Urban Development

Here's a head scratcher: in its ambition to meet the affordable housing goals of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development has proposed the redevelopment of 15 community gardens on city-owned property.

January 24, 2015 - Brownstoner

The innovative revenue stream known as California's cap-and-trade program is ready to take action by funding affordable housing projects.

January 24, 2015 - LA.Streetsblog

A drastic overhaul of the planning and development processes in Philadelphia is, at least for now, on hold so stakeholders can have more time to analyze the proposal.

January 23, 2015 - philly.com

Bill Lindeke writes of the daunting urban design and planning challenge presented by America's post-war fascination with the strip mall.

January 23, 2015 - MinnPost

The Washington D.C. Zoning Commission is considering a proposal to limit the ability to convert or expand rowhouses. The proposed ordinance has provoked controversy about the effect of the law for the city's supply of housing.

January 22, 2015 - Washington City Paper

Los Angeles officials are hoping to create an "Infrastructure Financing District" (i.e., tax increment financing) to help finance ambitious goals for revitalizing and restoring the Los Angeles River.

January 22, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

You're probably familiar with the sight of a long, quiet residential street unadorned by sidewalks, pushing pedestrians, pets, and kids on bikes onto the street. Is there ever a good reason for such a typology?

January 22, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

By all accounts, the Philadelphia Land Bank has completed a high quality strategic plan to guide its actions over the coming years.

January 22, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Chicago is putting the pieces in place to land the Obama Library. One proposal hinges on the availability of parkland on the South Side near the University of Chicago.

January 22, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

Despite what some see as slow progress five years after an earthquake rocked Haiti, architect and sustainability consultant Dave Hampton writes about how he and others see hope for the future.

January 21, 2015 - UrbDeZine

A lot of noise has been made of the potential skyscraper boom in Manhattan. Very quietly, however, Brooklyn has also become a target for a series of skyward development plans.

January 21, 2015 - New York YIMBY

The urban landscape has become increasingly important for cities striving to be taken seriously on the world stage. And while creating big parks is an obvious trend, getting the small moves right can be just as important.

January 20, 2015 - Mark Hough

The proposed redevelopment of the 28-acre site—former home of the Civic Arena—would produce a corporate headquarters and a mix of uses and housing.

January 20, 2015 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A new development proposal in Des Moines called Bici Flats will provide one-of-a-kind amenities to residents who love to bike. But will it become a catalytic development for a downtown neighborhood?

January 20, 2015 - WHOtv

A massive bike park in Louisville, Kentucky takes the fast-growing trend of urban bike parks to new (subterranean) levels.

January 20, 2015 - Outside

An image comparing the present day with Toronto from only 13 years ago has some comparing the Canadian city to New York in the 1920s.

January 20, 2015 - National Post

Dwell small; live large. It's something many passionate urbanists have been working on for a decade. Could 2015 finally be the year small goes big?

January 19, 2015 - PlaceShakers

San Francisco's State of the City address provided an opportunity to check in on the progress of the affordable housing agenda of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

January 19, 2015 - SFGate

Aldo Svaldi reports on the beginnings of a condo boom in Denver, which faces risks of legal setbacks in the "litigious environment" created by Colorado's controversial construction-defects law.

January 19, 2015 - The Denver Post

Recent years have produced no dearth of design interventions to improve quality of life for wealthy urban dwellers, but some recent efforts in San Francisco are targeted to help the city's homeless population.

January 19, 2015 - New York Times