Urban Development

John King describes a new, 7.6-acre hospital campus in the heart of Oakland, California as accessible only by car or ambulance—in other words, "enough to make you sick."

July 21, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are pushing ahead with an ambitious plan for a pedestrian and bike connection between downtown Cleveland and the lakefront.

July 21, 2014 - The Plain Dealer

Planetizen blogger and professional planner Steven Snell pens another dispatch for Fast Forward Weekly. This time he explains the "Slow" ethos—slow food, slow homes, and, yes, slow cities.

July 19, 2014 - Fast Forward Weekly

The Architect's Newspaper featured a suite of "new urbanism" projects underway in Nashville—everything from BRT, to convention centers, to bikeshare.

July 19, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

With the neighborhoods north of Pennsylvania Avenue booming, there are still stretches of "America's Main Street" that have escaped the revitalization.

July 18, 2014 - The Washington Post

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) expressed irritation that Chicago is no longer a world-class city when it comes to building heights. The issue arose during a Senate floor discussion on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Chicago's Willis Tower ranks #11.

July 18, 2014 - Politico

Since Portland began subsidizing accessory dwelling units (ADU) by waiving development fees, construction of ADUs have increased to a pace of more than 100 a year. A new study finds additional benefits in the low impact of ADUs on neighborhoods.

July 17, 2014 - Bike Portland

The initial presentation of a 40-story tower, designed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, working for developer Tishman Speyer, prompted John King to argue in favor of the project. But will city planners and electeds grant the project an exception?

July 17, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

What are the philosophical and practical commitments of an approach to urban planning that respects cultural differences in ways of being and building?

July 17, 2014 - Dean Saitta

Students in Atlanta have designed a tiny house village inside a parking garage to help better understand how livable micro-housing projects can be.

July 16, 2014 - Pop-Up City

Not so fast, San Francisco Prop B (the approved measure requiring voter approval for projects exceeding height limits along the waterfront). The State Lands Commission has a legal bone to pick.

July 16, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Allison Arieff tells the sordid tale of a "modestly modernist" house in Oakwood, a historic district in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite the fully permitted house being 85 percent complete, a lawsuit by a neighbor could force its demolition.

July 16, 2014 - New York Times

A new study by economists Chang-Tai Hsieh and Enrico Moretti claims to have found the cost, in economic growth, incurred by the high price of housing in expensive coastal cities. Hint: the word trillion is involved.

July 16, 2014 - Vox

Charlotte Fagan and Dan Trudeau (Mcalester college) study two New Urbanist neighborhoods in Minneapolis to understand the ways in which New Urbanism impacts the empowerment of women.

July 15, 2014 - JPER

A small town in Kansas exposed itself to ridicule not so long ago with their crack-down on a Little Free Library. Their problem goes a good bit deeper than clunky enforcement.

July 14, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Despite its commitment to protect forests in South Florida, the University of Miami sold 88 acres of endangered pine rockland to a developer with plans for a Walmart, an LA Fitness Center, and a Chik-fil-A, among other non-endangered retail uses.

July 14, 2014 - Miami Herald

Palo Alto, one of the suburban cities at the center of the Silicon Valley tech boom, is considering a Comprehensive Plan Update. On the table for the Planning and Transportation Commission: a "net-zero" restriction for new vehicle trips.

July 13, 2014 - Palo Alto Weekly

The ugly story of the fence between a public housing community called New Haven and the nearby "middle class" community of Hamden, Connecticut will soon be over, but not because Hamden suddenly gained enlightenment.

July 13, 2014 - New York Times

Angie Schmitt covers Bike Portland's article on store owners teaming up to bring road diet as a means to improve business.

July 12, 2014 - Bike Portland

Northern California is no stranger to debates about redevelopment, displacement, and the proper mix of affordable and market-rate housing—but this time the setting for these stories is in the state capital of Sacramento.

July 11, 2014 - Next City