Urban Development

Rethinking Suburban Design

Architect Alan Chang writes an extensive piece for PLACES on the need to rethink how suburbs are built and designed now, before the economy recovers.

September 30, 2011 - Places

The Alienation of Apple's Alien HQ

Philip Langdon criticizes the 'corporate isolationism,' of Apple's new donut shaped headquarters in Cupertino, California.

September 29, 2011 - New Urban Network

Austin Releases An All Encompassing New 30 Year Plan

The city of Austin has released a new 197 page planning document to manage its population growth and inform planning decisions for the next three decades.

September 29, 2011 - American Statesman

Is a Vibrant City Best Measured at Night?

Chuck Wolfe asks if a city's vitality is best indicated at night, and how it should be measured.

September 28, 2011 - myurbanist

A Perfect Laneway in Saskatoon

Paul Hanley gets excited about the worldwide trend towards turning "laneways" - alleys, in U.S.-speak - into great urban spaces.

September 27, 2011 - The Star Phoenix

Fixing Cincinnati

The Banks, an ambitious redevelopment plan for Cincinnati's waterfront, is near completion. Travis R. Eby takes a look.

September 26, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

Farmland Sale Sparks Protests in China

Since Wednesday, Chinese farmers have been protesting the sale of over 800 acres of farmland to developers. The scene, writes Andrew Jacobs, is not entirely uncommon lately as concerns over environmental justice build.

September 24, 2011 - New York Times

Around D.C., Metro Essential for Regional Growth

Reporting on a topic of discussion at the Greening Greater Washington Conference, Neal Peirce expounds on how public transit choices has bolstered regionalism around the nation's capital.

September 24, 2011 - Citiwire

Breaking News: Urbanists Turn the Tide in Toronto

Waterfront Toronto is a public advocacy group formed in 2001 to plan the city's extensive waterfront revitalization. In early Sept., Mayor Rob Ford announced he was taking over and turning the land into a giant mall park. Urbanists to the rescue!

September 23, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Feature Doc on Urban Design Out Soon (Trailer)

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.

September 23, 2011 - urbanizedfilm.com

Infill Development Becoming Mainstream

Renaissance Homes, a Portland builder, is attempting to revitalize its business by transitioning from suburban, large-scale development to multiple infill projects.

September 22, 2011 - The Oregonian

Bicycle-Oriented Development in, Predictably, Portland

They're calling it 'bicycle-supported development', but it amounts to the same thing: new projects are springing up in Portland, OR that cater to the bicycle crowd with extensive bike racks and near popular bikeways.

September 22, 2011 - The New York Times

Ambitious Transit Village Back On, City Says

A waterfront development in Hercules, California which includes a multimodal bus/train/ferry facility, will be built, say city officials and the developer. This despite the fact that where half the cash is coming from has yet to be determined.

September 22, 2011 - The San Jose Mercury News

In Two Housing Markets, Recession is Either Memory or Reality

There are two housing markets, "one for the rich and one for everyone else," writes Michelle Conlin. Sales and subsequent bidding wars are back in richer neighborhoods, while approximately 98.5% of the population see no end to the recession just yet.

September 22, 2011 - Boston Globe

Toronto Debates Need for Waterfront Mega-Mall

Some say that there is simply not enough retail in existence now; versus U.S. cities, at least, Toronto has fewer malls in both numbers and square footage. Dana Flavelle explores why that might not necessarily mean it's underserved.

September 21, 2011 - Toronto Star

The Mall, Your Smartphone, and You

Elaine Misonzhnik says the time is soon coming where having a smartphone at the mall will be a necessity instead of a luxury.

September 21, 2011 - Retail Traffic Magazine

Will New York's Next High Line Be Underground?

Three urbanist entrepreneurs are trying to transform an old underground trolley terminal into green space.

September 20, 2011 - New York Magazine

Density in the Backyard

Vancouver is working to incorporate more density in traditional single-family neighborhoods by allowing additional dwellings in the backyard, adjacent to alleys.

September 19, 2011 - Grist

Maryland Lays Out Plan to Combat Sprawl

A large chunk of the state's developed land is designated as low to very low single-family residential, which explains an exceptionally high percentage of workers who commute to work alone. PlanMaryland seeks to change this unsustainable trend.

September 16, 2011 - The Atlantic

NYC Residents Suggesting Locations for New Bike Share Stations

Earlier this week, New York City officials announced a new bikeshare system that will be available to New Yorkers in 2012.

September 16, 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.