Urban Development
To Keep the Weight Off—Oklahoma City Prioritizes Active Urban Spaces
In 2012, Oklahoma City lost one million pounds by going on a citywide diet. Now it plans to keep the weight off by funding and building a more active, less car-centric city.
Lessons Learned from Berlin Shopfronts
Susan Henderson looks to Berlin's delectable shopfronts for pointers. Not from the usual suspects like Kurfürstendamm and Friedrichstrasse, but from the neighborhoods of Prenzlaur Berg, Scheunenviertal, Kreuzberg, and of course, Hackeschen Höfe.
San Francisco Voters Increase Height Limits for Waterfront Development
Voters gave Forest City Enterprises' Pier 70 development the go-ahead on Tuesday by increasing height limits from 40 to 90 feet. The 65-acre property will be developed into mixed use, with 2,000 housing units, 30 percent affordable, and open space.
The Rise of Memphis as a Cycling City
In 2009, Memphis was one of the worst cities for cycling, but it quickly reversed its course, becoming the most improved city for cycling according to Bicycling magazine in 2012.
Why Developers Love Parks—the High Line in New York as an Example
The High Line is proving to be a powerful catalyst for development but the same can be true for nearly all parks (less perhaps the starchitect-designed projects near the High Line), explains former Empire State Development Corp VP Carol Berens.
Friday Funny: Everywhere You Go, 'Brooklyn' Is There
You've probably heard the proclamation "The Next Brooklyn" more than once, from the New York Times of all things.
Friday Eye Candy: 'Crayon the Grids' City Mapping
Artist-scientist Stephen Von Worley is taking on a new project— mapping the world's city streets based on a complex set of algorithms and psychedelic colors.
Pasadena Ditches 'Level of Service' Review for Multi-Modal Measurements
Pasadena got out in front of the state of California this week by replacing "level of service" with a more holistic, less car-centric, set of standards for review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Campaign 2014 Results: Bay Area Transportation, Land Use, and Soda Tax Measures
Votes exceeded the two-thirds threshold to pass two vital transportation funding measures in San Francisco and Alameda counties. In Berkeley (which passed the nation's first soda tax) and Menlo Park, voters resoundingly reject anti-growth measures.
Adapt and Reuse: Transforming the Old to the New
Adaptive reuse can help the old become the new, honoring our history and desire for efficiency along the way. This piece highlights 10 examples of adaptive reuse projects from around the west, depicting them in their before and after states.
How Affordable Housing Can Compete
With the backing of powerful nonprofit and for-profit investors, the Housing Partnership Equity Trust is making waves with its triple bottom line approach to affordable housing. More importantly, it’s making money.
Cities Don't Have to Damage Hearing
Henry Grabar writes of the movement to design better sounds for urban environments.
Small Cities Booming Near Washington D.C.
"Mini D.C.s" provide the successful examples of revitalized, walkable urban places, according to a recent trend piece in the Washington Post.
Is America's Civic Architecture Inherently Racist?
It's a provocative and rage-inducing question, but a potentially useful one for promoting discussion about the cross-cultural meaning of public space.
The Charms of Affordable Cities (Not Named San Francisco or New York)
A recent post identifies a sweet spot in the urban market: affordable cities like Cincinnati and others in the Rust Belt that provide an attractive alternative to more expensive, if more famous, cities on the coasts.
Better Streets Include Transit
Dan Reed examines the Green Line in Minneapolis near the campus of the University of Minnesota as a case study of how transit can improve streets.
MapStory Traces the Development of the United States
Interested in tracing the development of everything from urban bike lanes to national parks to rocket test sites?
Is Racism Behind the Density Debate in San Diego?
A high profile environmental attorney in San Diego called out neighborhood opposition to development that would add density for "selfishness and closet racism."
Fix Philadelphia's Parkway by Turning Logan Circle into a Square
Does Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway really deserve a multi-year celebration of its upcoming centennial? No. Why? Because, as hard as it may be to admit, the Parkway was a mistake. To fix it, start by turning Logan Circle back into a square.
An Interview with Kaid Benfield, Urban Resilience Guru
PlaceMakers asks Kaid to give us his idea of where we are in the effort to integrate smart growth strategies in the broadest sense into community planning and design.
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
