Urban Development

Zoning Change Could Produce a Skyline Change in Denver
The owner of three centrally located parking lots in Denver is seeking a zoning change that would leverage affordable housing for free future development from height restrictions.

Chicago's Tallest Office Building Since 1990 Cracks the Top 20 Tallest in the City
The Bank of America Tower is the newest skyscraper to line the Chicago River.

Food Forests Bear Fruit in the Atlanta Region
The Atlanta suburb of Lilburn is the latest city to plant fruit trees for the purpose of feeding the public.

Census Tract Changes Could Expand Opportunity Zones
Tract boundary revisions for the 2020 Census could mean new opportunity zone designations as well.

Lyft App Offers Multimodal Travel Information
The app is expanding to include information about public transit and micromobility options as part of Lyft’s goal to make travel easier.

Code Score: A New Aid for Aligning Policy and Vision With Outcomes
A compendium of benefits of walkable urban places, put together by Hazel Borys and Kaid Benfield.

Household Sizes Growing in the U.S. for the First Time in 160 Years
This decade is likely to produce demographic news that will shock anyone born after 1850.

Affordable Housing Losing Ground in New Orleans
For the second year in a row, New Orleans is losing more affordable housing than it is creating, according to a recent report published by HousingNOLA.

Gentrification and Displacement in One of Miami's Most Vulnerable Neighborhoods
The Miami Herald is running a series of articles to explore the regional housing crisis. The latest in the series focuses on gentrification and displacement in the Little Haiti neighborhood.

L.A.'s Strategy for 'Safe, Mobile, and Sustainable' Streets
Streets LA General Manager Adel Hagekhalil lays out his priorities and plans for transforming Los Angeles into a system of world-class streets.

Lincoln Common, a 1.1-Million-Square-Foot Development, Takes Shape in Chicago
A massive new development in Chicago's Lincoln Park is taking shape, and the local architecture critic has offered a positive review of the final product.

The Past and Future of Pedestrian Malls
Pedestrian malls, a common urban design goal of the 1960s and 1970s have so fallen out of fashion that failed examples from history are cited as boogeyman like "bridges to nowhere" and "big digs."

The Radical Remaking of a New York Street Launches This Week
The 14th Street Busway will make its debut on Thursday of this week. Cars will be prohibited from the street and buses will gain newfound freedom, in a model that duplicates other efforts in Europe and Canada.

Boston's Zoning Board Called Out for Conflicts of Interest
The Boston Globe reports on reasons to suspect more conflicts of interest than there appears on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal.

L.A. River Restoration Challenged by Gentrification, Environmental Concerns
A massive effort to restore the Los Angeles River to more public access and open space amentias continues to raise the specter of gentrification in neighborhoods already feeling the pressure of the housing market.

I-5 Freeway Lid Plans Take Step Forward
A plan to build a cap over Interstate 5 in Downtown Seattle has taken a small but significant step forward.

Three Studies That Show Density Doesn't Determine Car Travel
Thirty years after a seminal study attempted to connect increased density with decreased automobile use, several new studies are raising doubts about that central assumption of contemporary planning.

Three Years of New York's Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program
One of the more aggressive inclusionary zoning programs in the country has been in place long enough to evaluate for lessons regarding the effectiveness of the controversial affordable housing development tool.

What's Hindering Regional Transportation in the U.S.?
Public transportation that serves regional areas makes sense, but the United States has been slow to pursue strategies and policies that foster these types of systems.
2004 Rezoning Didn't Predict the Wave of Residential Development in Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is New York City's third-largest central business district, and a 2004 rezoning was meant to increase the commercial footprint in the area. Instead there's been more residential development than planners anticipated.
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)