Urban Development

North Carolina State Capital

New Mayor in Raleigh Calls for an Affordable Housing 'Moon Shot'

There's a necessity for Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin's affordable housing ambition: average rents are rising faster than the national average in the North Carolina city.

December 15, 2019 - The Raleigh News & Observer

Lisbon, Portugal

What Can Brain Science Tell Us About Cities?

Cities are not unlike brains in their capacity to evolve along complex, self-organizing patterns. Studying what some researchers call the "urban connectome" may give us insight into how best to organize the places where we live.

December 15, 2019 - CNU Public Square

Toronto Towers

Op-Ed: What Can Be Done About Toronto's Drabness?

After decades of "just-good-enough when it comes to design," now may be the time for Toronto to take steps to upgrade its aesthetics.

December 14, 2019 - The Toronto Star

Duluth

Duluth to Provide Free Land for Creative Housing Proposals

To address its housing shortage, the city of Duluth is giving away free parcels of land to developers with viable proposals for low-cost housing.

December 13, 2019 - Next City

Philadelphia City Hall

Building Energy Efficiency Program Approved in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has renewed its efforts to improve energy efficiency in non-residential building to contribute to its Paris Climate Agreement commitment.

December 13, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Mountain View, California

First Safe Parking Lot for the Homeless Opens in San Francisco

With more than 1,700 people living out of vehicles on the streets of San Francisco, the city is in the process of opening a new safe parking facility that woll allow 30 vehicles to park for up to 90 days.

December 12, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rendering

How Peoria Is Putting Green Infrastructure to Work

Peoria's new stormwater farm takes the pressure off its outdated combined sewer system. It's part of a larger effort by the city to align green infrastructure with social equity goals.

December 12, 2019 - Next City

Los Angeles Architects

L.A. Architects Demonstrate Livable, Affordable, Scalable Density

Architects Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa discuss their new exhibit and the challenges to planning and building affordable, livable density in Southern California today.

December 12, 2019 - The Planning Report

Utah

Great Salt Lake, Shrinking From Water Diversions for New Development, Spreads Dust Around Utah

New research is quantifying the environmental consequences of land use patterns and water diversions in Northern Utah.

December 12, 2019 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Hartford, Connecticut

Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: 'Erecting Pockets of Poverty'

The state of Connecticut deploys almost all of its federal housing funding in impoverished communities, according to this bombshell investigatory report.

December 11, 2019 - ProPublica

Highway 101 California

Planning for Infill Growth Doesn't Guarantee Development: a Case Study

The city of Santa Rosa has made a concerted effort to plan for new development, but projects have yet to materialize.

December 11, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Boise Idaho

Development Backlash Follows Population and Job Growth in Western States

As housing prices rise all over the country, quickly growing states like Colorado, Idaho, and Utah are transforming in ways some residents didn't anticipate or desire. Such circumstances are a breeding ground for anti-development politics.

December 11, 2019 - Pew Stateline

Housing Construction

'HousingTO' Action Plan Calls for 40,000 Affordable Units in Ten Years

Questions about how Toronto will fund Mayor John Tory's ambitious affordable housing plan will be answered by the provincial and national governments.

December 11, 2019 - The Star

Wisconsin State Capital

'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.

December 10, 2019 - Brookings

Seattle

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.

December 10, 2019 - The Urbanist

Jane Jacobs

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."

December 10, 2019 - The Nib

New York Street Parking

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?

December 10, 2019 - Bloomberg Opinion

gaslamp Quarter

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.

December 9, 2019 - Voice of San Diego

New Orleans, Louisiana

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.

December 9, 2019 - Next City

Brooklyn

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.

December 8, 2019 - Curbed New York

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.