Urban Development

Gentrify Occupy

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."

May 31, 2019 - Strong Towns

Oakland Architecture in Music Video

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.

May 30, 2019 - Places Journal

McMAnsion

Zoning Changes Would Mean More Granny Flats and Fewer McMansions in Seattle

Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?

May 30, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Building Trades

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.

May 30, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Summer

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.

May 29, 2019 - The River City News

New York Diner

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.

May 29, 2019 - The New York Times

Nightlife in Tel Aviv

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.

May 29, 2019 - CityLab

New York City Rooftop

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.

May 28, 2019 - The New York Times

Mobile Parks and Recreation Fill a Need

Several cities are using mobile park and recreation services to augment existing parks and fill gaps in parks. LA County parks planner Clement Lau describes a sampling of mobile programs.

May 28, 2019 - UrbDeZine

Thailand

New on Netflix: How Street Vendors Create Vibrant Cities

Street vending has been a contentious issue in many places, but this part of the informal economy is important to the social and economic well-being of cities.

May 28, 2019 - CityLab

Connecticut

How Wealthy Suburbs Block Outsiders From Economic Opportunity

Exclusionary zoning and land use tactics have a long history in the United States, retaining startling relevance in contemporary times. A deep investigation into Connecticut land use politics reveals just how entrenched these practices are.

May 28, 2019 - ProPublica

Los Angeles

What Do Cities With Fewer Cars Have in Common?

A new analysis looks at how income and population density are related to car ownership and some ways that the design of cities can help lessen car dependence.

May 28, 2019 - Slate

Old Skool

An Urban, Technologically Enabled Era of Retirement

A feature article in Marketwatch describes a future for retirement communities that look more like WeWork than the golf course-adjacent exurban communities of the 20th century.

May 28, 2019 - Marketwatch

Cattle Drive

Stampede of New Residents Challenges Fort Worth

An interview with Fort Worth Planning and Development Director Randle Harwood on the planning practices and ideas driving the future of one of the nation's fastest growing cities.

May 27, 2019 - Josh Stephens

Hollywood Sign

Report: Ballot Measure Intended to Spur Affordable Development Had the Opposite Effect in L.A.

L.A. voters approved Measure JJJ in 2016 in the hopes of encouraging more affordable housing as a trade-off for discretionary approval. The result has been no development at all.

May 27, 2019 - Urbanize LA

Toronto Construction

Inclusionary Zoning Now a Subject of the Toronto-Ontario Spat

Ontario and Toronto keep finding ways to disagree.

May 27, 2019 - The Star

City Hall

State of the Cities 2019

The National League of Cities has released their annual analysis of the top issues mayors are talking about in the United States.

May 27, 2019 - CityLab

11th Street and Park Road

D.C. Attempts to Save Local Dog Park

Residents of Columbia Heights in Washington, D.C. have been using property owned by D.C. Metro as a dog park. The District might buy the land to ensure it stays that way.

May 26, 2019 - The Washington Post

Ivy Covered Green Building

15 Cities Receive Grant Support LEED for Cities and Communities Program

The LEED for Cities and Communities grant program will support the first 15 cities to seek certification under LEED v4.1

May 25, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Fire Escape

Rent Control for New York City Could Spillover Effect to the Rest of the State

The housing crisis isn't the same in every corner of New York State, but new rent control measures in the state legislature could apply solutions intended for the New York City rental market to the entire state.

May 25, 2019 - The Buffalo News

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.