Urban Development

Walkable urban places are poised to "put a foundation under the economy as well as government tax revenues," concludes Christopher Leinberger in a new report. Better! Cities & Towns delivers some highlights from his much anticipated study.

September 11, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

California's Central Valley was one of the areas hardest hit by the Great Recession, with several of its cities still burdened by the worst unemployment rates in the country. Signs in Bakersfield, however, point to a burgeoning boom.

September 11, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Late last week, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson announced that Madrid had won the competition to become the future location of Europe's "largest gambling mecca," reports Giles Tremlett. Questions regarding the project's viability remain.

September 11, 2012 - The Guardian

Can community building deliver more jobs than trying to lure back an industrial sector that's been leaving the U.S. for decades?

September 11, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In New York, neighborhood boundaries are big business. Just ask any real estate agent who's tried to pass off a Gowanus apartment as being in Park Slope. Since the city does not officially define boundaries, amateurs are filling the void.

September 10, 2012 - The New York Times

The no man's land once occupied by the Berlin Wall has been the focus of redevelopment efforts for nearly two and a half decades now. But the slow pace of rebuilding means the scars of the Cold War remain visible across the city's landscape.

September 10, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The recent bankruptcy of the California city of Mammoth Lakes - brought on by a $43 million court decision in favor of a developer - is an extreme example of the cost of land use disputes. But it's indicative of a widespread problem in the state.

September 10, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Certainly, says Brent Toderian. And with children "the indicator species of a great neighbourhood," he argues that cities should be designed with families in mind.

September 10, 2012 - HuffPost British Columbia

Chasing the widespread interest in city living, developers are exporting mixed-use urbanism to the suburbs and exurbs as "town center" projects, prompting Jonathan O’Connell to ask if "a city can be a city if it’s built in the middle of a cornfield."

September 10, 2012 - The Washington Post

After years wasted trying to implement large-scale redevelopment of its formerly industrial waterfront, Buffalo is cleaning up its shores from the ground up, reports Daniel Robison.

September 9, 2012 - NPR

The urban parking garage gets an overhaul with the innovation of multiblock parking. By constructing underneath multiple blocks, developers and cities can improve parking efficiencies and lower costs.

September 9, 2012 - Urban Land Magazine

Indian cities boast of huge GDP contributions, but cannot fulfill the basic needs of their citizens, such as providing safe drinking water. Central government funding has enabled some improvements in the urban water sector, but much more is needed.

September 9, 2012 - Business Standard

Stringent zoning, high costs, and a culture of skepticism directed at developers have hampered efforts to introduce infill redevelopment into some of Minneapolis' most prime locations.

September 8, 2012 - MinnPost

A new city prosperity index has been unveiled by UN-Habitat at this week's World Urban Forum. The index seeks to catalog the ways in which global urbanization can encourage shared prosperity and human development, reports Claire Provost.

September 7, 2012 - The Guardian

As China continues to mature into a developed nation, efforts aimed at making its largest cities more environmentally sustainable and healthy may be putting a damper on the country's economic growth.

September 7, 2012 - The New York Times

Over the past couple of decades, Manhattan's ruthless redevelopment has transformed neighborhoods up and down the island. In the East Village, local leaders are trying to defend the area's popular dive bars from rising rents and changing clientele.

September 6, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Moving families from segregated, high poverty neighborhoods, into desegregated "areas of opportunity" has multiple effects. Housing mobility programs help revitalize communities and improve the physical and mental health of families involved.

September 6, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

Ian Lovett looks at efforts to reform CEQA, California's landmark environmental law. Decried as easily abused, and an impediment to economic development, bipartisan attempts to reform the law are making enemies out of allies.

September 5, 2012 - The New York Times

As the real estate market comes back to life, walkable urbanism is poised to become the dominant mode of development across America. Emily Badger explains why Washington D.C.'s land use evolution portends the future of cities everywhere.

September 5, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Creative placemaking, or investing in arts and culture as a way to improve quality of place and stimulate vibrancy, is getting a new boost as ArtPlace announces another round of funding.

September 4, 2012 - ArtPlace