Urban Development
First Look at the Future Obama Presidential Center
The former president and first lady released a first look at the designs for the future site of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago.
Study: House Sizes Increase at the Expense of Tree Canopies
A research study has found that increasing house sizes in the Los Angeles area have drastically reduced the number of trees shading the region's landscapes—regardless of geographic location of socioeconomic status.
Downtown Anchorage Targeted for Revitalizing Infill and Redevelopment
Downtown Anchorage has languished for decades from the lack of redevelopment. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz seeks to reinvigorate the downtown core with new housing and other development opportunities. Most of the new growth has gone to Midtown area.
Irishtown Bend Full of Potential
A planned 17-acre park on the Cuyahoga River has planners and designers excited about the possibilities for an area that some worry may wash away.
Proposed Regulations to Create Affordable Housing for Seattle's Uptown
Draft ordinance regulating urban design in Seattle's Uptown would mean big changes for the neighborhood’s affordable housing requirements.
The Costs of California Building Codes
Reconciling accessibility and safety with costs and innovation in the Golden State.
Op-Ed: Affordability Depends on Market-Rate Housing
California State Senator Scott Wiener argues that advocating for subsidized affordable housing isn't enough. Anyone concerned with ending the state's housing crisis needs to get behind market-rate development.
What Makes For a 'Day 1 City'?
Can we use Jeff Bezos's distinction between "Day 1" and "Day 2" companies to compare cities? If so, Pittsburgh may be a prime example of the former.
Using Big Data to Identify Problem Properties
In New York state, municipalities can apply to use a new tool that gathers property data and sifts for red flags. The intent is to identify potential blight before it sets in.
One Year Later: H Street and the D.C. Streetcar
Intended to spur redevelopment along blighted commercial corridors, the streetcars are the first to run in the District since the 1962 dismantling of the previous early 20th century citywide streetcar network.
A Timeline of CEQA-Circumventing Court Rulings
The California Environmental Quality Act is generally considered a major obstacle for development. In a few cases, however, the law's definitions have been used to clear the way for development in environmentally sensitive areas.
Cultivating Oklahoma City's Innovation District
A new Brookings Institution reports recommends strategies for Oklahoma City to continue to grow the influence of its innovation district.
Bad Bets on Detroit Housing Speculation
When investors from Belgium and elsewhere snapped up Detroit houses for a song, some of them didn't consider the full picture. The lesson: do your research, and maybe don't invest thousands of miles form home.
Debating Los Angeles' Proposed Affordable Housing Development Fee
A proposed affordable housing development fee has inspired a debate about how far developments fees can go in generating funds for affordable housing before they finally stop development altogether.
Debating the Role of Amazon Delivery Service in the Future Built Environment
The team at Strong Towns is taking an in-depth look at Amazon, with a week of events, including the point-counterpoint series shared here.
United Nations Taking First Steps Toward the New Urban Agenda
Some of the big work left undone by the Habitat III summit in finalizing the New Urban Agenda in December is now moving forward. The future of the New Urban Agenda and UN-Habitat can now start to take shape.
Rezoning Coming to East Harlem
New York City has commenced a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) in the neighborhood of East Harlem. This would be the second rezoning toward Mayor de Blasio's goal for 15 rezonings.
Report: Bay Area Needs More Transit Oriented Companies
The irony isn't lost on the authors of a new report by SPUR: Bay Area companies committed to technology innovation obstinately rely on traditional and inefficient commutes in automobiles.
Dallas-Fort Worth Leads the Nation in Multi-Family Residential Construction
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is building multi-family housing a lot faster than anywhere else in the country, according to a recent report.
When Environmental Goals Collide
Using the movie titled "When Worlds Collide" as a metaphor, environmental attorney Richard Opper describes how environmental regulations can get in their own way to defeat density and infill development—and NIMBYs are not just residents.
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