Urban Development

Asia's "Instant" Cities: Perfect Cities or Perfect Storm?

The "utopian" cities being built from scratch in Asia to accommodate its fantastic rate of urbanization are striving to be smarter and greener, but may also be financially risky.

November 28, 2011 - Slate

An Ancient Neighborhood Booms in Vietnam

Hanoi's Ancient Quarter, founded in 1010 A.D. and built around a plan from the 15th century, is seeing an entrepreneurial boom. Planners are struggling to maintain the unique character of the community in the process.

November 27, 2011 - POLIS

Why Have the Exurbs Declined?

Christopher B. Leinberger expounds on the mortgage crisis plaguing America, particularly the exurbs. Rather than being a product of the excesses of bank lending and regulation, Leinberger attributes it to demographic changes benefiting cities.

November 27, 2011 - The New York Times- Opinion Pages

"Environmental Architecture" at its Finest

Sarah Williams Goldhagen profiles The Sea Ranch; despite its failure as an alternative to suburban sprawl, it is considered a model for its environmentally sensitive, "sublimely beautiful" development.

November 27, 2011 - The New Republic

Assessing Asia's Brand New Cities

In this piece, Greg Lindsay take a cautiously optimistic stance on whether or not from-scratch Asian cities are the way to address urban overpopulation.

November 26, 2011 - Slate

Vacant Historic Hotel to be Reused as Transitional Housing

Plans for the transformation of the art deco Viceroy Hotel date back to the Daley administration. The project will be financed by both state funds and the current mayor's revamped tax-increment financing program.

November 26, 2011 - Chicago Tribune

Defending Modernism and Ignoring Preservation

A new book called The Lure of the City argues that planners today have "a lack of ambition" and argues against the "[Jane] Jacobs-influenced orthodoxy."

November 24, 2011 - The Financial Times

Proposal Dreams of New York Development Connecting Island to Mainland

The Center for Urban Real Estate unveiled a proposal to connect Lower Manhattan and Governors Island with landfill to spur development in the area. The connection would generate $16.7 billion of revenue for the city, the center estimates.

November 23, 2011 - The New York Times

Smarter Solutions to Improve Our World

The next breakthrough in architecture may not come from the likes of Frank Gehry, according to Alex Goldmark, but from a chemist because they are the ones developing new compounds that aren't just stronger, or cleaner, but also smarter.

November 23, 2011 - This Big City

Reason London Failed in Becoming a Cycling City

During WWII, thousands of bicycles were stolen from the Dutch by occupying Germans, leaving them unable to get around. In Britain, however, strict patrol rationing meant bicycle use rose considerably because it was the only way to get around.

November 23, 2011 - This Big City

Getting Residents Talking...With Cake!

McGill University planning students have built a cake replica of the neighborhood surrounding the Vendome Metro station in order to get residents to discuss the impacts of the construction and opening of a nearby "superhospital."

November 23, 2011 - CBC

Does NYC Have Room for Engineers?

New York needs the more of such talent, according to officials. Gina Bellafonte reflects on where the city stands now in terms of its tech talent in light of the city's recent proposal request for a large, elite tech school somewhere in the city.

November 23, 2011 - The New York Times

CMG Landscape Architecture CEO on Multiple New Projects

Kevin Conger is CEO and one of the founding partners of Conger Moss Guillard (CMG) Landscape Architecture. A recent redevelopment project was labeled as a "climate positive." Conger explains how it meets those standards along with other projects.

November 22, 2011 - THE DIRT

Hearst Corp Planning To Redevelop San Francisco Block

Hearst Corporation is planning to redevelop the city block that surrounds its San Francisco Chronicle offices at 5th and Mission. The update would include a new mixed use tower containing 1.3 million square feet of commercial space.

November 22, 2011 - SF Gate

Chaotic Urban Growth Hinders Economic Development In India

Amy Kazim explore how chaotic urban growth and a political preference for rural government is beginning to hinder the development of India's largest cities.

November 22, 2011 - The Financial Times

Where the Hipsters Go

Good planning is attracting young hipsters to cities throughout the world, writes Christopher F. Schuetze.

November 22, 2011 - International Herald Tribune via New York Times

More Starbucks and McDonald's Coming Soon

The retail chains have each announced expansion plans for next year, even as many businesses are closing stores.

November 21, 2011 - Retail Traffic Magazine

Redfining Planned Communities

They're no longer totally synonymous with sprawl, reports Lew Sichelman, and are beginning to be found in in unlikely places--indicative of a move to brownfield over greenfield development. Changing consumer preferences explain why.

November 20, 2011 - Chicago Tribune

Fort Collins Shakes Up the Planning Paradigm

Like many cities, Fort Collins, CO is cash-strapped, but its plans are no longer dominated by handling sprawl. With development pressure out of the picture, a democratic blueprint for connecting residents to culture as well as space has emerged.

November 20, 2011 - The New York Times

Does Living in a Poor Neighborhood Harm Your Health?

A study conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s found that living in poor neighborhoods can actually hurt your health.

November 19, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

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.