Urban Development

Walkable Waterfront Takes Shape on the Schuylkill River Near Philadelphia
The Pencoyd Landing development is focused on providing access to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users in the neighborhood of Lower Merion Township, across the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia.

Strong Demand in the First Month of Chicago's Coach House Pilot Program
The first month of a three-year pilot program that legalizes the construction and conversion of coach houses—a local form of accessory dwelling unit—is responding to strong demand in Chicago.

Manhattan Residents Cling to Public Space Amid NYPD Crackdowns
The city's police has begun issuing citations and implementing curfews in public parks that became oases of social activity during the pandemic.

Answers to 12 Questions About California Assembly Bill 1401
Assembly Bill 1401, one of the most closely-watched land use bills in the California State legislature this year, would remove parking requirements in "High Quality Transit Areas" statewide.

U.S. Home Construction Costs Are Higher Than Ever
With demand soaring and materials in short supply, the cost of building a home has risen sharply in the last year.

Inglewood Set to Rezone Neighborhoods Near New Transit Lines
Plans for the area include thousands of new housing units, public parks, and improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Supportive Housing Bridging Venice Canals Granted Planning Commission Approval in L.A.
The mixed-use Reese Davidson Community will include 140 housing units, commercial space, and a performance space.

Miami Residents Resist the Idea of a 20-Foot Seawall
As climate change accelerates sea level rise and flooding in South Florida, locals hope to mitigate the impacts with less dramatic interventions.

How Some Main Street Businesses Survived the Pandemic
Despite the economic blow dealt by last year's lockdowns, business districts in smaller cities like Wilkes-Barre managed to weather the crisis.

An Experiment in Civic Activism Aims to Transform Planning
A pioneering architect in Newcastle, U.K. tries to open planning to the people with a new "urban room" for community engagement.

Nantucket Residents Pass on More Stringent Regulation of Short-Term Rentals
A recent Nantucket Town Meeting resolved a long-simmering controversy regarding short-term rentals.

Columnist: New York City Needs Economic Recovery Strategies Other Than Gentrification
It's a tale of two cities as New York starts to emerge from the pandemic.

What Is Regional Planning?
Regional planning addresses planning issues that cross local jurisdictional boundaries, like transportation or watershed protection. In other examples, regional planning offers a holistic approach to the interconnected systems and dynamics that shape physical and cultural landscapes.

L.A. Planners Working to Shift Affordable Housing Distribution for More Equitable Results
Almost all the affordable housing development in L.A. in the past decade has occurred in majority-minority neighborhoods. The L.A. Department of City Planning is looking for ways to make sure high-income areas do more of their fair share.

Unsustainable Sprawl Testing Water Supplies in the Valley of the Sun
As more and more people move to the suburbs blossoming in the Phoenix metro area, local water officials are increasingly concerned about the region's ability to keep up with demand.

How Much Land Is Lost to Wide Streets?
New research assesses the land value of street space in 20 of the largest counties in the United States.

The Pretext Problem: The Pitfalls of Planning While Bargaining
Lots of planning is discretionary. Cities and developers negotiate what builders will do for cities in exchange for the right to build, creating an incentive for bad rules, eroding the public's faith in zoning, and enabling political corruption.

The Future of Downtowns Still Hangs in the Balance
Center City in Philadelphia offers a case study for one of the largest and potentially most consequential contingencies of the pandemic: What happens to downtowns is most workers never come back to the office?

How Legacy Cities Can Support Equitable Development
A new report outlines seven strategies for balancing economic development and equity specifically aimed at smaller, post-industrial cities.

L.A. Metro Denounces—but Doesn't Scrap—710 Freeway Expansion Plan
The agency's board members spoke out forcefully against air pollution and displacement, but stopped short of completely rejecting the project, looking instead to cleaner vehicles and regulations that mitigate community concerns.
Pagination
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)