Urban Development

Architect Declares the End of Micro-Housing in Seattle

Though housing advocates consider micro-housing units a helpful tool in keeping housing affordable, the city of Seattle has nonetheless produced a series of regulations making such projects harder and harder to build.

July 24, 2016 - Neiman Taber

Tax Increment Financing Key to Redevelopment of Former Chrysler Plant in St. Louis County

A logistics park in Fenton, expected to attract $382 million in investment, will move forward with $50 million in tax increment financing.

July 23, 2016 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Los Angeles 1910

Friday Eye Candy: Tour Downtown L.A. Before Urban Renewal

The New Yorker has produced a video comparing the streets of Downtown Los Angeles on either side of a 70-year span of history.

July 22, 2016 - The New Yorker

How Will L.A.'s New Inglewood Football Stadium Revitalize South Los Angeles?

The Los Angeles Rams COO details both the stadium's sustainable design and the positive impact the privately funded complex will have on Southern California.

July 22, 2016 - The Planning Report

The Part of Cleveland You Didn't See During the Republican Convention

WBUR's Here & Now ventures outside the Quicken Loans Arena to see a distressed part of the city and region, similar to parts of Detroit and Flint. Residents want abandoned homes demolished. Take the audio driving tour of East Cleveland.

July 22, 2016 - Here & Now

Construction

A Portrait of the Nation's Inclusionary Zoning Policies

The number of inclusionary zoning programs is growing quickly around the country. A recent study by the National Housing Conference takes stock of this prominent affordable housing tool.

July 21, 2016 - American Planning Association

Reimagining LA

Study: Bureaucracy Restricts Housing Supply

A recent study by Trulia concentrates on elasticity (i.e., the rate at which housing stock grows, relative to demand), and arrives at the conclusion that bureaucracy, not regulation, is responsible for rising housing prices.

July 21, 2016 - Trulia

Stockton Foreclosure

Study: Land Use Regulation Restricts Housing Supply

A new paper studies the impacts both of specific land use regulations and land use regulations in the aggregate.

July 21, 2016 - Market Urbanism

Barcelona's Answer to a Car-Centric City: Superblocks

Barcelona wants to be the world’s best city for people. To reclaim the public space and community living that residents lost to cars over the last century, the city is transforming mobility and access to public space by introducing the superblock.

July 21, 2016 - Cities of the Future

C&O Canal

A Case Study of Rural Gentrification

Concepts like erasure, greenfield development, and easements figure into this story about a rural community on the fringes of suburban development in Maryland's Montgomery County.

July 21, 2016 - National Council on Public History

New York City Greenwich

Fallout Over Expired Tax Abatement Program Grows in New York City

When the state allowed the 421-a tax abatement program to expire in January, the city of New York lost a key tool for development in the city. Now scuttled developments are blaming their demise on the lack of 421-a.

July 21, 2016 - DNAInfo

How to Develop a 'World Class Waterfront': a Letter to the San Diego Unified Port District

Downtown San Diego’s waterfront is undergoing major changes. Regarding the latest proposal, the San Diego Environment + Design Council has some words of advice in this open letter to the Port District.

July 20, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Centennial Olympic Park

20 Years Later: the Redevelopment Legacy of the Atlanta Olympics

It's been 20 years since the city of Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics. The city's National Public Radio station is exploring the legacy of the games.

July 20, 2016 - WABE

Seattle

Reports See Continued Job Growth, Demand for Tech Office Space

A recent spate of reports has examined the up-and-down U.S. economy and predicted the need for more office space to fuel the growing workforce.

July 19, 2016 - National Real Estate Investor

Community Engagement Book

The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up

Dave Biggs interviews author James Hoggan about his new book, "I'm Right and You're An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up."

July 19, 2016 - Dave Biggs

Which Came First: the Road Diet or the Reinvestment?

According to a recent article in Urban Milwaukee, plans for a road diet have preceded a wave of reinvestment in the Walker's Point neighborhood.

July 19, 2016 - Urban Milwaukee

Disneyland, Main Street

Urban Taxidermy: When Authenticity and Artificiality Collide

A new breed of preservation has sprung up in Toronto, where existing structures are partially preserved to give new building's old facades. But is this attempt to preserve the existing streetscape actually succeeding?

July 19, 2016 - Treehugger

Alleys as a Community Asset

Often overlooked, alleys can be transformed into valuable community spaces

July 17, 2016 - CityLab

Shopping Cart

Dallas to Offers a $3 Million Carrot for Grocery Store Development

Hoping to attract investments in grocery stores in the food desert of southern Dallas, the City Council recently approved a $3 million enticement.

July 17, 2016 - The Dallas Morning News

Tangier Island

Should We Stay or Should We Go? Low-Lying Coastal Towns Debate Choices

Two U.S. coastal communities are debating the merits of staying or leaving due to effects from climate change and rising sea levels

July 17, 2016 - Public Radio International

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.

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.