Urban Development

CEQA Crusader or CEQA Bounty Hunter?

Liam Dillon tells the story of Cory Briggs, a notorious lawyer in Southern California famous for opposing projects under the auspices of the California Environmental Quality Act.

June 13, 2014 - Voice of San Diego

Uproar Over 'Surprise' Big Box Development in Dallas

The evolving story goes back to last summer, but media and stakeholders were caught off guard by the recent revelation that Trammell Crow Co. is planning to develop a 100,00 square foot Sam's Club in Dallas.

June 13, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

For Sale: Air Rights at MARTA's Urban Train Stations

MARTA is exploring the desire of developers to build mixed-use buildings over its urban train stations. Any such deal would be the first of its kind in MARTA's 40-plus-year history.

June 12, 2014 - SaportaReport

Boston Skyline with Dome

5 Reasons to Move to the City (ASAP)

Kevin Roose wonders whether "choosing to live outside a major city is tantamount to opting to live in the past."

June 11, 2014 - New York Magazine

Conservatives Push Back on 'Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing' Policy

Stanley Kurtz reports that Congressman Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) "is planning to offer" an amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill that would declaw the Obama Administration's proposed "AFFH" rule.

June 11, 2014 - National Review Online

Riding D.C. Metro's Silver Line: the Great Suburban Retrofit

CityLab provides an in-depth analysis of the planning efforts surrounding the D.C. Metro's forthcoming Silver Line in Tysons Corner, Virginia. At stake, according to the article: "the future of the American suburb as we know it."

June 11, 2014 - CityLab

Rhode Island's 'Blue State' Policies Criticized

Aaron M. Renn has written a scathing review of the state of affairs in Rhode Island, which he describes as a result of decades of unfettered "blue state" policies.

June 10, 2014 - City Journal

Stahl House Los Angeles

The Fall of Planning Expertise

With increasing skepticism and conflict towards planners and planning projects, we must ask ourselves: Is the power and politics now vested in "community participation" undermining the planning profession?

June 10, 2014 - Reuben Duarte

Buffalo Light Rail

Urbanists Soak Up Buffalo: PlaceMakers Empty Their Notebooks

Many of you attended CNU in Buffalo last week, but for those of you who couldn't make it, here's a quick collection of a few of the ideas shared.

June 9, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Los Angeles Paying Hollywood Community Plan Opponents $1.5 Million

Picking up the pieces from Los Angeles' failed attempt at implementing a community plan for Hollywood now involves paying off the lawyers who shot down the ordinance to the tune of $1.5 million.

June 9, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Transit Oriented Development Gaining Post-Recession Momentum in Maryland

A recent article describes the transit oriented development market in Maryland, where recession blues have given way to a boom.

June 9, 2014 - Baltimore Sun

Alibaba

E-Commerce And The Future Of The City

Chinese cities have grown at an astounding pace over the past few decades, wholeheartedly embracing the automobile. The upcoming IPO of Alibaba and the rise of e-commerce heralds a new, possibly troubling chapter in China's urban development.

June 8, 2014 - Josh Stephens

Adaptive Reuse Driving San Francisco's Tech Boom

Tech firms have taken over more than three million square feet of existing office and industrial space in San Francisco—nearly the equivalent of New York City's new 1 World Trade Center building.

June 7, 2014 - New York Times

Tracking the Rate of Sprawl for U.S. Cities between 2000 and 2010

Many studies have measured and compared the sprawl of U.S. metropolitan areas. A recent study tracks the rate at which the same cities grew either less compact or more compact for the decade between 2000 and 2010.

June 7, 2014 - CityLab

Minneapolis Restaurants Push Back on '70/30' Food-to-Alcohol Rule

All over the country, local craft brews, and the restaurants that serve them, have been drivers of economic development and neighborhood revitalization. But a restrictive law in Minneapolis has prevented the full benefit of the industry.

June 5, 2014 - Minneapolis Post

irrigation

What Urban Planners Fail to Grasp in Climate Action Plans

Climate mitigation and adaptation have become de rigeur aspects of urban planning for most cities, according to results from MIT's international Urban Climate Change Governance Survey. What's missing in most plans is the link to economic development.

June 5, 2014 - MIT News

Arguing for More Housing in the Silicon Valley

San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King criticizes the housing policy of cities like Mountain View, Silicon Valley home to companies like Google and LinkedIn.

June 4, 2014 - SFGate

Pending Massachusetts Zoning Code Bill Would 'Promote Sustainable Communities'

A Boston Globe editorial calls for the Massachusetts State Legislature to approve Bill H.4065 (An Act promoting the planning and development of sustainable communities).

June 3, 2014 - Boston Globe

How to Put More Kick in Urban Parks and Recreation Planning

Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau makes a case for increasing the number of fields and facilities dedicated to a sport that is growing in popularity – soccer.

June 3, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Despite Rejection of Residential High Rise, Houston Still Open to Density

A recent ruling that favored local homeowners over a developer in Houston had some wondering whether Houston's days as a "development free-for-all" were over. Fear not, says Stephen J. Smith.

June 3, 2014 - Next City

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.