Urban Development
Less Paint, More Barriers, Make for Better Urban Cycling
New research from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico sheds light on how to make cities safer for cyclists and other road users and refutes some assumptions about bike safety, such as "safety-in-numbers."
New Zoning Code Aims to Remove Red Tape in Des Moines
The city of Des Moines is hoping to update its zoning code for the first time since 1965.
Soccer Stadium Development Opposition Grows to a Neighborhood-Level Movement
Displacement concerns surrounding stadium plans for the FC Cincinnati Major League Soccer team have grown into a citywide call for development approvals reform.
Evaluating the 2011 'Twitter Tax Break' Along San Francisco's Troubled Market Street
The 2011 "Twitter tax break" was controversial at the time, and remains so to this day. New offices and employees have filled the corridor of Market Street where the tax break is in effect, but massive challenges persist.
Seven Ideas for Tackling the Housing Crisis
One expert's take on the housing crisis and which policy solutions might best counter it.
Op-Ed: SoHo and NoHo Need a Zoning Overhaul
Two SoHo residents argue that outdated zoning holds the Manhattan neighborhoods back, requiring special permits or variances for many current residential and commercial uses.
YIMBYs Leading the Pro-Density Fight
Minneapolis has become an inspiration to other cities about how to successfully challenge NIMBY factions that oppose density and zoning reform.
Water Situation Changes for Sprawling Phoenix-Area Development, Delayed by the Recession
The Phoenix metropolitan area is growing again, but the water supply isn't. Many development plans derailed by the Great Recession won't find it easy to start where they left off.
Using Gas Tax Revenue to Remove Traffic Lanes Adds to Road Diet Debate
Reducing the number of traffic lanes to improve bike and pedestrian safety can be inherently controversial when auto travel times are increased, and it can upset motorists further when they learn gas taxes are funding those safety improvements.
New Urbanism and Jacobs: A Tangled Disconnect
New Urbanism was in part born of the criticisms of 20th century planning principles popularized by Jane Jacobs, but Jacobs infamously derided the new school of thought.
One Response to Gentrification: Banning Bay Windows and Balconies
Neighborhoods in Philadelphia are undergoing rapid, unprecedented change. Proposed legislation would ban the architectural signifiers of that change.
Why New York's Transportation Infrastructure Costs So Much
It's been remarked upon before. Infrastructure in New York City is a cost nightmare compared to other global cities. Accountability is lacking, Josh Barro writes, but MTA also suffers from an "institutional lack of power."
Watch: 'Revitalization Without Gentrification'
Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns sits down for an interview with Derek Avery, "a community-conscious real-estate developer based in Dallas, TX."
Does Oakland Have a Future as a Public City?
The city is experiencing significant growth and development, but it has a complicated history of booms and lags and its civic future is uncertain.
Zoning Changes Would Mean More Granny Flats and Fewer McMansions in Seattle
Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?
Research: Financial Practices Partly Responsible for the Rental Affordability Crisis
Zoning and the economy aren't the only factors in neighborhood change—financial regulations and policies, sometimes seemingly unrelated, also have an effect.
Public Drinking Could Be Allowed in Another City Not Named Las Vegas or New Orleans
Covington, Kentucky, located across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, is considering a new entertainment district that would allow drinkers to carry open alcoholic beverages in public during special events.
Nighthawks No More: N.Y.C. Diners Face an Uncertain Future
Diners are part of social and cultural landscape of New York City, but many are closing as owners contend with increasing development pressures.
Nevertheless, the Youthful Preference for Urban Living Persisted
A forthcoming study, to be published by the Journal of Regional Science, finds the urban preferences of younger generations growing over the past three decades.
Creating Suburban Exclusivity in the City
City life is being sold as a convenient version of the suburbs, with similar amenities minus the time-consuming commute.
Pagination
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority