Urban Renewal

Detroit Streetcar

Detroit's Rebirth: Beyond the Headlines

John Gallagher takes a look at some of the civic factors and organizations that have worked behind the scenes to pull Detroit through.

November 26, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

A Female Approach to Commercial Revitalization

Auburn Boulevard in the city of Citrus Heights, California is a case study of what urban strategist Michele Reeves calls the "female approach to economic development."

July 13, 2017 - UrbDeZine

United Kingdom

U.K.'s New Urban Churches Promote ‘Renewal’

Progressive churches are attracting "younger, trendier demographics" to U.K. city centers.

April 3, 2017 - The Guardian

Boston's New Master Plan—Not Like the Old Master Plan

A land use attorney and planning instructor at MIT and Harvard University takes to the pages of The Boston Globe to explain planning to the audience of a new era.

March 20, 2017 - The Boston Globe

Redevelopment Without the Ills

Before 20th century urban renewal programs, U.S. cities were often overcrowded fire hazards and breeding grounds for tuberculosis and other airborne diseases. However, many of these programs also did severe damage. Is there a better way?

March 4, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Les Paul Garner

Gentrification: A Perspective From a Long Time Resident

As Jacksonville's long forgotten Brooklyn neighborhood undergoes massive redevelopment, a long time resident talks about his perspective of the gentrification occurring around him.

February 2, 2017 - Modern Cities

Georgia

Urban Renewal Alive and Well in the Suburbs of Atlanta

The practice facility for a new Major League Soccer franchise was made possible by the demolition aging and affordable apartment buildings.

February 2, 2017 - City Observatory

Bend, Oregon

Two Towns, One Brewery: What Roanoke Can Learn From Bend, Oregon

The opening of the Bend, Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery in Roanoke, Virginia is bringing a new realm of possibilities for future development in the former railroad town, as it looks to go from "trains to brains."

November 17, 2016 - WSLS

Boyle Heights

East Los Angeles Community Groups Prove that Community Planning Matters

The landscape of community development in Los Angeles today differs vastly from even a few years ago. Two groups in East L.A. are developing solutions to accelerating gentrification and displacement and a compounding affordable housing crisis.

August 24, 2016 - The Planning Report

Moscow, Russia

Moscow's Erratic Shift Towards a Walkable City

Moscow's Mayor has pushed an agenda to beautify the city, create social spaces, and make the city more walkable, but critics see the move towards walkability as more of a forced march.

August 23, 2016 - Foreign Policy

Fresno Crime

Fresno's Troubled Housing History

The crisis facing many Fresno renters is nothing new. A history of housing in the city shows how, since the late 19th century, poor housing conditions have been "ingrained in Fresno's culture."

May 27, 2016 - Fresno Bee

Detroit

Can Detroit's Urban Revitalization Undo the Mistakes of Urban Renewal?

Some experts think the language used to describe a redevelopment project in Detroit might be overly ambitious.

May 17, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Carfree Freeway

Righting Old Wrongs: U.S. DOT Goes from Urban Renewal to Freeway Removal

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx sees rebuilding America's ailing infrastructure as an opportunity to "right past wrongs," particularly with 1950s and 1960s-era freeways that bisected communities. NPR and Streetsblog describe the new initiative.

April 30, 2016 - NPR

What Eminent Domain Means in North Philadelphia

A panel discussion convened in Philadelphia recently to discuss the effects of eminent domain, that critical and troubling tool that makes redevelopment possible.

April 13, 2016 - Keystone Crossroads

A collaborative art project

What Is Placemaking, Really?

It's a term that gets bandied about by the "creative class" to describe an endless array of projects, from whimsical pop-up art to new uses for century-old buildings. But what does placemaking really mean?

March 21, 2016 - Comstock's Magazine

Critic Raises Alarms About North Philadelphia Redevelopment Efforts

The Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer is concerned about the large-scale redevelopment of North Philadelphia, under the leadership of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

March 10, 2016 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pittsburgh Skyline

Black Residents Displaced in Pittsburgh

Rents are on the rise in Pittsburgh, prompting some longtime residents to relocate farther away. Race, as well as class, figures heavily in this narrative.

March 1, 2016 - Carnegie Museum of Art Blog

Downtown Reno

Downtown Reno: A Place Where Nobody Dared to Go

Residents of Reno, Nevada participating in a rewrite of the city’s master plan have spoken out about the myriad of problems afflicting their downtown—it's dirty, dangerous, and deserted.

January 18, 2016 - Reno Gazette-Journal

Dallas Arts District

Help Has Arrived for Dallas' Aging Arts District

With sidewalks in disrepair and shabby looking trees, Dallas has turned to planning and design firm NBBJ to create a new master plan for its Arts District.

December 21, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

High Line with Denari

On the Perpetual Crisis of American Cities

A long and ranging article in the New Yorker surveys non-fiction, art, and other manifestations of intellectualism for insight into the plight of the city—to always be cast in some manner of morality tale.

October 8, 2015 - The New Yorker

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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.