Urban Development

Single-Family Housing Development

Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2019

A few ideas about what to watch in the world of planning in 2019. We only use the word Trump once.

January 14, 2019 - James Brasuell

Bank Owned

From Vacant Property to Affordable Housing Development

The city of St. Petersburg provides a model for transforming blight to a blessing.

January 13, 2019 - Governing

Short-Term Rentals

Judge Sets Back NYC's Attempt to Grab Airbnb's Data

A 2018 law required Airbnb to share the names and addresses of hosts in the New York City. A judge ruled that the mandate violates the 4th Amendment.

January 13, 2019 - Daily News

Downtown Highway

Smart Cities, at What Cost?

Kansas City, Missouri, wants to be a smart cities leader, but it also needs to address concerns about data collection and privacy, say critics.

January 10, 2019 - The New York Times

St. Paul Minnesota

Affordable Housing Advocacy Efforts Taking Root in St. Paul

St. Paul, Minnesota, is working on its comprehensive plan, and advocates want to see upzoning changes similar to what happened in Minneapolis.

January 10, 2019 - Star Tribune

University of Illinois-Chicago

University of Illinois-Chicago Campus to Receive Makeover

UIC has laid out a master plan to rework "nearly every corner" of its campus. The goal is to accommodate more students and enhance the school's pride and identity.

January 10, 2019 - Chicago Sun-Times

Pennsylvania

Philly's New Tallest Tower Earns Positive Reviews

The first building in Philadelphia to surpass 1,000 feet is now the tenth tallest building in the country. Here's what local media is writing about the Comcast Technology Center.

January 10, 2019 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Manitoba

Infill Development Still a Tricky Proposition

Impact fess, also known as growth fees, are creating controversy in the Canadian city of Winnpeg, even as the city prepares new infill development guidelines to quell development controversies in older neighborhoods.

January 10, 2019 - CBC

Philadelphia Rowhouses

Philadelphia Unlikely to Follow Minneapolis' Lead in Zoning Reform

Minneapolis is setting a bold example by ending single-family zoning, but chances are a similar change won’t be coming to Philadelphia.

January 9, 2019 - PlanPhilly

Housing Construction

Denver Condo Project Aims for 'Permanent Affordability'

More often the province of rental housing, affordability policies are limited in the for-sale market. A partnership in Denver aims to change that with a mixed-use project including at least 86 condos destined to be "permanently affordable."

January 9, 2019 - Next City

Pike & Rose Bethesda Maryland

Experiences Designed Into Suburban Developments

Live music, skating rinks, and artificial beaches are now part of developments that want to go beyond just simple shopping and dining.

January 9, 2019 - The Washington Post

Atlanta

Tax Deal Paves Way for Atlanta's Gulch Mega-Project

The city of Atlanta approved its largest development project since the 1960s back in November, but still needed the school district to sign off on a funding plan to help for the $1.9 billion in public subsidies that will support the project.

January 9, 2019 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Trash Can

Nudging People to Keep Cities Clean

Philadelphia looked at how interventions can change recycling and littering behavior.

January 8, 2019 - Apolitical

San Francisco Construction

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.

January 8, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

empty parking lot of Eastvale, California's best buy and kohl's, mountains in background

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.

January 8, 2019 - Streetsblog California

Seattle, Washington

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.

January 7, 2019 - Crosscut

Manhattan, New York City, New York

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?

January 7, 2019 - Fanis Grammenos

Complete Street

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.

January 7, 2019 - Todd Litman

Modern Apartment Building

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.

January 6, 2019 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Chattahoochee River

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.

January 4, 2019 - Saporta Report

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.