Urban Development

Carlos Correa

Friday Funny: Zoning Provides Nationals Fans With Another Bragging Point Over Astros Fans

The worlds of baseball and zoning collide again.

November 1, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

West Sacramento Bridge District

Tax Increment Financing, Explained

CityLab University explains a controversial and misunderstood funding mechanism.

October 31, 2019 - CityLab

Toronto Waterfront

Sidewalk Labs' 'Smart Cities' Experiment in Toronto Scaled Way Back

From 190 acres to 12 acres, that's the reduction in scale announced this week by representatives of Sidewalk Labs of its plan for Quayside on the waterfront in Toronto.

October 31, 2019 - The Guardian

Washington

Luxury Condos, Not Luxury Single-Family Homes, Take the Blame in the Affordability Debate

An article in The Urbanist suggests the ire over new developments is misplaced.

October 31, 2019 - The Urbanist

Lower Manhattan and the Hudson River

Mapping the Geography of Jobs and Around New York City

The geography of work in New York City must include an analysis of the larger region, according to a new report from the New York City Department of City Planning.

October 31, 2019 - NYC Planning

Willis Tower and John Hancock

The 50 Most Influential Tall Buildings of the Last 50 Years

Sure to stir controversy, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has compiled a list of the 50 most influential tall buildings of the last 50 years.

October 31, 2019 - Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

Street Vendors

Food Cart Vendors Struggle to Keep a Foothold Around Philly Development

Food cart vendors are fighting for their livelihood in a neighborhood in Philadelphia, against the long legislative reach of a local developer.

October 30, 2019 - WHYY

Paradise, California

Poll: The Public Supports Development Limits in California's Wildfire Areas

An idea that is gaining support with the public as the state of California suffers through catastrophic fire season after catastrophic fire season is still a deeply difficult political proposition.

October 30, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Senior Mobility

Report: Urban Planning and Design Neglecting the Needs of Seniors

Many cities aren't planning and designing for their aging residents, despite a world full of examples to model from, according to a new report from the Milliken Institute.

October 30, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Baltimore Vacancy

Demolitions Can't Keep Pace With Vacancies in Baltimore

As the city of Baltimore grapples with a declining population, it faces obstinate challenges in controlling the problems associated with vacant buildings, including the "vicious cycle" of vacancies causing more vacancies.

October 29, 2019 - The Washington Post

City Hall

Cities Report Declining Revenues

The annual "City Fiscal Conditions" report by the National League of Cities delivers a warning signal about the state of the economy.

October 29, 2019 - Route Fifty

Passive House

What if the Greenest Building Isn't the One Already Standing?

Renovating old buildings instead of demolishing them as the better "green" option is preservation orthodoxy. But what if the decision between renovation and demolition is less than clear-cut?

October 29, 2019 - Treehugger

Air Force One

Updated Designs for Obama Presidential Center Revealed

According to the architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune, the Obama Presidential Center is still falling short of the iconic status that can serve as a landmark for the South Side of Chicago.

October 29, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

City Planners

Are Urban Planning Jobs Safe From Automation?

A dive into the concepts and methodologies producing current academic research into the effect of automation of jobs in the urban planning field.

October 29, 2019 - Kayla Matthews

Charlotte Light Rail

A New 26-Mile Light Rail Line Considered for Charlotte

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) would like to add an ambitious, expensive project to its capital investment plans, but funding the project is more daunting than the last time the system expanded.

October 28, 2019 - The Charlotte Observer

Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge

Mapping Scientology's Expanding Footprint in Clearwater, Florida

The Tampa Bay Times has published the results of an ambitious investigation, complete with an interactive feature that documents the rise of the Church of Scientology as the predominant landowner in Clearwater, Florida.

October 28, 2019 - Tampa Bay Times

Mayo Clinic

Bus Rapid Transit Chosen for Big Mayo Clinic-Adjacent Economic Development Program

Rochester, the third-most-populous city in Minnesota and birthplace of the Mayo Clinic, has approved a plan to build bus rapid transit.

October 28, 2019 - KTTC

San Bernardino Skyline

Opinion: Regional Planning Fails the Needs of Southern California's Housing Crisis

The director of a leading "Yes In My Backyard" (YIMBY) organization in Southern California questions the effectiveness of a Regional Housing Needs Assessment methodology recently published by the Southern California Association of Governments.

October 28, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Moving Truck

The Demographics of Leaving California

The state is seeing an outmigration of residents moving to more affordable places, but it isn’t just wealthy retirees leaving the Golden State.

October 28, 2019 - Curbed

Missori

City to Resident: You Can Tear Your House Down But You Can't Build a New One

The curious case of Cynthia Dunne in Ladue, Missouri, who was permitted by the city to tear down her house, and then subsequently informed that a lack of water pressure prohibited building a new one.

October 28, 2019 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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.