Urban Development

Small-scale, temporary interventions in urban space have brought the concept of "pop-up" projects into the civic space of cities.

July 26, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.

July 26, 2011 - The New York Times Magazine

For a city of over 16,000 people per square mile, less than 7% of Hong Kong's land is designated for residential use. Subdivided apartments - aka "coffin units" - totaling 150 square feet aren't uncommon, reports The Wall Street Journal.

July 26, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

While most homebuilders take measures to control cost, such as modifying the plan layouts or building more energy-efficient homes, few revamp their business strategies by creating specialized division for distressed markets.

July 26, 2011 - The Economist

Not that it's a real surprise that trees clean the air, but a new study shows that greenery in cities can have a significant effect on air quality.

July 25, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Amid the dissolution of Borders bookstores in urban centers, Chuck Wolfe urges policymakers and the private market to assure "no let loss" in the spirit of natural resource protection to assure third places remain available in American cities.

July 25, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Using a federal grant, New York City is studying the effects of a highway teardown not just on transportation but on housing, jobs, park access and quality of life.

July 22, 2011 - Streetsblog

Companies are moving back to the city in response to a new generation of workers who prefer the urban environment over suburban office parks.

July 22, 2011 - CNN Money

Based on estimated returns on investment in single-family home rental properties of 316 markets, Las Vegas is your best bet to invest on rental properties. Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale - all in Florida - also made the list.

July 22, 2011 - CNN Money

Patrick Kennedy stresses the importance of quality over quantity in residential housing by comparing houses in McKinney, North Texas, with those on Swiss Avenue near Downtown Dallas.

July 22, 2011 - D Magazine

Walmart easily received approval for four new big box stores in Washington, D.C. With so much opposition elsewhere, why the open arms in the Beltway?

July 22, 2011 - New Urban Network

In a post at Project for Public Spaces, a politician from Spokane, WA is quoted as saying the way municipal governments could spur job growth is by building public spaces where people want to live, work, shop and invest.

July 21, 2011 - Project For Public Spaces

Each year Walk Score ranks the top cities for walking, according to its own walk score methodology. In 2011, NYC placed #1. See the rest of the top 10!

July 21, 2011 - Walk Score

Observer music writers Pete Freeman and Daniel Hopkins debate the affects of suburban sprawl on the local music scene.

July 21, 2011 - Dallas Observer

A new public park in downtown Phoenix is both a venue for artists and performers and a public space that calls to mind a small neighborhood park, according to this piece from Next American City.

July 21, 2011 - Next American City

Though much of its urban form requires a car to traverse, a few new projects in Miami are shifting the city away from its past of parking lot sprawl.

July 21, 2011 - Wallpaper

Cities plan to cut off individual parking garages is a gamble, says Josie Garthwaite in National Geographic -- yet making it impossible to park is one of the few yet most effective tools that reduces driving.

July 20, 2011 - National Geographic

This NYT editorial endorses the effort of a Long Island town supervisor to transform the Ronkonkoma LIRR station, one of the busiest stations on the nation's busiest commuter line from a sea of parking into a vibrant TOD with a convention center.

July 20, 2011 - The New York Times - Editorial

Cities have filed a lawsuit with the California State Supreme Court over recently passed laws that eliminate funding for the state's redevelopment agencies.

July 19, 2011 - San Jose Mercury News

Food trucks can be exciting for diners, but local businesses that face unexpected competition on their doorstep are less excited.

July 18, 2011 - The New York Times