Urban Development
Experts Weigh in on Decision to Move California to VMT as Metric for Impacts
In a significant effort to shift from sprawl toward incentivizing low-carbon transportation options, California is revising the way it measures traffic impacts of development projects under its Environmental Quality Act.

Op-Ed: Habitat III Should Consider Food Systems
The UN's Habitat III conference will be held in October of this year. Thomas Forster argues that urban areas are being considered in isolation, without enough attention to rural areas and food systems.

Friday Eye Candy: Historic London Visualized
Historic London collects panoramic views of modern London streets with historic photos transposed over them. Most of the views date from the first two decades of the 20th century.

Op-Ed: Investing in Cities Could Cure 'Short-Termism'
Bruce Katz argues that federal investment in urban areas fosters a public/private ecosystem that can prioritize long-term thinking, minimizing the "short-termism" endemic to corporations and governments acting alone.
Seattle Introduces New Urban Park Prototype
Seattle's 12th Avenue park offers a prototype for future urban parks. It is compact, doesn't require buying a lot of costly land, and can accommodate neighborhood scale events and programs

Esoteric No More: Facadism Explained
Facadism is a critical concept for evaluating projects that rehabilitate, renovate, or redevelop historic structures—but it's often considered too esoteric for conversation. It's time we all got on the same page.

Visions of Revitalization Compete in Baltimore
A grassroots housing plan in Baltimore would keep control over neighborhood revitalization, and its benefits, in communities.

Bringing Pedestrian Life Back to Little Havana
Planners have set their sights on the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami with the goal of turning the area's car-centric Calle Ocho into a ped-friendly Main Street.

PBS Takes on Urban Planning, Good and Bad, with '10 Towns' Special
Beginning with the first U.S. planned urban development, St. Augustine, Fla., and ending with one of Portland's newest neighborhoods, the Pearl District, host Geoffrey Baer takes us through ten developments that left their mark, for better or worse.

Resistance Rising Against Port Authority's Manhattan Bus Terminal Plans
Nicole Gelinas writes a column that deliberately establishes an urban vs. suburban conflict over the issue of a $10 billion proposal to build a new Port Authority bus terminal on Manhattan's West Side.

How Planning Fails to Make Women-Friendly Urban Places
Planning decisions overwhelmingly don't address women's needs, according to an article in The Huffington Post.

Real Estate Prices Booming in Downtown Detroit
As downtown real estate prices soar, similar to other cities in the United States, it's possible to see signs of recovery around Detroit. Other parts of the city, however, are not seeing the same changes.

High Tech Embraces Suburban-Style Office Park Thinking
Critics claim tech companies such as Apple and Google are guilty of repeating past mistakes of urban development by creating suburban campuses that isolate themselves from the surrounding community.
How Austin Renters Are Resisting Displacement
Rapid development in Austin, TX has severely impacted rental housing, including mobile home parks, which are a source of low-income housing.

Louisville Gearing Up to Tackle its Urban Heat Island Problem
Louisville has the ignominious distinction of having the largest heat island effect of any of the largest cities in the United States. A new study from the Urban Climate Lab at Georgia Tech suggests ideas for lowering the heat in the city.

Battle Lines Drawn Over Density in Charlotte
The Charlotte Observer recently described the landscape of proposed apartment developments in the city of Charlotte.

Seattle's Preemptive Strike for an NBA Arena Up for Debate
With the prospects of an NBA team bolting for Seattle not looking great anytime in the near future, the Seattle City Council is debating a proposal that has been in the works since 2012.

Barriers to Integration Come Down Slowly in Wealthy, White Suburban Enclaves
Beware of possible code words like "character" and "flavor" when it comes to community resistance to multifamily housing or increased density. Case in point, Garden City, Long Island.

Contest: Create a Game Based on the Life and Times of Robert Moses
The so-called Robert Moses Cup invites the gaming- and planning-inclined to design a game capturing the essence of Robert Moses.

What the Growth of D.C. Looked Like From Space
A history of growth and expansion is visible to the naked eye with photos covering a wide breadth of the planet and just a few short years.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions