Urban Development
The Parking Lot Maternity Leave
New parenthood is the stress test of suburbia. I’ve learned the hard way just how spectacularly it fails.
Report: LA Construction Permits Fell 40% After ‘Mansion Tax’
New housing permits fell sharply for both single-family homes and multifamily buildings after the city enacted a tax on property sales over $5 million.
100 Years ago, Zoning Changed how US Cities Grow. Today, it is Ripe for Reform.
Euclidean zoning was enshrined in U.S. town planning by a 1926 Supreme Court decision. Cities are recognizing it’s time for some drastic changes.
Baltimore Pushes ‘Whole Block’ Redevelopment Plan for Vacant Properties
The city will incentivize developers to take on projects that will renovate or redevelop unused city-owned properties.
Decades of Curbed Archives are Gone
The urban-focused publication amplified important voices discussing urbanism and development. Many of those articles are now unavailable.
Study: LA Could Get Rid of Almost Half its Pavement
Researchers say nearly half of the county’s paved surfaces could be redesigned to cool neighborhoods, manage stormwater, and improve public health.
Dear Trump: the Future Belongs to the Efficient
Trump abandoned climate protection goals claiming that cheap fossil fuel helps consumers and the economy. A mobility-focused analysis shows that he is wrong: resource efficiency is the key to health, economic success and happiness.
Massachusetts Governor Says Safety Funds Won’t be Tied to MBTA Communities Compliance
Gov. Healey faced backlash for requiring local fire departments to confirm compliance with the zoning law to receive state funds.
With Zero Office Conversions in Four Years, San Francisco Pins Hopes on New Special Financing District
City leaders hope the new incentive will spur the redevelopment of some of the city’s 30,000 square feet of vacant office space into housing.
How Placemaking Lost its Way — And How it Can Get Back on Track
The term has often become diluted, getting attached to projects that don’t live up to its lofty aspirations.
Mess Might Just be the Secret Weapon That Planners Forgot
In “Messy Cities: Why We Can’t Plan Everything” 43 writers from around the world sing the praises the gentle chaos that exemplifies a thriving metropolis.
Interactive, 3D Chicago Zoning Map Lets You Visualize Potential Development
A new tool creates a visual model of potential development on Chicago lots based on the property’s specific zoning regulations.
India’s Women-only ‘Pink Parks:’ Safe Refuge or Segregated Enclaves?
Women-only public spaces can provide safety and community, but critics argue they fail to address deeper structural problems.
Paradise Lost, Paradise Found: Planning for People Rather Than Cars in Hawai'i
With better planning Honolulu can become an active travel paradise. Replace car sewers with pedestrian promenades, and build urban villages where it is easy to get around without driving.
LA County Adopts First Heat Action Plan
LA County has adopted its first Heat Action Plan, a long-term, people-centered framework to reduce heat risks, protect public health, and adapt communities, homes, and public spaces to a hotter and more dangerous climate.
Battle Over $15 Billion in Data Centers Erupts in Rural Southern California County
Imperial County residents and local officials oppose two proposed data centers that would significantly impact natural resources.
January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
New York and New Jersey enact new tenant protections, Brightline West announces an opening date, and could a Nevada law have killed tens of thousands of trees?
Missoula Approves Zoning Reform Emphasizing More Diverse Housing, Walkability
The city’s new zoning code, map, and development standards will guide more expansive housing options and improved walkability.
Tracing the Destruction of the Highway Baltimore Never Built
In “Road to Nowhere: How a Highway Map Wrecked Baltimore,” historian Emily Lieb demonstrates how the mere threat of a highway project, combined with systemic redlining and predatory real estate practices, can dismantle a community just as effectively as physical construction can.
LA Metro Opposes TOD Law, Fearing Backlash to Transit Expansion
Metro wants an exemption from California’s new housing law, despite the law’s potential to increase ridership by putting more housing near transit stations.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
