Urban Development
Residence in Chicago's TODs Come With a Major Caveat: No Parking Permits
One big idea behind transit oriented residential developments is that residents will be liberated from their cars. New developments in Chicago are making sure residents won't be parking on streets to get the best of both worlds.
Explained: The Many Definitions of Rural
Wisconsin provides a case study in the varied methods for defining rural, and why that matters. "Rural is not simple to define, perhaps because the real question is rural for what purpose?"
RFK Memorial and Redevelopment Plan Proposed for Old Stadium Site
RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. lost its last tenant in late 2015, and now D.C. leaders have a new plan for the site.
New Report Plans Toronto at Kid Scale
Toronto has released draft urban design guidelines that put families with children at the center of the city.
Sign of the Times: Developers Deconverting Condos Back to Apartments in Chicago
In the 1970s and 1980s, condo conversions were all the rage in Chicago. In 2017, however, developers are scooping up multi-family buildings en masse and "deconverting" condo units into apartments.
Infill Comes to Atlanta's Single-Family Neighborhoods
The Atlanta metropolitan area is facing an estimated 2.5 million new residents by 2040. Some current residents are surprised at some of the neighborhoods accommodating that growth.
Mayor Duggan Lays Out Eight Principles for Detroit's Redevelopment
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made a splash this week by pronouncing a vision to create a Detroit that is 'one city for all of us.'
Commercial Developers Favoring Transit Access
While the debates around transit-oriented residential development continue, commercial TOD is picking up speed. Offices with nearby transited to fetch much higher rents than their car-only counterparts.
Learning from New York
"Manhattanization," a pejorative term coined in San Francisco half a century ago by opponents of tall buildings, needs to be rethought, writes San Francisco Chronicle's Native Son columnist, Carl Nolte, upon return from a weekend trip to New York.
Only High Cost Premiums Can Make Urban Farming Pencil Out
Throwing cold water on the latest "techno-optimism" for indoor, urban agriculture.
Fixation On City Skylines Detracts From City Streets
City life happens at street level. But some of our most iconic images of cities are focused hundreds, or even thousands, of feet in the air. Our streetscapes are the worse off for it.
Beuvron-en-Auge: 15th Century Town Planning Stands the Test of Time
Another reason European placemaking has North American applications: it wasn't always perfect. Hazel Borys looks to simple town planning lessons from a village in Normandy.
Saving Lives: Including Sidewalk Bollards in Street Design
Countless lives were likely saved by a strategically placed bollard on W. 45th Ave. which stopped a motorist who had driven three blocks on city sidewalks, mowing-down as many pedestrians as possible, from entering the Times Square pedestrian plaza.
Who's To Blame For Gentrification?
Journalist Peter Markowitz has written a provocative, and profoundly disingenuous, analysis of the causes and effects of gentrification in American cities. He sows division at a time that requires collaboration, writes Josh Stephens.
Canada's Growth Trending Toward the Suburban
According to this opinion piece, the tales of urbanizing Canada are overblown. "We're a suburban nation," says one of the sources quoted in the article.
To Save New Urbanism From #MAGA, it's Time to Get Political
An opinion piece acknowledges the similarities between the nostalgia of New Urbanism and the "Make American Great Again" sentiment behind Trump's rise to power. New Urbanism has a chance, still, to change its path.
Progressives Against Housing
In Zoned Out!, Tom Angotti, of City University New York (CUNY) tries to make the case against upzoning New York's neighborhoods (or at least its poorer ones).
A New Mall in Texas Counts on Customers from Mexico
The Outlet Shoppes mall in Laredo opened in March and has done brisk business since—including cash transactions that are likely indication of spending from Mexican residents from across the border.
Santa Monica Proposing Balanced Approach With Downtown Plan
After residents soundly defeated the anti-growth Measure LV in November, city officials are still trying to propose a plan that addresses the traffic and livability concerns that led to the initiative being placed on the ballot.
Detroit Making its Streets 'Sticky'
The word "sticky" when applied to the urban design context has come to mean attractive and comfortable—the kind of place that makes people want to stay away and make return visits. Detroit is the latest city to experiment with the concept.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Portland
City of Laramie
