Urban Development

'Growth Centers' for a More Even Distribution of Tech Industry Growth
A few regions have hoarded the growth of the tech innovation economy. A Brookings paper argues that Congress can help distribute tech innovation in growth centers around the Heartland of the United States.

Seattle Councilmember Calls for Transit-Oriented Density
Seattle Councilmember Abel Pacheco writes on opinion piece for The Urbanist to make the case for transit-oriented density on The Ave in the city's University District.

Comic Illustrates the Capitalist Co-option of Jane Jacobs's Teachings
A new illustrate comic strip published by the Nib examines "Jane Jacobs vs. The Power Brokers."

The N.Y.C. Free Parking Giveaway Needs to Stop
Free street parking in much of New York City means lost revenue, but it also affects the urban landscape and the quality of people’s lives. So how much is all that street space really worth?

San Diego Could Eliminate Height Limits Near Transit
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is following up on an idea first pitched during a State of the City address, but with a few teaks.

Public Art and Resilience Planning
A neighborhood in New Orleans, badly damaged after Hurricane Katrina, is providing a test bed for an innovative new approach to urban planning.

Report: 'Racialized Displacement' Followed Rezonings in New York City
The rezonings in question occurred during the Bloomberg administration, but advocates are seizing on the relevance of that experience to the rezonings of the de Blasio administration.

Homebuilders Aren't Keeping Pace With Millennial Demand
Places with a lot of Millennials are building homes, just not enough to keep pace with the large number of Millennials coming of homebuying age.

'Gentle Density' to Save Neighborhoods
Cities looking to follow Minneapolis's lead in overturning the status quo of exclusionary zoning should consider "gentle density," according to this article.

The High Cost of Sprawl
Low density sprawl stretches the tax dollars of every resident. That fact could be used to support plans for more infill density, according to this article set in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Sea-Level Rise Report: Bad News for South Florida
A climate change conference in Southeast Florida this week delivers bad news for communities on the coast in South Florida and in the Florida Keys. Some of those communities won't be saved as the receipts for climate change come in.

Water Concerns Follow New Development in Montana
Sprawling subdivision development in Montana is popping up in former agricultural land, pressuring water resources and leading to some legal controversy.

Google Continues to Expand in San Jose
Google has laid the foundation for four large, and distinct, employment centers in just one city of the South Bay Area.

Updated: Requiring Space for Homeless in New Development
The Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission has proposed a truly radical development requirement for private developments in the city's downtown: spaces for the homeless.
A Relatively Unknown Corner of Manhattan Faces Planning Controversy
Manhattan Valley has seen little development, but an influx of young families, new restaurants, and a community-driven planning effort are stirring the pot.

Canadian Suburb Sets Sights on 'Mobility Orbit'
The town of Innsifil, Ontario, located to the north of Toronto, has approved a truly ambitious, futurists vision for its future, centered around public transit and called "Mobility Orbit."

Pontiac, Comeback City
Employment in Pontiac has risen 14.2 percent since 2010, the city is fiscally sound, and development investments continue.

An Incremental Upzoning Approved in Tacoma
Though it stops well short of a citywide upzoning, the city of Tacoma has still expanded its planned development envelope by upzoning residential neighborhoods around the city.

'Heirs Property' Could Help More Black People Enter the Homebuying Market
There's an estimated $34 billion in property stuck in legal limbo in Georgia, and some, like the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, think it should be leveraged for social equity.

Trading Highways for Homes
More and more, cities are seeing little-used highways as a chance to reverse the planning decisions of the 20th century and provide more housing and economic opportunities.
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)