Urban Development
Why the McMansion Isn't Really Back
Joe Cortright criticizes reports linking high median new home sizes to a renewed demand for McMansions. The market for single-family homes, he argues, locks out buyers of modest means. Only the well-off are buying.
De Blasio Could Open the Times Square Pedestrian Plaza to Cars
Exotic street performers in the plaza have caused Mayor Bill de Blasio to reconsider his initial opposition to street plazas. Unlike his police commissioner and the governor, de Blasio has yet to make a decision on the removal of Times Square plaza.
From the Ashes of a Freeway—a New Neighborhood Rising in Providence
A part of the city of Providence once lobotomized by the I-95 freeway is ready to be born anew as LINK, with three projects already in the works and 19 acres of developable land.
America's Streets: Two Ways to Urban Regeneration
Dr. William (Billy) Riggs guest blogs about his new research in Journal of Planning Education & Research. Dr. Riggs is Assistant Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo focusing on quantitative community analysis and urban planning policies.
A State of Thirst
In the middle of a population boom, Texas is looking across state lines for more water. The U.S. Supreme Court said no the first time; does that mean it will say no again?
Baltimore's Big Idea: Schools as the Center of Neighborhood Transformation
The city of Baltimore is taking a new approach to an old idea: that schools should be the center of neighborhoods.
Next Steps for the City of Freeways
It is difficult to imagine a time when Los Angeles' freeways symbolized access, efficiency, and modernity. Now that the city's love affair with freeways is nearly spent, what future do we envision for them?
Visiting Urban Parks Makes People Healthier...but Wealthier?
Recent studies show that urban parks are healthy in surprising ways in addition to physical and emotional health, writes Jeff Caldwell of Litchfield Landscape Elements.
TIF Shifts to the Suburbs in Minnesota
A common and sometimes controversial funding mechanism is growing in popularity in suburban Minnesota, even as its use in the urban core decreases.
Density Bonuses Proposed in High-Demand San Francisco Neighborhoods
The San Francisco Planning Department is proposing new densities in certain neighborhoods in exchange for building new units for low- and middle-income residents.
Billboards Still a Thorn in the Side of Cities
Cities around the world have continued to implement drastic measures in reaction to a proliferation of billboards.
Strong Housing Market a Lesson in Contrasts to the Slumping Oil Industry
Houston's housing market is chugging along, although one of the area's key industries is struggling.
Bay Area Town: 44 Single-Family Homes on a Site Once Considered for 315 Apartments
Lafayette provides a case study of the San Francisco Bay Area housing market.
Vacant Properties Persist in Cuyahoga County—and Not Just in Cleveland
Cleveland.com provides in-depth analysis of the ongoing challenge to account for and improve the large number of vacant properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
Why Concentrated Poverty Matters
The Architecture of Segregation: The slums are racially concentrated, on the rise, and spreading to the suburbs.
Gentrification Concerns Raised Around 'The 606' Trail in Chicago
When an exciting and popular addition to the public realm becomes available, like it did in Chicago earlier this year with The 606 trail, concerns about gentrification and displacement are sure to follow.
What Makes a Streetscape Appeal to Pedestrians?
Researchers who studied the appeal of New York City streetscapes find an additionally significant factor on the streets of Salt Lake City: the photo op.
Closed Ontario Schools May Be Transformed Into Community Hubs
Schools are part of, and even anchor communities. Good planning requires schools as part of "Complete Communities". Until this proposal is adopted, school boards often close schools due to funding or liability. This is a possible step forward.
What Makes a Planner an Urban Scientist?
Among other traits, science-minded planners must seriously reflect on what it is they know about their field, seeking good reasons and solid evidence for why they accept those things, writes Jodie Sackett, a Los Angeles County urban planner.
$1 Billion Master Planned Community Moving Forward on the Ohio River
A suburb of Cincinnati provides evidence of renewed demand for master planned communities.
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)
