Urban Development
More McMansions: Upscaling Suburbia
According to this article, the market forces behind large home construction are alive and well. In a process of suburban gentrification, developers purchase older, smaller homes and build "McMansions" in their place.
Census Data: Growth Trends Favor Sunbelt Cities
Although city growth continues to outpace the suburbs, the nation's three largest cities are experiencing a growth slowdown. Sunbelt cities like Austin and Orlando are picking up the slack.
Why New York Barely Taxes Its Billionaires
If taxed at an average rate, the buyer of One57's $100.5 million penthouse should have paid $1.3 million in property taxes. Instead, the property was assessed at $17,000. Here's why.
San Francisco Giants Development Plans Will Compete at the Ballot Box
Approval for a 28-acre, mixed-use development just south of AT&T Park in San Francisco will appear on the ballot in November. Also appearing on the ballot: a much smaller project, with a larger share of affordable housing.
Sign Code Update: Finding the Sweet Spot
A case study in integrating form-based and street graphic approaches into the sign code, provided by the city of Lacey, Washington.
Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan Wrestles With Urban Growth
As increasing density and increasing housing costs raise temperatures all over Seattle, residents and planners are engaging in a comprehensive plan that will determine how the city grows over the next 20 years.
Controversial Bill to Create Transit Corridor Development Authority in Connecticut
Eminent domain is just one of the powers that would be granted the new Transit Corridor Development Authority, per House Bill 6851. The controversial bill is pitting the state's governor against opponents that argue in favor of local power.
Land Bank Achieves Initial Success in Erie County, New York
The former steel town of Lackawanna, in Erie County, New York, is the latest beneficiary of the growing reach of land banks.
Doubts Raised About OneNYC's Energy Efficiency Goals
Following the April announcement of Mayor de Blasio's OneNYC plan (an update to the Bloomberg Administration's PlaNYC), critics are poking holes in the energy efficiency goals included in the new plan.
San Francisco's Proposed Housing Moratorium Is a Bad Idea
After San Francisco Supervisors reject housing moratorium, proponents vow ballot initiative. But a moratorium is the wrong solution to the problem and would likely lead to continued price increases, condo conversions, and Ellis Act evictions.
Breathe Easier: Six Ways to Improve Air Quality for People on Bicycles
On the Plan.Place blog, planner Jenny Koch describes how planners and bicyclists can make it easier to breathe on a bicycle, by reducing the risks posed by traffic-related air pollutants.
City Living Without the Racket
Planners can use building codes and design review to protect city apartments from internal and external sources of noise.
The Plaza: What Makes a Community Living Room?
The Plaza can behave as the community living room. Why is this so hard to get right in post-WWII U.S.?
The Code Change That Could Enable Mid-Rise Construction in Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. must wrap up its consideration of the 2015 International Building Code by July. Adoption of the IBC could enable new types of density in the nation's capital.
Lawsuit Takes Issue With Bond Financing for NFL Stadium Plan in St. Louis
A lawsuit filed by Missouri state legislators finds fault with a plan to extend bond funding from the city's last NFL stadium project to help finance a new $985 million stadium located north of downtown along the city's waterfront.
Whatever Happened to the Population Bomb?
Biology Professor Paul Ehrlich's 1968 book, "The Population Bomb," took America and the world by storm. The apocalyptic vision based of population outgrowing its resources appeared to make inherent sense.
High-Rise Approval Secures $220 Million for Grand Central Terminal Improvements
In exchange for the approval to build One Vanderbilt, a 63-story office tower adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, the developer will give the MTA $220 million for upgrades to entrances of the Metro-North Railroad and the terminal's subway entrances.
Composing Cosmopolis
It’s wise to search widely across time and space for good examples of processes and products for intercultural city building.
Does Portland's Urban Growth Need a Course Correction?
To curb suburban "sprawl on steroids" and foster higher density infill in Portland, a shift in planning strategy is needed, according to Rick Potestio, the principal of Potestio Studio, an architecture and design firm based in the city.
Stunning Views of New York Offered from North America's Tallest Observatory
One World Trade Center's long-awaited observatory opened May 29. Located on floors 100, 101 and 102 of the tower, the 47-second elevator trip is as remarkable as the sites from the 1,250 foot high observatory.
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
