Urban Development
As Price Tag Skyrockets, S.F.'s Transbay Terminal Needs a Bailout
Phase 1 of a project described as the "Grand Central Station of the West" has almost doubled in cost since 2008. Now San Francisco County Supervisors are considering a bailout of the project.
Happy 100th Birthday, Jane Jacobs
Today would have been Jane Jacobs's 100th birthday. Here are a few recommended reads to help commemorate the occasion.
Does Los Angeles Have What It Takes To Be a Leader for 21st Century Metropolises?
Brookings’ Bruce Katz explains how municipalities like Los Angeles can create thousands of jobs in advanced manufacturing through connecting planning, industry, innovation, and infrastructure efforts.
Chicago's Transit Oriented Developments Becoming More Affluent
The city of Chicago is focusing its development incentives around transit stations, but the people moving into those neighborhoods tend to be wealthier than previous residents.
'Economic Development 2.0': California’s Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts
Since the dissolution of California's redevelopment agencies, the state has been fine-tuning a new and improved economic development tool: Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts.
Granny Flats a Symptom of L.A.'s 'Broken' Planning Process
Building permits for Accessory Dwelling Units have been stopped by court order in Los Angeles.
Seattle's Seismic Risk Concentrated in Capitol Hill
Seattle's updated list of masonry structures at risk from earthquake includes many structures in the Capitol Hill district. Property owners are not currently mandated to retrofit the buildings they own.
Around the World, Cities Imitate the High Line
The High Line's brand of urban reinvention has caught on, sparking a number of similar projects throughout the world. In addition to disused rail, many projects repurpose old road infrastructure.
Evansville, Indiana Looking to Land Bank to Solve Blight Problem
The city of Evansville will consider in the coming weeks a proposal to empower its land bank to take title and demolish roughly 200 properties. A recent report paid for by the city only bolsters the argument in favor of the action.
Seattle's Inclusionary Zoning Proposal Falling Short of Expectations
A critical component of the landmark and controversial Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) platform, announced first in July 2015.
Righting Old Wrongs: U.S. DOT Goes from Urban Renewal to Freeway Removal
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx sees rebuilding America's ailing infrastructure as an opportunity to "right past wrongs," particularly with 1950s and 1960s-era freeways that bisected communities. NPR and Streetsblog describe the new initiative.
Don't Forget the Neighborhoods Zoning Reform Leaves Behind
While urbanists target zoning reform to help build more housing in desirable neighborhoods, other neighborhoods around cities are being left behind to languish, according to this opinion piece published by Forbes.
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.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
