Urban Development

Turnstiles

Six Methods for Understanding Transit Users

SPUR has a created a toolbox of resources and ideas for how to figure out what transit users want, because not all transit users are the same.

June 30, 2017 - SPUR

MARTA Green Line

Setting Aside Transit Sales Tax Revenue for Affordable Housing

With a new wave of transit and active transportation investment coming to Atlanta, thanks to two new sales taxes, advocates are mobilizing to ensure that the investments won't leave low-income residents behind. It's a concept worth considering.

June 29, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Denver, Colorado

Denver to Fund Convention Center Expansion With a New 'Tourism Improvement District'

Denver has approved a new Tourism Improvement District to help cover the cost of the $233 million expansion project at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

June 29, 2017 - The Denver Post

Indoor Grow Room

As Medical Cannabis Grows, So Does the Space Needed for It

Despite its medicinal benefits, cannabis will negatively impact the environment if we don’t plan accordingly.

June 28, 2017 - Kayla Matthews

Wilshire Grand

Los Angeles' New Tower and the Silly Rules That Govern Building Height

Los Angeles' new Wilshire Grand tower is tall and impressive. But, in reality, it's about 100 feet shorter and perhaps less impressive than the arbiters of skyscrapers say it is. Whatever the definition, it might be time to quit venerating height.

June 28, 2017 - California Planning & Development Report

Downtown Philadelphia

Union Strike Halts Construction in Philadelphia

Operators of cranes, bulldozers, hoists, and all kinds of other heavy equipment walked off construction sites around the Philadelphia region earlier this week.

June 28, 2017 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Floyds Fork Louisville

Louisville's Sprawl Threatens One of its Last Clean-Running Streams

New subdivision planning and construction is expected to expand the footprint of the Louisville metropolitan area. The question is whether those new developments will protect or harm the beloved Floyds Fork.

June 28, 2017 - Courier-Journal

Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto

$6 Million: The Cost of Removing the Trump Brand from Toronto Hotel

JCF Capital ULC wanted so badly to reboot the branding at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto, it paid $6 million to start over.

June 28, 2017 - Bloomberg Politics

Supreme Court

A Church Playground Controversy Grew Into a Supreme Court Decision

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court this week could reframe the separation of church and state, especially with regard to the flow of public funding and aid programs.

June 27, 2017 - The Atlantic

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Announces $200 Million 'American Cities Initiative'

The former mayor of New York is launching the "American Cities Initiative." The initiative comes with a scathing critique of the federal government's treatment of urban areas.

June 26, 2017 - New York Times

Amazon Drone

Amazon Files Patent Application for a Hive-Like Structure for Urban Drone Deliveries

Recode reveals a radical idea for how Amazon could consolidate delivery services in urban areas.

June 26, 2017 - Recode

No Luxury Condos

The State of Affordable Housing

An in-depth feature in Architect magazine surveys the affordable housing landscape and finds architects, planners, and developers trying to find a better way through an inefficient system.

June 26, 2017 - Architect

Controversy Over Proposed Zoning Changes for Philly's Delaware Waterfront

Along comes a developer, wanting to build something that doesn't conform to a 2013 plan, with the support of the local councilmember, and local stakeholders aren't happy.

June 25, 2017 - PlanPhilly

San Francisco Skyline

An Expanding Vision for San Francisco's Treasure Island

San Francisco is starved for ideas for ways to meet growing demand for housing, and skyrocketing prices. Here's a big idea: how about building space for some 20,000 new residents on Treasure Island, located in the middle of the bay?

June 25, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials

The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.

June 25, 2017 - California Legislative Analyst's Office

Fire Escape

Evidence of Softening Rental Markets

According to Joe Cortright, a slowing pace of rent inflation in most large cities in the United States, combined with decreasing rents in many cities, shows how adding supply can help balance the market.

June 25, 2017 - City Observatory

Los Angeles Skyline

New Tallest Building West of the Mississippi Now Open

Friday was the first day the public could walk into Los Angeles' new iconic skyscraper. The Wilshire Grand is noteworthy for more than just its height.

June 24, 2017 - KPCC

The New Apple Store in Chicago Looks a lot Like a Laptop

Looking for a new laptop? Go to the building that resembles a laptop.

June 24, 2017 - DNAinfo Chicago

Modern Home

Bamboo Regulations Almost as Popular as Bamboo in New Jersey

People usually plant bamboo as a privacy screen, but it can quickly turn into an invasive nightmare for everyone else. Cities around New Jersey are passing regulations that allow the removal of bamboo if it gets out of hand.

June 23, 2017 - North Jersey

Cap Park Planned for I-579 Near Downtown Pittsburgh

The city of Pittsburgh has ambitious plans for a $27 million cap park over Interstate 579, built to reconnect the Lower Hill neighborhood with the rest of the city.

June 23, 2017 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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.

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.