Urban Development

Nudging People to Keep Cities Clean
Philadelphia looked at how interventions can change recycling and littering behavior.

San Francisco Home Construction Expected to Slump This Year
Due to various market and industry factors, developers are not planning to start many new construction projects in 2019.

A New Day for the California Environmental Quality Act
The California Natural Resources Agency posted the final version of amendments to the California Environmental Quality Act, enabled by 2013's SB 743, at the end of 2018.

Tax Deal Clears the Way for Seattle's Grand Waterfront Park Plans
A proposed waterfront plan has secured the necessary funding to move forward in Seattle, pending City Council approval.

Birds of Passage: Quantifying Jacobs's Gloom
While the debate continues unabated on the influence of the physical and land use characteristics of a city on crime, a critical aspect is left out: resident transience. Jacobs took notice and feared its negative influence. Was she right?

Toward More Comprehensive Multi-Modal Transport Planning
Transportation planning is undergoing a paradigm shift. The new paradigm is more multi-modal and comprehensive, and so can better respond to changing travel demands and emerging community needs.

Assessing Feasibility Studies for Inclusionary Zoning
Cities use the studies to inform decisions about inclusionary housing programs. But a closer look shows that there is great variation in the methods and metrics, with no one correct approach for every situation.

Master Plan Strives for a 'Seamless' Chattahoochee River for the Atlanta Region
A comprehensive study to revitalize the Atlanta regional waterfront, dubbed the Chattahoochee RiverLands project, is now underway.

End of Seattle Freeway and Tunnel Is a Green Opportunity
A community initiative says demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and closure of the Battery Street Tunnel offer a chance to turn a series of green infrastructure ideas into reality.

Ontario May Strip Protections from Toronto Greenbelt
A proposed bill would open nearly 2 million acres of protected land to commercial and industrial development.

LA Times: Poor Planning Sealed Paradise's Fate
The planning history of Paradise, California is blamed for the destruction of the city in the Camp Fire. Can planners find new models for both limiting carbon emissions and preparing for the effects of climate change?

Legislation Would Loosen Zoning for TOD and ADUs, Require Housing Plans From Cities in Utah
State preemption, in the form major zoning reforms and mandates for local housing targets, are on the table in the Utah Legislature this year.

Seattle Releases RFP for Lid I-5 Study
The plan to top I-5 in Seattle with a cap park—what writer Natalie Bicknell calls "the most ambitious effort in our region"—is moving ahead with a $1.5 million feasibility study.

Apple Is Going Suburban Rather Than Urban in Austin
Apple has plans to build a new campus and expand its Texas workforce. The decision to expand to an Austin suburb points to both regional and national trends and outcomes.

The Data-Driven Plan to Cool Down Dallas
Dallas's resiliency plan analyzed the best ways to combat heat in every neighborhood.

Level of Service Reform Takes Step Forward in Seattle
The city of Seattle is making more room for alternative transportation modes in its level of service calculations.

Bikeshare Startup Ofo’s Future Is Looking Dim. What Went Wrong?
The Chinese company seemed to be dominating its corner of the shared mobility market—until its dramatic downfall.

San Francisco-ization, a City's Biggest Nightmare
Cities spend a lot of time and energy pointing to examples of what they don’t want to become.

On Different Ways to See a Place
Looking forward to 2019, Chuck Wolfe reflects on how time living in London—and exposure to many other places during 2018— has highlighted how the physical shell of the old often frames today's sociocultural realities around the world.

Displacement Controversy Arrives in SeaTac
Controversy surrounds a development deal in the city of SeaTac, after the city made a $15.5 million development deal that could displace a local business community powered by immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)