Urban Development

Held Up by Environmental Litigation, Playa Vista Finally Gets Its Own Downtown

After a hard-won legal battle, Los Angeles' youngest coastal community can finally begin construction on its mixed-use downtown, report Roger Vincent and Martha Groves.

April 8, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Little Boxes on the Hillside, in China and Beyond

Nate Berg offers his take on the replicas of Western subdivisions that have come to define social status in the burgeoning economies of the Middle and Far East.

April 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

No Allen Key Required

The furniture giant Ikea is planning a huge urban renewal project in East London -- a privately-owned, eco-friendly development in which all housing is rented. Doug Saunders visits the proposed site to see the future of managed living for himself.

April 7, 2012 - Globe and Mail

Downtown LA Stadium Developers Release 10,000 Page EIR

David Zahniser and Ari Bloomekatz report on yesterday's release of the EIR for a proposed $1 billion football stadium in downtown LA, by developer AEG, which intends to take significant steps to encourage event-goers to use mass transit.

April 6, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Asking What Comes Next, as Maryland Tries to Move Beyond Sprawl

McKay Jenkins looks at the challenges confronting Maryland as the state tries to reckon with the devastating consequences of the era of sprawl and prepare for an additional one million people over the next twenty five years.

April 5, 2012 - Urbanite

How Can Atlanta Become a Smart City?

Maggie Comstock looks at what it takes to be considered a "Smart City", and asks what an organizationally and infrastructurally challenged city like Atlanta can do to raise its IQ.

April 5, 2012 - Sustainable Cities

Snapping Up Foreclosures on a Whole New Scale

A California real estate group aims to capitalize on cheap foreclosures, collecting homes en masse thanks to a semi-automated decisionmaking system.

April 5, 2012 - The New York Times

Brooklyn's Domino Redevelopment Project Turns Sour

Molly Heintz reports on the recent developments (or lack thereof) in the long and controversial saga centered around the future of the historic Domino Sugar refinery along Brooklyn's East River waterfront.

April 3, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Tulsa Struggles to Balance Development and Parking

Accompanied by images of a partially demolished building, P.J. Lassek reports on Tulsa's conflict between encouraging development and providing parking amenities.

April 3, 2012 - Tulsa World

Council for European Urbanism Analyzes Paris High-Rise Proposals

David Brussat, architecture critic for the Providence, RI, Journal, describes a new report from the Council for European Urbanism, which finds that the high-rises planned for Paris will not live up to their promises.

April 2, 2012 - Providence Journal

The Secrets to Stadium Success

Eric Jaffe looks to a new study published in the Journal of Urbanism comparing the triumphs and failures of new baseball fields in Denver and Phoenix for lessons on how to build a successful downtown stadium.

March 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

What Will It Take to Win the Global Competition Between Cities?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, someone who may know a thing or two about running a successful city, pens an opinion piece examining what it takes to succeed in the global competition for people, visitors, and business.

March 28, 2012 - The Financial Times

Tallying the Financial Fiasco at Trump's Florida Tower

Michael Sallah reports on the financial meltdown surrounding Donald Trump's completed but empty $200 million International Hotel & Tower on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

March 28, 2012 - The Miami Herald

Making Regulatory Reform Work in Seattle

Although Seattle's downtown redevelopment may be receiving plaudits, Chuck Wolfe describes efforts underway to rethink land use regulations on a broader level in the city, with jobs in mind.

March 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Previewing London's Layered Approach to the Olympics

With only four months to go until the opening ceremony, Gwen Webber checks in on the progress of London's Olympic preparations, and the wider redevelopment effort that the games have sparked.

March 26, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Chronicling Seattle's Booming Downtown

Jon Talton reports on the recent upswing in development in downtown Seattle, as new jobs and residents signal a quick rebound from the Great Recession.

March 26, 2012 - The Seattle Times

Recolonizing the Lower Ninth Ward

Nathaniel Rich reports on a different kind of urban regeneration that has taken place in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward where the "cartoonish pace of vegetation growth" conceals an ecology of wild animals, tires, and occasionally humans.

March 26, 2012 - The New York Times

Keeping the Last Century Alive in Los Angeles

Patricia Kirk profiles Dave Goldstein, a Los Angeles native on a mission to preserve, restore, and rent historic residences throughout Hollywood.

March 24, 2012 - Urban Land

How Green Building Is Transforming Real Estate

William Pentland notes a crescendo in the clamor for green buildings in the upscale, commercial market.

March 22, 2012 - Forbes

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.