Urban Development

How A Cool Street 'Happens'

Restaurant Row in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is an example of how a destination street can be created without any formal planning.

August 14, 2006 - Patriot-News

New Urbanism Takes Hold In West Florida

Cities and counties in and around the Tampa Bay area are incorporating elements of New Urbanism into their planning and land use codes.

August 14, 2006 - The St. Petersburg Times

Battle Over Housing In New York's Wealthiest Zip Code

Largely low-rise and industrial, Manhattan's once gritty but now chic TriBeCa neighborhood is facing pressure from developers who are hoping to profit from its desirability by building new high-rise apartments.

August 14, 2006 - The New York Sun

A Shifting Planning Paradigm In Hong Kong

No longer content with the planning status quo, the city's residents are demanding that government plans abandon their outdated "city in the sky" vision and focus on quality of life issues in the territory.

August 14, 2006 - The Standard

Second Home Purchases Decline Nationwide

In a reversal to 2005's trend to "buy first, and ask questions later", more and more prospective buyers are taking a cautious approach to buying their vacation home.

August 13, 2006 - The New York Times

Arts-Based Planning For Downtown

A New Jersey township that has been a leader in downtown planning is planning to integrate arts-based development into its successful downtown mix.

August 13, 2006 - The Star-Ledger

Cities To Swap Cash For Meeting Housing Requirements

A Bay Area county will be the first in the region to take advantage of a new state law that allows cities to swap meeting state-mandated, affordable housing requirements for cash donations to cities which build affordable housing within same county.

August 13, 2006 - San Francisco Examiner, Peninsula edition

Measuring Quality Of Life In The Treasure Valley Region

A report by Institute for Urban & Regional Planning at Boise State University looks at competitiveness and quality of life of the Treasure Valley.

August 11, 2006 - Boise State University Public Policy Center

New Orleans Short On Planning Staff

Developers are having to wait longer for project approvals, which may slow the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. HUD has denied the city's request to hire more staff using federal money.

August 11, 2006 - New Orleans City Business

Philadelphia's Skyscraper Boom

The recent building spree of high rises in Philadelphia requires more oversight from planners if it is to truly benefit the city, argues one critic.

August 11, 2006 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Property Tax Increases Outstrip Personal Income Growth

Nationwide, the rise of personal property tax bills has nearly doubled as compared to the level of personal income in the years 2000-2004.

August 11, 2006 - The New York Times

New Jersey's 100,000 Unit Housing Plan

To combat housing prices that are increasingly out of reach for low- and middle-income buyers, the state has announced plans to develop 100,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years.

August 10, 2006 - The New York Times

Building A College Town

Mansfield, Connecticut, just doesn't cut it as a "college town," so locals together with the University of Connecticut are creating one.

August 10, 2006 - The New York Times

UK Boosts Housing Development On Brownfields

Government policies have led to over three quarters of new homes in Britain being built on recycled land.

August 9, 2006 - The Guardian Unlimited

Low Density Urban Sprawl And Other Sacred Cows

A high ranking government official takes a critical look at the orthodoxy behind the fight against urban decay in India's cities.

August 9, 2006 - Hindustan Times

The Grassroots Takes On Planning

Ordinary people, not professionals, are doing the planning to rebuild New Orleans.

August 9, 2006 - The New York Times

Promoting Green Space In The Urban Core

The city of Seattle is proposing to change its planning regulations to encourage green vegetation in new urban developments.

August 8, 2006 - Seattle Daily Journal

South Chicago Neighborhood Is New Hot Property

After over a century of being cut off from Lake Michigan, the southeast side is gearing up for the newest, largest development project in years in the sleepy, working-class neighborhood of South Chicago.

August 8, 2006 - Crain's Chicago Business

Is 'Greenprint Denver' Plan Enough?

The mayor of Denver, Colorado, has a plan to make the city more environmentally healthy by setting goals of sustainable development. The authors of this editorial in the Denver Post argue that the mayor's plan doesn't go far enough.

August 8, 2006 - The Denver Post

Don't Fight Against Suburbs, Make Them Better

With the suburban lifestyle clearing entrenched in the American mainstream, planners should stop criticizing suburban living and help address the environmental and societal problems that face the nation's low-density communities.

August 7, 2006 - The Next American City

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.

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.