Urban Development

How Mobile Homes Fill a 'Critical Gap' in Affordable Housing
Cities across America have a housing crisis on their hands—should they be talking more about trailer parks?

10 Great Places to Get High—As in Views of the City
Every U.S. city has high rises, but not all are created for tourists looking for great views. An L.A. County planner describes ten of his favorite towers for lofty views.

Review: Philadelphia's Iconic Love Park Gets a Major Makeover
Architecture Critic Inga Saffron gives a less-than-stellar review of the newly revealed revamp of Philadelphia's Love Park.

Study Predicts the 'Amazon Effect' of HQ2 on Rents
Spoiler alert: the rent will go up in whatever city Amazon chooses for the site of its second headquarters.

800 New Homes Approved for Houston's Floodplain
The city of Houston approved a new development that doesn't meet new elevations standards approved by the city of Houston earlier this month.

Chattanooga to Redevelop City-Owned Properties to Keep Innovation District Momentum
Two underutilized buildings have been proposed as a catalyst for inclusive development in the Edney Innovation District.

Before and After: Behind a Minneapolis Redevelopment Project
In 1997, Milwaukee Road Depot in central Minneapolis was filled with parking lots and little else. Today, it's a mix of shops, housing, offices, and entertainment venues.

Can 'Ocean Cities' Become the Societies of the Future?
Futuristic, eco-friendly cities can be greener and more eco-friendly, thanks to better use of natural resources.

Los Angeles: Focus on Urban Design (Not Just Urban Planning)
By embracing timeless principles of urban placemaking, we can create walkable transit villages and make room for housing at every socioeconomic level. First we have to re-invigorate high quality urban design.

Charlotte Takes a Step Forward on Affordable Housing Promises
The city of Charlotte has a funding gap to make up if it wants to keep its promises about how much affordable housing to build or maintain in the short term.

California Has 8 of the 10 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
Despite ever-stricter air-quality regulations and dropping emissions, the American Lung Association once again finds the state to have some of the worst air in the nation.

Growth Centers on Philadelphia's Downtown, But Poverty Persists Elsewhere
An opinion piece points out the inequities of growth in contemporary Philadelphia.

Four Interest Groups Contributed to the California Transit-Housing Bill's Defeat
Two journalists discuss what led to the defeat of the SB 827, the controversial bill which garnered national attention and lots of in-state opposition from groups that one would think would support the effort to address the state's housing crisis.

How SB 827 'Cleaved the California Environmental Movement'
Even before the bill was defeated, it exposed a major generational divide between anti-development environmentalists and their pro-density, pro-housing heirs.

Public Space Arms Race
Battles for inclusion and exclusion in the life of the city more often end in stand-offs than in skirmishes.

BART's Transit-Oriented Development Bill Sets Disturbing Precedent, Says APA
AB 2923, which would allow the Bay Area Rapid Transit District to rezone their properties near stations for transit-oriented development, passed its first committee. The California chapter of APA objects to the preemption of local land use authority.

Dallas Housing Proposal Aims for Equity, Finally
Not only does the plan promise more affordable housing, it’s also supposed to deliver “access to more upwardly mobile communities."

Friday Eye Candy: Tour New York City in 1911
Witness the public realm of yesteryear.

Mapping the Decline of the New York City Subway
A writer weaves a "decade by decade" story, complete with diagrams, of how not to manage a public transit system.

Nokia Launches $1.5 Billion 'Smart Cities' Initiative in Canada
The new program offers cities access to $2 billion CAD in financing as well as a network of technical support.
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.
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)