Urban Development

Brazil's World Cup Legacy Falls Short of its Billing

Evidence is building up that the Brazil's extravagant spending on the World Cup soccer championships last year won’t have the last positive impacts promised by government officials. Next up for Brazil: the Olympics.

May 13, 2015 - NPR

Mount Hood Clackamas

One Suburban County's Search for Land to Support Employment

Amid concerns about lackluster growth, Oregon's Clackamas County plans to create 10,000 new family wage jobs by 2019. But the county lacks the zoned land it needs to accomplish its goals.

May 13, 2015 - OregonLive

Gentrification Concerns Ride Light Rail in Seattle

As Seattle considers a $900 million levy proposed by Mayor Ed Murray, locals are already wondering if new transit investments are precursor of unwanted gentrification.

May 13, 2015 - Seattle Weekly

Cincinnati Moves Mountains for a New Corporate Campus

The $100 million investment by Medpace CEO Dr. August Troendle will add a new hotel in addition to office and commercial space to the neighborhood of Madisonville. The deal that enables the project involves a lot of moving parts.

May 13, 2015 - Cincinnati Enquirer

Denver Skyline

U.S. Cities Find Right Sizes for Their Greenbelts

A favorite in Europe but rare in the United States, urban growth boundaries are intended to keep cities compact and hinterlands green. The few American cities with UGB's are trying to figuring out how to use them effectively.

May 12, 2015 - ASLA The Dirt

ULI Takes the Country's Pulse with 'America in 2015' Report

With the recently released America in 2015 report, the Urban Land Institute undertakes a broad survey to discover what Americans are looking for in their communities.

May 12, 2015 - Next City

Controversial Housing Moratorium Proposed for San Francisco's Mission District

San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, who represents the popular Mission District, has proposed a 45-day moratorium on market-rate, multifamily residential development. A ballot measure is possible.

May 12, 2015 - San Francisco Examiner

Street Market

The Promise of Pop-Up Placemaking

With the support of its executive leadership, Adelaide, Australia's experimentalist city council has encouraged ephemeral projects to enliven streets. "Splash Adelaide" projects can even override council policy.

May 12, 2015 - Citiscope

Planners Reboot Public Health Efforts in South Los Angeles

A law passed to combat obesity and diabetes in South Los Angeles by slowing the proliferation of fast food restaurants has done little to change the landscape of the area.

May 11, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Seattle Mixed Use Development

Seattle Densification Strategy: Build Apartments Without Parking

Not just any apartments, only those served by frequent transit. Developers will still have a "mobility" requirement: In lieu of a parking space, they'll need to provide tenants with transit passes and memberships in car and bikeshare services.

May 11, 2015 - KIRA 7

Clara Meer

Atlanta Beltline Symbolizes Efforts to Reverse Tide of Sprawl

Famously far-flung Atlanta is finding a comforting psychic barrier in the BeltLine, a 45-mile greenbelt in the place of former railroad tracks. The city and developers are trying to make the urban core more functional and attractive.

May 10, 2015 - The Architect's Newspaper

Park Fountain

Newly Launched Gehl Institute to Study Public Spaces

Gehl Studio, the leading name in people-first design and one of the most influential forces in planning today, has philanthropic backing for a non-profit that will focus studies and work on the public sphere.

May 9, 2015 - Next City

Graffiti and Family

Building the Inclusive City

Income inequality, housing affordability, and residential segregation are big challenges that require more self-critical analysis and less civic self-promotion.

May 7, 2015 - Dean Saitta

Seattle Gasworks Park

Seattle Zealously Protects Its Parkland

Based on a history of park-friendly ordinances, Seattle parks and urban forests are largely off-limits to developers. Landowners who flout these regulations must provide the city with an adjacent and equivalent parcel.

May 7, 2015 - KUOW

Revealed: Dan Gilbert's Next Detroit Redevelopment Investment

The neighborhood of Brush Park will be home to the latest big investment by Quicken Loans founder and Detroit patron Dan Gilbert. $70 million will build 337 new housing units on 8.4 acres.

May 7, 2015 - Detroit Free Press

Looking for Someone to Blame for Bad Architecture? Look in the Mirror, Says Op-Ed

Architecture Critic Mark Lamster attended the recent Congress for The New Urbanism annual conference, this year held in Dallas. One panel in particular, "How to Rebuild Architecture," proved informative.

May 7, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Mapping Chicago's 375 Tax Increment Financing Projects

A new mapping project allows new access to information about Chicago's controversial tax increment financing mechanism. Now at least the debate will include visuals.

May 6, 2015 - Curbed Chicago

Highlights from CNU 23 Dallas

Having just wrapped up a great CNU in Dallas, April 29 through May 2, a collection of urbanists share some of the ideas that resonated the most.

May 6, 2015 - PlaceShakers

The Sun Also Hides Behind Skyscrapers

The Washington Post details the concern over the shadows cast by skyscrapers on the city street below. The latest high-profile case study of the ability of skyscrapers to block the sun: New York's Midtown.

May 5, 2015 - The Washington Post

Atlanta's Big Mistake: Rushing Movie Studio Deal for Fort McPherson

Checking in on the status of negotiations for the redevelopment of Fort McPherson's 488 acres of rolling hills, historic buildings, and a lake, among much more, the Saporta Report argues that Atlanta has been far too accommodating.

May 5, 2015 - Saporta Report

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.