Urban Development

Sweeping Zoning Reforms Adopted in Olympia
The Olympia, Washington City Council adopted a new Housing Options Code Amendments ordinance, effectively eliminating single-family zoning in the city.

Arts Performances Take to the Streets
The New York City "Open Culture" program will offer artists of all kinds to move the stage to the street and other public spaces. It's like an open streets program for the arts.

The Next Generation of Nuclear Power Could Come Closer to Home
Nuclear regulators have recently given the green light to a new kind of nuclear reactor, the small modular reactor. A recent article in The Urbanist explains the case for a nuclear-powered urbanism.

Local Zoning Controversy Raises Bigger Questions About Race and Discrimination
A zoning application in the city of Woodbridge, Connecticut has interests on both sides of the issue lawyering up, and the reverberations from the controversy reach all the way to the state capital.

Decolonizing the Settler City
What can America's first great immigrant city tell us about placemaking in support of social and spatial belonging?

The Race Barriers of American Cities
The United States has a long and insidious history of erecting structures to control the movements of African Americans in urban and suburban spaces.

Zoning Changes Would Allow Transit-Oriented Multi-Family Development in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland wants to put its zoning where its transit is—it's just the latest in a string of transit-oriented land use reforms for the famously suburban county.

Insights From the Latest Livability Index
The latest edition of the AARP Livability Index reveals the U.S. regions with more of the kinds of neighborhoods that offer quality of life benefits for residents of all ages.

Bilingual Animations to Teach 'Planning 101'
The Inclusive Communities Project (ICP) is working to make planning more accessible in the Latino communities of Oak Hill in Dallas.

Tony Hsieh's Legacy in Las Vegas
Tony Hsieh, who achieved international fame as head both of Zappos and the Downtown Project in Las Vegas, died in November. Several articles made an account of the Downtown Project's track record.

Evaluating CEQA: The Controversial Law Turns 50
The California Environmental Quality Act, commonly referred to as CEQA for short, has been influencing planning and development in California for 50 years, creating a constant source of controversy and criticisms from both sides of the debate.

Business Booming, Amazon Plans Big Real Estate Expansion
Amazon is moving more moving more products than ever, and the company is expanding its physical footprint to keep up with the trends.

Montgomery County Charts a New Path with 'Thrive 2050'
A new plan under development in Montgomery County, Maryland plots a course change for the famously suburban county.

Nine Months Later: How the Pandemic Is Changing Communities
Planetizen shares the latest in a series of compendia tackling the effects of the pandemic, now and in the future, for cities and communities.

Atlanta to Tackle Affordability by Zoning Reform
A new initiative designed to implement the goals of the One Atlanta Housing Affordability Action Plan was announced last week in Atlanta.

Vote for New York City's 'Building of the Year'
New York is still a place of bold architecture.

Fort Worth Planning a New City Hall
The city of Fort Worth is moving to a site formerly occupied by the headquarters of Pier 1.

'Anti-Conversion Ordinance' Considered in Chicago
New zoning controls would make it harder to convert multi-unit residential buildings into single-family homes to prevent displacement in single-family neighborhoods in Chicago.

City Council Rejects Rezoning Approved by Planning Commission, Planning Staff
It's a tale as old as time: A plan to rezone ten acres of land in Spokane splits the public and the City Council from the opinions of the city's planning staff and Planning Commission.

Lessons from 20 Years of Enabling Tenants to Buy Their Buildings
As cities around the country consider legislation that will allow tenants a chance to buy their buildings, Washington, D.C., can provide lessons on what to do—and not to do.
Pagination
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)