Urban Development
Baltimore's Big Idea: Schools as the Center of Neighborhood Transformation
The city of Baltimore is taking a new approach to an old idea: that schools should be the center of neighborhoods.

Next Steps for the City of Freeways
It is difficult to imagine a time when Los Angeles' freeways symbolized access, efficiency, and modernity. Now that the city's love affair with freeways is nearly spent, what future do we envision for them?
Visiting Urban Parks Makes People Healthier...but Wealthier?
Recent studies show that urban parks are healthy in surprising ways in addition to physical and emotional health, writes Jeff Caldwell of Litchfield Landscape Elements.
TIF Shifts to the Suburbs in Minnesota
A common and sometimes controversial funding mechanism is growing in popularity in suburban Minnesota, even as its use in the urban core decreases.
Density Bonuses Proposed in High-Demand San Francisco Neighborhoods
The San Francisco Planning Department is proposing new densities in certain neighborhoods in exchange for building new units for low- and middle-income residents.
Billboards Still a Thorn in the Side of Cities
Cities around the world have continued to implement drastic measures in reaction to a proliferation of billboards.
Strong Housing Market a Lesson in Contrasts to the Slumping Oil Industry
Houston's housing market is chugging along, although one of the area's key industries is struggling.

Bay Area Town: 44 Single-Family Homes on a Site Once Considered for 315 Apartments
Lafayette provides a case study of the San Francisco Bay Area housing market.
Vacant Properties Persist in Cuyahoga County—and Not Just in Cleveland
Cleveland.com provides in-depth analysis of the ongoing challenge to account for and improve the large number of vacant properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Why Concentrated Poverty Matters
The Architecture of Segregation: The slums are racially concentrated, on the rise, and spreading to the suburbs.
Gentrification Concerns Raised Around 'The 606' Trail in Chicago
When an exciting and popular addition to the public realm becomes available, like it did in Chicago earlier this year with The 606 trail, concerns about gentrification and displacement are sure to follow.

What Makes a Streetscape Appeal to Pedestrians?
Researchers who studied the appeal of New York City streetscapes find an additionally significant factor on the streets of Salt Lake City: the photo op.
Closed Ontario Schools May Be Transformed Into Community Hubs
Schools are part of, and even anchor communities. Good planning requires schools as part of "Complete Communities". Until this proposal is adopted, school boards often close schools due to funding or liability. This is a possible step forward.

What Makes a Planner an Urban Scientist?
Among other traits, science-minded planners must seriously reflect on what it is they know about their field, seeking good reasons and solid evidence for why they accept those things, writes Jodie Sackett, a Los Angeles County urban planner.

$1 Billion Master Planned Community Moving Forward on the Ohio River
A suburb of Cincinnati provides evidence of renewed demand for master planned communities.
Maximizing Opportunity Urbanism With Robin Hood Planning
"How enlightened planners can be champions for the little guy and save America in the process." An urban planner policy framework for increasing upward social mobility and reducing inequality in cities.

Better City-Making Means Breaking Down Silos—Here's How
How can city hall leaders break down silos between departments and disciplines, and get to a more holistic approach to city-making? It takes more than just organizational restructuring—it takes real culture change. Here's how.
Seattle's 'Oh So Human' Hesitations About Change
Seattle's recent Housing and Livability Agenda (HALA) recommendations have created a sensational dialogue about zoning, affordability and neighborhood change. Chuck Wolfe explains how this may create an unprecedented basis for consensus in the city.

Who Should Pay for Congestion in Booming San Francisco?
Facing record-level population growth and a booming job market, the city of San Francisco wants luxury developers to pay into the public transit system.

A Visionary Plan for an Urban Village in Minneapolis-Saint Paul
The Prospect North Partnership intends to build a fully integrated, resource-efficient neighborhood in a prime yet underdeveloped location.
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