Urban Development

Building intensity can do just about everything: make a city budget more resilient, conserve land, and encourage infill. And possibly make your morning omelet.

June 14, 2013 - Norman Wright

Even if the swelling modern metropolis doesn't reflect the gleaming city of science fiction, Edwin Heathcote finds much to be optimistic about with regard to the future of cities on a rapidly urbanizing planet.

June 14, 2013 - The Financial Times

Yes and no, says Peter Bill. As a look at London's delightfully nicknamed towers - the Shard, the Walkie-Talkie, the Cheesegrater - shows, it may take years, and multiple economic cycles for skyscrapers to recoup their investment.

June 13, 2013 - London Evening Standard

Brookings Institute's “Confronting Suburban Poverty” is generating a lot of buzz. Community development leaders and planners took to Rooflines to voice opinions and critiques of the book, moving its authors to submit a response that you must read.

June 12, 2013 - Rooflines

A fragmented network of sidewalks is commonplace in the suburbs of Hennepin County, Minnesota. Mary Jane Smetanka reports on controversial efforts to fill in the gaps and retrofit these suburban neighborhoods as walkable places.

June 12, 2013 - Star Tribune

In Seattle, and elsewhere, city leaders are struggling to maintain the supply of affordable housing in close proximity to transit stations. Rising rents in areas near stops are displacing lower-income residents.

June 12, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

On the Westside of L.A., where rush hour traffic slows to a crawl on the best days, a proposed transit-oriented development called the 'quintessential example' of smart growth by the Mayor's staff faces opposition to its size and attraction to autos.

June 11, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

As our suburbs diversify, the most affordable commercial districts found in such areas (often in strip malls) become an important entry point for immigrants to build their 'American Dream'. Kaid Benfield asks if such opportunities deserve protection.

June 11, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard Blog

Real estate listings tout proximity to it, retailers want to be near it, and communities are clamoring for it; Capital Bikeshare has become an economic development tool that some think could be as potent as cars and Metro in guiding development.

June 11, 2013 - The Washington Examiner

The Empire State Building's place in New York City's skyline is set to be challenged by several new residential towers, as the city experiences a height hysteria not seen since the heady days of the late 1920s.

June 10, 2013 - The New York Times

A $1.5 billion deal between London Mayor Boris Johnson and a private Chinese Developer will fund the creation of an international business district at the city's Royal Albert Docks. Terry Farrell & Partners will complete the project's master plan.

June 9, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

Prince George's County will streamline the review process for developers who build around public transit stations, writes Miranda S. Spivack. The bill could speed up the approvals process by as much as a year.

June 9, 2013 - The Washington Post

Although he recognized that Denver does not have an immediate demand for micro-housing, architect Jeff Sheppard launched a design competition that proved global interest in the this hot housing type, writes David Hill.

June 9, 2013 - Architectural Record

Famous for renovating well-known historic properties, Los Angeles developer Wayne Ratkovich is taking on a new challenge: transforming a fortress-like enclosed mall that sits smack in the middle of booming downtown L.A.

June 8, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Downtown Redwood City (near San Francisco) has seen an amazing turnaround due to an aggressive program of code reform, strong investments in public spaces, and a strategy of using entertainment as a catalyzing force.

June 8, 2013 - CNU.org

Where you build is important. But when it comes to city budgets, how much you build matters more.

June 7, 2013 - Norman Wright

Shanghai and the Pudong District in particular have seen unprecedented development over the past 25 years. The soil the city is built upon, however, has begun to subside recently.

June 7, 2013 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

In their June magazine, SPUR proposes a bold vision for transforming several San Francisco neighborhoods based on three big moves: tear down the end of Interstate 280, put Caltrain and high-speed rail underground, and redevelop the Caltrain railyard.

June 7, 2013 - The Urbanist

This week, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald unveiled how he and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson would like to spend the nearly $100 million in surplus revenues that had been set aside for a downtown project. Steven Litt likes what he heard.

June 7, 2013 - The Plain Dealer

Much to the chagrin of those who partake in the city's congested commute, cars dominate as Atlantans' prime means of mobility. The city's wildly ambitious BeltLine project seeks to change this, but can it be built fast enough to have an impact?

June 5, 2013 - ASLA The Dirt