Urban Development

Austin Waterfront District Due for Big Redevelopment Investments

The city of Austin is hoping to avoid a "piecemeal, haphazard" approach to redevelopment in the South Central waterfront district.

April 5, 2016 - Austin American-Statesman

Toronto Towers

How to Rethink the Suburbs: A Lesson From Toronto

A new zoning law in Toronto could enable its hundreds of suburban tower developments to become vibrant and active communities.

April 5, 2016 - Doggerel

Old houses with large porch and colorful siding

Inner Suburbs Face Identity Crisis

Places like Columbia Heights, an older suburb north of Minneapolis, lie at the focal point of conflict over development and gentrification. Can these places support a 21st-century urbanism?

April 5, 2016 - Governing

Atlanta Sprawl

Suburban Poverty Rising in Atlanta

Driven by economic and demographic trends, poverty in "outer ring" suburbs is on the rise. Since 2000, Atlanta's suburbs have seen the highest rate of change in poverty of any comparable metro region.

April 5, 2016 - WABE

New York Housing

A Utopian Solution to NIMBYism and High Housing Costs

The housing shortages caused by restrictive zoning are easy to solve in principle—even if the solutions are politically impossible.

April 4, 2016 - Michael Lewyn

Los Angeles River Restoration Going From Grassroots to Glam

As excitement around the L.A. River revitalization heats up, neighbors of the once-neglected channel wonder who will benefit from the billion-dollar redevelopment.

April 3, 2016 - The Nation

Long Island City

In Long Island City, a Glimpse of the Future?

According to critic James Russell, Long Island City has come to resemble the new metropolises of Asia. A frenetic jumble of old and new, the area's "dystopian" qualities aren't all bad.

April 3, 2016 - James S. Russell

Havana

In Pictures: Havana's Public Spaces

The recent thaw in U.S. relations with Cuba, as well as President Obama's visit last month, have spurred conversations about Havana's future. Its public spaces are worn, but they're busy and well-designed.

April 3, 2016 - Project For Public Spaces

Toronto Regent Park

Canada Is Looking Better and Better

Alan Mallach unpacks a remarkable project currently underway in Toronto, suggesting that sometimes higher, rather than lower, density may be the best way to go.

April 3, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

'Supply-Side' Arguments, and Why Geography, Scale, and Migration Matter

When it comes to housing, supply and demand isn’t as simple as it seems (or as simple as some boosters would like us to think), and a supply-side strategy will not work in every context to address affordability, including in hot neighborhoods.

April 2, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Austin Updates Small-Lot Amnesty Program

The city of Austin has approved land use regulation changes on one of those traditional hot button planning issues: small-lot developments.

March 31, 2016 - Curbed Austin

Connecting the Dots Between Governance and Placemaking

Seattle's beloved Pike Place offers a case study in how careful governance builds the foundation for flourishing places.

March 30, 2016 - Brookings

Chicago El

Open Data Tool Boosts TOD in Chicago

A "TOD Calculator" developed by a Chicago non-profit promises to deliver quantifiable, digestible data on the community impacts of transit-oriented development.

March 30, 2016 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Parking

Parking Requirements and Housing Prices: More Questions Than Answers in Portland

The city of Portland is considering an expansion of parking requirements in Northwest Portland, much to the chagrin of advocates who predict the new requirements will make housing more expensive.

March 30, 2016 - Bike Portland

Philadelphia Italian market

The Great Debate: How to Attract Investment in Neglected Urban Areas

With the key assumption that more of Philadelphia needs to see the benefits of the recent wave of investment that has come to the city's urban core, politicians at varying levels of government are considering multiple policy options.

March 30, 2016 - Philadelphia

Saving Coastal Cities from Climate Change

A new whitepaper outlines solutions for improving the resiliency and sustainability of coastal cities around the world—using Red Hook, Brooklyn as a case study.

March 29, 2016 - BASF Corporation

Benchmarks: Places on the Move Measure Up

All Planetizen readers should read the full 200-page Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2016 Benchmarking Report. If you haven't taken the time yet, Hazel Borys shares some of the best bits.

March 29, 2016 - PlaceShakers

Millennials

Peak Millennial: Looking Past the Numbers

Two articles look at millennials, cities, and the future. "Peak Millennial" refers to the numbers of millennials moving to and from cities. Grist's Ben Adler looks at why urban millennials are moving to suburbs, and what can be done to address it.

March 29, 2016 - Grist

A Detroit Design School Seeks a Seat at the Table

Academic institutions can play a major role in enriching the communities they operate in. Amy Deines, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, discusses the city and school's trajectory.

March 28, 2016 - Doggerel

New Housing Program Lowers Construction Hurdles in Cleveland

A unique partnership is making it easier to construct and own a home in the Cleveland neighborhood of Ohio City, located in Cleveland..

March 26, 2016 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

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.