play a key role in facilitating development in a city hoping to maintain its current upswing.

November 25, 2014 - Cincinnati Business Courier

Evidence of Peak Sprawl in the New York Region

"A new report out of Rutgers University reveals that since 2010, the fringes of the New York region have lost population as the core has grown," according to an article by Stephen Miller.

October 6, 2014 - StreetsBlog NYC

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.

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.