Urban Development

Battling the Ugly: Denver Contemplates an Effective Design Review Process
As Denver booms, planners and architects discuss the good and the bad of imposing design guidelines on new construction.

A Parking Kerfuffle in Downtown Dallas
The big, contentious question of contemporary downtowns is under consideration in Dallas: Is there too much parking or not enough parking?
Commercial Linkage Fee Approved—Seattle Moving Forward with Affordable Housing Agenda
The Seattle City Council recently took the first legislative step in the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) process.

Something's Missing in Boston's Reinvented Seaport
Boston would hardly seem capable of resembling "Anytown, USA" but that might be precisely what's happening in the Seaport neighborhood of the city's waterfront.

Detroit Receives Funding for Another Demolition Push
A recent influx of money to Detroit for demolitions of abandoned properties brings the city's total to $107 million. That money has established Detroit as the country's proving ground for the idea that demolitions stabilize struggling neighborhoods.

Report: Cutting Urban Emissions Could Save $17 Trillion
Research from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate recommends an emissions reduction program that might pay off big in the long term. Inter-city exchange and transit planning are key strategies.

Landscape Architecture Unites Impact and Design
In a field that seems divided between aesthetes and the activists, landscape architects may be closest to reconciling the two trends.
Eminent Domain in 2015
The dust is still settling from Kelo v. New London, a 2005 Supreme Court Case allowing for expansive powers of eminent domain. A book released this year chronicles the effects of the landmark court case.
Making Plans Deliver on Promises in the San Fernando Valley
The Warner Center 2035 Plan was designed to bring growth to Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. If the opening of a $350-million Westfield Village in September is any indication, it’s succeeding.
The Hazards of Predicting the Future of Cities
City planners should be wary of any predictions that downplay the unknowability of the future by projecting present conditions onto it.

A Growing Mexico City Faces Infrastructural Hurdles
As Mexico City continues to add population, issues of sprawl, inequality, and water infrastructure remain challenges in the growing megalopolis.

4 Principles for Making Transit Oriented Development Work
Many communities that want more transit oriented development are still struggling to build the political will and the financing mechanisms necessary to deliver. Here are four ideas about how to make TOD happen.
Brooklyn Community Board Rejects Upzoning Proposal
The latest chapter in the ongoing supply vs. demand chronicles takes place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where a community board came down firmly in opposition to new density in their neighborhood.

5 Big Ideas for Oakland
People are looking for ideas in the Bay Area. Across the water from the calcified world of San Francisco, Oakland offers the flexibility and energy to build an equitable and dynamic resource that benefits the entire region.
The Curious Case of New Jersey
New Jersey is either completely lacking a proper city, or one, big, giant city—depending on who you ask. One researcher believes its unique variety of urban sprawl offers lessons for the shaping of more holistic communities.
Neighborhood Polarization in a Canadian City
In Canadian cities, rising income inequality has been reflected in neighborhood polarization. The experience of Hamilton, Ontario, has been typical. Here, inner-city decline is now giving way to gentrification, displacing poverty to the suburbs.

Street Harassment: An Issue for Planners?
Women and men experience public spaces differently. It is all too common for women to experience street harassment when in public spaces. Nina Flores explores the ways that this issue is being combatted in the online public realm.
Track the Cycles of New York's Skyscraper Habit
Much has been made of New York's current boom in high-rise construction. A new interactive feature by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat allows for some historic perspective on the city's penchant for building skyward.
The Recently Opened Manayunk Bridge in Philadelphia Is a Big Deal
As a symbol of a changing economy and a changing city, the rails-to-trails conversion of the Manayunk Bridge in Philadelphia bears close scrutiny.
Residential Construction Still Riding a Tax-Break Surge in NYC
Big investments in residential building in New York City indicate the strength of the city's economy, according to an article in Crain's New York Business.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)