Urban Development
A Grid Balancing Act for Vibrant, Varied, and Sustainable Places
An analysis of three essential attributes of urban grids reveals a preferred layout for the desired effect of a vibrant, active community.
Another Attempt at California's By-Right Affordable Housing Proposal
The new streamlining bill for affordable housing will not have the governor's name, but that of freshman Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who made a name for himself as a tenacious housing advocate while San Francisco County Supervisor.
Low Cost Housing Units Disappearing from Philadelphia's Gentrifying Neighborhoods
Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia find evidence of displacement in Philadelphia's gentrifying neighborhoods.
A Culture Change Takes Hold at the Detroit Planning Department
For all its troubles, Detroit has undertaken some of the greatest urban success stories of recent years. New leadership at the city's Planning Department is hoping to expand those narratives to long-neglected parts of the city.
The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2016
No Electoral College needed: these were the most popular Planetizen posts from the year 2016.
Embracing Rivers as a Vehicle for Urban Revitalization
A new study includes urban rivers as a potential powerful amenity for economic development and revitalization. The city of Chicago has already taken note.
Portland Takes Another Step Toward Multi-Modalism
The city of Portland will take the momentous step of estimating person trips, rather than car trips, when estimating the impacts of new developments. The decision is another step toward ending the systems of car-centric planning.
Additional Study Necessary for Seattle to Pass Accessory Dwelling Units Legislation
A recent ruling by the City Hearing Examiner is a setback—but not necessarily a permanent one—for the city's efforts to loosen regulations on accessory dwelling units.
de Blasio Balancing Act Puts Manufacturing Jobs, Hotel Industry Interest in the Balance
The New York Times reports details about the de Blasio Administration's negotiations concerning land use regulations that will impact industrial and hotel business. With a re-election campaign looming in 2017, the story reveals a lot about the politi
Philadelphia Goes High-Tech to Monitor Vacant Properties
The city of Philadelphia has deployed high-tech sensors and a new statistical model in its ongoing fight against the blight and health problems that follow vacant and abandoned properties.
Gentrification the Killer in Oakland Fire
Already, the Ghost Ship tragedy is being used as a justification for code enforcement crackdowns that will likely further gentrification. But how can we combat gentrification and displacement and improve safety at the same time?
Five Lessons for Resilience
Resilience is commonly understood as the capacity to endure shocks and stresses. But for Lisa Dickson, Arup’s resilience leader for the Americas, this definition is too limiting. Jeff Byles talks with her about five key lessons on resilience.
Co-Working Spaces Find a Place in Houston's Suburban Reaches
A Houston Chronicle journalist travels a surmising distance from downtown to survey the city's co-working spaces.
More $1 Vacant Lots for Sale in Chicago
With some 20,000 vacant lots located around the city, Chicago is expanding the Large Lots Program that allows property owners to buy nearby lots for $1.
It's Not Just HUD
Though the HUD choice seems an odd, unqualified one, we should be looking beyond HUD however: Here's why Mnuchin at Treasury is even more worrisome.
Smart Growth America, FTA Offer Assistance in Making the Most of TOD
Technical assistance is coming to five U.S. cities thanks to the National Public Transportation/Transit-Oriented Development Technical Assistance Initiative.
How Should Lower Manhattan Handle Its Crowd Problem?
In the period since 9/11, Lower Manhattan has undergone a residential boom. With daytime professionals and tourists also in the mix, the strain is showing.
Atlanta Hopes to Help Some Neighborhoods Stay 'Displacement-Free'
A motion in City Council would open the door to new protections for gentrifying areas.
A Pro-Development Argument in the Great Housing Debate
In the ongoing and contentious debate about whether market-rate development is a cure or a disease, another writer comes down on the side of more supply, no matter the cost.
As Goes Vancouver, So Goes Seattle?
What does Vancouver’s housing market implosion mean for the Seattle area?
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