Urban Development
Fixation On City Skylines Detracts From City Streets
City life happens at street level. But some of our most iconic images of cities are focused hundreds, or even thousands, of feet in the air. Our streetscapes are the worse off for it.
Beuvron-en-Auge: 15th Century Town Planning Stands the Test of Time
Another reason European placemaking has North American applications: it wasn't always perfect. Hazel Borys looks to simple town planning lessons from a village in Normandy.
Saving Lives: Including Sidewalk Bollards in Street Design
Countless lives were likely saved by a strategically placed bollard on W. 45th Ave. which stopped a motorist who had driven three blocks on city sidewalks, mowing-down as many pedestrians as possible, from entering the Times Square pedestrian plaza.
Who's To Blame For Gentrification?
Journalist Peter Markowitz has written a provocative, and profoundly disingenuous, analysis of the causes and effects of gentrification in American cities. He sows division at a time that requires collaboration, writes Josh Stephens.
Canada's Growth Trending Toward the Suburban
According to this opinion piece, the tales of urbanizing Canada are overblown. "We're a suburban nation," says one of the sources quoted in the article.
To Save New Urbanism From #MAGA, it's Time to Get Political
An opinion piece acknowledges the similarities between the nostalgia of New Urbanism and the "Make American Great Again" sentiment behind Trump's rise to power. New Urbanism has a chance, still, to change its path.
Progressives Against Housing
In Zoned Out!, Tom Angotti, of City University New York (CUNY) tries to make the case against upzoning New York's neighborhoods (or at least its poorer ones).
A New Mall in Texas Counts on Customers from Mexico
The Outlet Shoppes mall in Laredo opened in March and has done brisk business since—including cash transactions that are likely indication of spending from Mexican residents from across the border.
Santa Monica Proposing Balanced Approach With Downtown Plan
After residents soundly defeated the anti-growth Measure LV in November, city officials are still trying to propose a plan that addresses the traffic and livability concerns that led to the initiative being placed on the ballot.
Detroit Making its Streets 'Sticky'
The word "sticky" when applied to the urban design context has come to mean attractive and comfortable—the kind of place that makes people want to stay away and make return visits. Detroit is the latest city to experiment with the concept.
David Beckham's Big Idea: A New Soccer Stadium in Miami, With Zero Parking Spaces
A group led by David Beckham is working to build a stadium in Miami that would house a Major League Soccer team. There are two twists (besides Becks): the stadium would require zero public financing and the stadium would build zero parking.
Seattle Kicks the Tires on the Seattle Center Again
Proposals to revamp the Seattle Center seem to arise with every mayoral administration in Seattle. This time, however, the Seattle Center is at the literal center of an explosion of growth.
Residential Developments to Supplement New Detroit Hockey Arena
The Illitch family is continuing to reveal details of the big vision surrounding the new home to the Detroit Red Wings.
Taller, Denser, but More Affordable Housing Coming to San Francisco
Following a similar ordinance signed into law by Mayor Ed Lee last July that dealt with developments that are 100 percent affordable, the new housing density ordinance apples to market-rate developments that have 30 percent affordability.
Why Great Cities Need Great Universities
Universities do more than teach classes; they can help transform economies and elevate cities to greatness. UC San Diego is banking on it.
Coming Soon to Suburban Dallas: $1 Billion Mixed-Use Development
The city of Irving, a suburb of the city of Dallas, will soon add a $1 billion mixed-use development, complete with a light rail station.
Conspicuous and Controversial Condo Building Breaks Ground in Denver
Sloan Lake is getting a new neighbor.
All We Need to Do: Call BS
Ben Brown calls BS on a number of city planning and gentrification points.
Comparing the Differences in Property Taxes Around the United States
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence have released their annual "50-State Property Tax Comparison Study."
The 'City Design Project' Aims to Make Atlanta an Intentional City
Two of the highest-profile planners in the city of Atlanta, Tim Keane and Ryan Gravel, have teamed up to lead a creative visioning process that could help lead Atlanta to a new era of planning and development.
Pagination
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello