Urban Development

Parking Spaces Reduced in Center City Philadelphia—Along With Parking Occupancy

Philadelphia is providing a living case study of the tenants of the Donald Shoup-approach to parking.

January 1, 2016 - Plan Philly

Public Meeting

Are YIMBYs a Silent Majority?

While NIMBYs make a lot of noise and a lot of news, could it be that support outweighs opposition when it comes to development? Some residents in Bethesda, Maryland think so.

December 31, 2015 - Bethesda Magazine

More than Meets the Eye With Seattle Development Trends

Few housing markets serve as a better case study about the politics and effects of housing supply than Seattle. A local writer takes a deeper look at the city's total development over the past year and comes to some surprising conclusions.

December 31, 2015 - Crosscut

China Announces New Planning Policies to Improve Urban Life

National leaders in China have recognized urban challenges like pollution and public safety as threats to residents of the country's cities, and have released a policy statement to begin a new era of urban policies.

December 31, 2015 - China Daily

Audubon Park, New Orleans

'Psychogeography' and Why It Matters for Planners

An unfamiliar title for a familiar collection of concepts, psychogeography examines the good and bad effects of environments on the thoughts and feelings of people.

December 31, 2015 - The Urban Edge

Gentrification Fears Spreading in Houston

In a state famous for affordability, people are beginning to ask a question more commonly associated with San Francisco or New York: Is Houston becoming home only to the affluent and the elite?

December 30, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Washington, D.C. Renovations a Peculiar Shade of 'Flip-House Gray'

Washington, D.C. is awash in a layer of gray paint that has followed a wave of renovations that have followed the rising cost of housing. Washington City Paper peals away the paint to explore the origins and implications of the fad.

December 30, 2015 - Washington City Paper

'Transit-Oriented Communities': A New Agenda For L.A. Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is implementing a new vision for "transit-oriented communities."

December 29, 2015 - The Planning Report

Detroit Redevelopment Boom Expected for 2016

An in-depth look at some of the high-profile properties slated for redevelopment in Detroit in 2016 provides inspiration for some of the properties that still need solutions.

December 29, 2015 - Detroit Free Press

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte Grows Weary of the Bland Cookie-Cutter Apartment Buildings

Designers and architects in Charlotte, North Carolina are asking the city to raise the bar when approving new apartment buildings to prevent more of the repetitive wood-frame design that has swept the city.

December 29, 2015 - The Charlotte Observer

Central Park Aerial

New York City's Skyline Evolves With Tall, Skinny Towers

For better or for worse, the tall, skinny towers that have helped to remake New York’s iconic skyline appear to be growing in popularity among developers.

December 29, 2015 - New York Times

Funding Revitalization in the Post-Redevelopment Era

A Los Angeles City Councilmember discusses his instructive quest to cobble together funding for the revitalization of his district after the termination of community redevelopment agencies.

December 28, 2015 - The Planning Report

Rowhouses Have an Ally in Philadelphia

An important source of housing affordable to wide ranges of incomes has a new, well-funded ally in Philadelphia—the Healthy Rowhouse Project is hoping to make a big impact in 2016.

December 28, 2015 - PlanPhilly

CEQA Abuse 'Choking' Good Development, Study Finds

A study of CEQA litigation revealed widespread abuse that experts say undermines California's environmental sustainability goals.

December 27, 2015 - The Planning Report

Portland Houses

Portland Updating Regulations for Infill in Single-Family Residential Neighborhoods

Portland is tackling a critical but often controversial issue: how to regulate infill development in residential neighborhoods when growth is pushing landowners and developers to build bigger and denser.

December 26, 2015 - City of Portland

Endangered Places in 2015: Texas Dancehalls

Dancehalls—places for small-town Texans to gather for community—are struggling to survive in a changing Texas.

December 25, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Los Angeles Downtown Historic Core

Best Practices for Downtown Revitalization

Downtown revitalization comes in all shapes and sizes. A new, free guidebook from Smart Growth America offers advice for making revitalization work.

December 24, 2015 - Urban Land

Shanghai Shopping

Visualizing Global Urban Growth Through 2030

Geographer Duncan Smith mapped the predicted trajectory of worldwide urban growth from 1950 through 2030. Concentric circles of different shades show where and when growth was (or will be) the most dramatic.

December 24, 2015 - CityLab

Apartments St. Louis

St. Louis' Multi-Family Market Ready for Takeoff

Permits to rehab existing multi-family buildings have skyrocketed in St. Louis.

December 23, 2015 - nextSTL

Anchorage Considers Densification

In a city of sprawling surface parking, increased density may help close a serious affordable housing gap as Anchorage, Alaska, seeks ways to make development more affordable.

December 23, 2015 - Next City

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.

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.