Urban Development
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.
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.
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.
Smart Growth, Defined
Thirty-two organizations have come together to release "This Is Smart Growth," a new publication from ICMA and the Smart Growth Network, which illustrates and explains smart growth concepts and values, using 40 examples from around the country.
Duany Takes On Scotland
Architect and urban planner Andres Duany has been hired to plan a new town near Inverness, Scotland -- one that he assures will not resemble Seaside.
Waiting For Recovery, Eager To Plan
More than half of the residents in the small unincorporated community of Henderson Point, Mississippi, turned out to help begin planning for the rebuilding of their completely devastated community.
Flat Roofs Have Fans And Foes
As the price of land increases, many real estate developers are looking at flat-roof designs as a means of increasing the square footage of houses, much to the chagrin of historical preservationists and municipal officials.
'Fractal' Design Makes More With Less
In a comparative study of English towns, one small village with a compact and walkable design has been shown to seem much larger to pedestrians than a comparable area in a big city -- mainly because there is more to see there.
After 50 Years, Waterfront May Be Redeveloped
With a population cut in half and an almost abandoned waterfront area, the city of Buffalo is thinking redevelopment. Actually, the city has spent nearly 50 years thinking redevelopment. Now steps are actually being taken to improve the waterfront.
What Is This Thing Called Sprawl?
The concept of sprawl and its attributes are broken down in simple terms in this Q&A with Indiana University Professor John Ottensmann.
Go, West? Not So Fast
The Rocky Mountain West, an area where people were content to let others do what they pleased with their land, is moving towards increasing growth controls as the region's population explodes.
Downsizing Affordable Housing
With small lots and small houses, one Florida home builder is taking an unconventional approach to developing affordable housing.
The Darkside Of Building New 'Green' Homes
The waste generated from demolition, and the large floor space of many new eco-mansions, is an environmentally unfriendly result of the new green home trend.
Suburban Subdivision Naming Guide
A conveninent tool for coming up with attractive names for suburban subdivisions.
Building 'Green' Schools
If voters approve a new school construction bond, plans call for eco-friendly school buildings to begin sprouting up all over Portland, Oregon.
Filling The Freedom Tower
Both the Federal and State of New York governments have tentatively agreed to occupy 1 million of the Freedom Tower's 2.6 million square feet of office space. The question is, who will fill the rest?
Toronto Could Learn From Stockholm's Success
Toronto has been planning on redeveloping its waterfront for years, but the process is slow-moving. Across the world, a similar physical layout in Stockholm is boasting quick planning and successful implementation.
The Disappearing Corporate Citizen
A new paper from the Brookings Institute, "Corporate Citizenship and Urban Problem Solving: The Changing Civic Role of Business Leaders in American Cities," provides insight into the diminishing capacity for the private sector to engage in planning.
The Rise And Fall Of The 6-Percent Commission?
Some argue that the 6-percent sales commission is a form price-fixing that is ripe for change while others suggest that lowering this figure would lead to less customer service for the consumer. Either way, the 6-percent commission is under attack.
Boston Sidewalks May Go Rubber
The Boston City Council is considering an initiative that would require all new sidewalks in the city to be rubberized, using tiles of recycled tires as the city's walkways. Concrete cracking from tree root growth could become a thing of the past.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
