Lower East Side

East Village

East Village Rezoning Falls Short on Affordable Housing

Enacted in 2008, a partial rezone of Manhattan's East Village and Lower East Side failed to deliver on affordable housing projections, falling short by 45 percent.

June 14, 2019 - Curbed New York

Chinatown Residents Create Their Own Plan to Prevent Displacement

In a city looking to land use regulations for answers to an affordable housing crisis, one collection of community groups attempted to create a plan of their own.

March 7, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Four Decades After Site Was Cleared, Plan for Lower East Side Renewal Takes Shape

With a legacy of controversy dating back to the urban renewal schemes of the 1950s and 60s, arriving at a plan to develop a six-acre parcel on Manhattan's Lower East Side was no easy task. But after a collaborative process a vision has emerged.

September 18, 2013 - The New York Times

In Lower East Side, Cell Phones and Social Media More Helpful than FEMA or Red Cross

In blacked-out Manhattan, recovery is slow, if not entirely absent. To help fill the void left by public agencies, a self-organized recovery effort is trying to help those left behind, with the assistance of technology.

November 2, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

The Flawed Plan to Fill the Lower East Side's 'Black Hole'

David Bergman argues why plans recently approved by New York's Community Board 3 and City Planning Commission for the development of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA) are a step backwards for the area.

October 1, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Next Best Thing For Those Priced Out in NYC

Jim Rendon has some inventive suggestions for those priced out of the most beloved and exclusive neighborhoods in New York.

January 31, 2012 - The New York Times

NYC Planning Director Walks the East Side with a Tape Measure

New York City planning chief Burden took the Daily News on one of her many walks. She showed how zoning can work to preserve the way of life on the storied Lower East Side and East Village, where she has worked diligently with the community on a plan to encourage affordable housing, ignite positive reinvestment, and prevent out-of-character high structures from impacting the neighborhood again.

August 12, 2008 - The NY Daily News

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.