Suburbs
Can the Garden Suburb Save the Suburbs?
“Can Paradise be Planned?” asks Allison Arieff in a recent op-ed. The article discusses new books by architect Robert A.M. Stern and photographer Christoph Gielen to look for reasons for optimism with regard to suburbs and planning.
Charting the 'Urban Shift' Among Technology Start-Ups
Once upon a time, tech start-ups located almost exclusively in the suburbs. New data reveals the extent to which this pattern has been reversed.
On the Land Use and Transit Implications of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'
The decision of where to locate ballparks, and to what extent the public should subsidize that location, can have ripple effects throughout the land use and transportation systems of a region.
Ranking America's Safest Suburbs
Movoto Real Estate figured it was time to see just which suburbs can still claim to be safer than their big city neighbors.
Seattle's Growth Patterns Buck Century-Long Trend
According to Census data, the city of Seattle's population is growing faster than its King County suburbs—for the first time since 1910.
One Failure of Suburbia
Are suburbanites less fearful of crime than city-dwellers? Maybe not.
Arizona’s Suburb of the Future
Atlantic Cities details the new urbanist vision of a master planned community called Eastmark in Mesa, Arizona. The development’s mix of uses, form-based code, and walkability create “an uncommon sales pitch for car-dependent Arizona.”
Ranking the '10 Most Exciting Suburbs'
Ranking suburbs on metrics of excitement? That’s a zesty response to the suburb-bashing parlance of the times, and the Movoto Real Estate Blog has done just that.
Is Suburban Exploitation to Blame for Camden's Decline?
Are failing cities like Camden, New Jersey, to blame for their own downfall? Or are they the victims of a regional exploitation in which the suburbs foist their problems onto the nearest urban center?
Large Companies Moving Back to Cities
The movement stems from demographic changes in the work force. For companies seeking younger hires, they need to go to where they prefer to live. Suburban campuses may be replaced by urban headquarters or the addition of satellite offices in cities.
A Model for a Smarter Suburban Streetscape
Half a century of auto-oriented suburban development presents a massive challenge to planners hoping to create more sustainable and livable communities. In South Miami's Hometown district, Kaid Benfield finds a model for how to begin this transition.
"Distress 'Burbs" are the Hot Political Battlegrounds of Today
Forget swing states, Richard Florida says, suburbs are today’s political battlegrounds.
The Enduring Allure of the Single-Family Home
Another of those highly-cited surveys of the living preferences of Americans is out and it finds support for (somewhat contradictory) elements of both smart growth and suburban development patterns.
Did Sesame Street Help Spark America's Urban Revival?
At the height of America's suburban expansion, a children's show premiered that was set in a dense urban environment. Steve Patterson wonders if the young adults now embracing urban lifestyles learned to love cities by watching Sesame Street.
Exposing Sprawl's Hidden Costs
A new report sheds light on the costs of suburban sprawl that aren't well understood by officials and residents. If more knew the true financial costs they might reconsider their policies and priorities, believes author Dave Thompson.
Home Prices May Be Rising In Cities But Many Suburbs Are Still Struggling
In desirable cities across America, home prices are well on their way back to pre-bust levels. But in areas like Chicago's southern suburbs, prices are down more than 40 percent from recent highs, and approaching were they were twenty years ago.
Effort to Urbanize Las Vegas Hits a Political Wall
In a delicious irony, the Las Vegas City Council has overturned the mixed-use zoning of a parcel in an area planned for more density to make room for a gas station.
How the Routing of Washington's Metro Led to Arlington's Success
In the premier episode of NPR's special series, "U.S. Commutes: The Way We Get To Work", host David Greene explores the background of the D.C. suburb of Arlington, Va., and how a planning decision in the 1960s was crucial to its vibrancy today.
America's Biking Boom Moves to the 'Burbs
Suburban locales have typically lagged behind larger cities in building bike-friendly infrastructure. But the League of American Bicyclists' latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities designations indicate a sea change is happening in the suburbs.
A Sociologist Explains Why We Shouldn't Dismiss the Cul-de-Sac
With their anti-urban inward orientation, cul-de-sacs are representative of the auto-oriented, privatized suburban development model. But one sociologist is out to demonstrate their benefits by showing how cul-de-sacs can develop social cohesion.
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.
