Urban Development

Downtown Shopping Malls Are Ripe For Expansion

Bloomingdale's opening in San Francisco on Sept. 28 is just another sign of major retailers investing in downtowns despite the higher costs.

September 27, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Florida Residents Sue To Prevent Eminent Domain

A day after Riviera Beach contracted with a developer for hotels, condos, marinas, shops and a new harbor, and 4 months after Gov. Bush signed a law outlawing government seizure of land for private development, 4 property owners filed a suit.

September 27, 2006 - Suen-Sentinel.com

Charlotte Hopes For Transit-Oriented Development

While the city's light-rail system is plagued with construction delays and cost overruns, developers are waiting in the wings with plans for urban transit villages along the line.

September 27, 2006 - The Charlotte Observer

Sprawl Isn't The Answer For Affordable Housing

An editorial from a building industry leader criticizes the Australian government's simplistic thinking on increasing the production of affordable housing.

September 27, 2006 - The Age

A Smart Growth Olympics?

Chicago area boosters are touting their plan for a "compact games" as they bid for the 2016 Olympics.

September 27, 2006 - Associated Press

Who's Rebuilding New Orleans?

The reconstruction of New Orleans is also reconfiguring the city's demographics.

September 27, 2006 - The Slatin Report

A Boston Architectural Icon Turns 30

Despite a rocky start, the 30 years old John Hancock Tower has become Boston's greatest example of modern architecture.

September 27, 2006 - The Boston Globe

Promoting Green 'Rebuilding' In New Orleans

The winning of a housing design competition sponsored by actor Brad Pitt end environmental non-profit Global Green USA demonstrates how eco-friendly architecture can remake New Orleans.

September 26, 2006 - MSNBC

Public Housing Community Goes Green In Seattle

A drab World War II-era public housing project in Seattle has been replaced with what local officials hope will be an environmentally- and economically-sustainable community.

September 26, 2006 - The Seattle Times

Detroit's Lafayette Park: An Urban Renewal Success Story

Designed in the 1960s as part of a wave of largely unsuccessful urban renewal projects across the U.S., this continuously thriving mixed-income and racially integrated community just east of downtown Detroit stands as a model of good urban design.

September 25, 2006 - The Detroit Free Press

The Manhattanization Of Toronto

With the city mostly built out, and more residents looking to live in the urban core, Toronto planners and developers are busy building the city upwards.

September 25, 2006 - The Toronto Star

Will New York City Go On A 'Zoning' Diet?

Following in the footsteps of cities in California, Michigan, and Massachusetts, the New York City Council majority leader is throwing his weight behind a proposal to restrict the number of high-calorie, fast-food giants in the city's neighborhoods.

September 25, 2006 - The New York Times

A Major Setback For Atlanta's Beltline Project

Atlanta's proposed transit and recreation loop using largely abandoned rail lines as a spur to economic development was dealt a damaging blow as a suburban developer backed out of plans to build condo towers along the line.

September 25, 2006 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Clash Over Sustainable Design For Vancouver Olympics

Planners and developers are clashing over the design of Vancouver's Olympic village for the 2010 games. Some say the developers haven't gone far enough to achieve the 3 E's of sustainability.

September 24, 2006 - The Vancouver Sun

Sea Of Sameness

This column from the UK's New Statesman bemoans the drab similarity of English towns. A report concludes that 42% of the nation's town's are essentially 'clones'.

September 24, 2006 - New Statesman

ULI Honors Peter Calthorpe With Nichols Prize

Peter Calthorpe, an early pioneer of the new urbanism and smart growth movements, recently received the prestigious J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development by the Urban Land Institute.

September 23, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Development Pushing Out To New Territories

Developers are increasingly investing in remote locales as price appreciation slows in traditionally developed areas.

September 22, 2006 - International Herald Tribune

S.F. Redevelopment Opposition Denied On Technicality

A referendum opposing a redevelopment plan signed by more than 33,000 San Francisco voters has been ruled invalid, angering many who feel that the city is bending rules to appease developers and gentrify their neighborhood.

September 22, 2006 - San Francisco Bay Gueardian

High Hopes For Huge Toronto Park

Plans are underway in Toronto for the development of a huge public park along the city's Lake Ontario waterfront. Like many big cities, Toronto is utilizing abandoned and underused industrial lands to create an attractive destination.

September 22, 2006 - The Toronto Star

It's The Middle Class, Not The Creative Class

Joel Kotkin argues that cities need to win back the middle class by focusing on their basic needs -- affordable 'market-rate' housing, schools, and public infrastructure -- if they are to be genuinely successful at urban revitalization.

September 21, 2006 - Democracy

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.