Urban Development

Revealed: $400 Million Mixed-Use Development Adjacent to Cobb County Baseball Stadium

The Atlanta Braves Major league Baseball team made a splash last year by deciding to decamp to suburban Cobb County for a new ballpark. Still to be determined: Can the new ballpark spur development and integrate into the community?

December 11, 2014 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Report Reveals Broken Commitment to Green Building at the World Trade Center

An investigative report by James West finds that the developers of the World Trade Center sacrificed a commitment to green building to retain a key tenant after damages wrought by Superstorm Sandy.

December 11, 2014 - Mother Jones

Park Supporters Win Funding Victory on Cincinnati's Waterfront

Ruoxi Yang reports on the progress on Price Landing, "an integral piece of the overall western riverfront vision" for Cincinnati. Supporters of Price Landing plan hope that their proposal will permanently prevent the development of industrial uses.

December 10, 2014 - Urban Cincy

Philly Burgh Balances Tradition with Revitalization

People seeking small town, authentic character are moving to the burghs along the Schuylkill River. Now the towns are faced with the challenge of blending the old with the new.

December 10, 2014 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Young Planners

What's Good about Being an Urban Planner?

For urban planners, it’s easy to focus on the negatives of the job. Los Angeles County Planner Clement Lau reminds us of some of the positive trends in planning, especially in Los Angeles.

December 10, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Former D.C. Mayor Reminds Cities to Retain a Sense of Place

Anthony Williams, who served two terms as D.C. mayor and is credited with the city's turnaround, spoke about creating great neighborhoods at a panel event held by local media company Elevation DC. Cities, he said, need to retain their sense of place.

December 10, 2014 - Elevation DC

New York City Zoning Map

When Planners Misread Maps: It's Time to Rethink Zoning

Jordan Fraade writes of the embarrassing mishap of the New York City department that misread its own zoning maps. What else are we missing, and at what cost, because of byzantine land use regulations?

December 9, 2014 - Al Jazeera America

A Lesson in Weathering a Contentious Public Review Process

A column by Aaron Seward provides advice for architects and designers in weathering the public review process. Lesson one: watch how successful politicians do it.

December 9, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

Los Angeles Returning to its Roots with the Growing Influence of Latino Urbanism

The antecedent of many of the urban design and public realm upgrades that have occurred in Los Angeles in recent years: street life in Latin American cities. Christopher Hawthorne calls it a return to first principles.

December 8, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Study Finds that Gasoline Prices Impact Home Values

A study published by the Brooking Institution finds varying results, depending on the neighborhood, for a study of the impact of gasoline prices on home values.

December 8, 2014 - Brookings

Library

Top 10 Books - 2015

Planetizen is pleased to release its list of the ten best books in urban planning, design, and development published in 2014.

December 8, 2014 - James Brasuell

Aerial photo of the US 131/M-6/68th St. interchange in Wyoming, MIchigan

Study Finds Traffic Forecasts Consistently Overestimating Congestion

Researchers from Denmark and Norway have looked at the accuracy of traffic forecasts for road projects. Their conclusion is that the forecasts systematically overestimate traffic growth rates and the resulting congestion effects.

December 8, 2014 - Transport Policy Journal

A New Era in California for Evaluating Transportation Emissions

An appellate court's rejection of SANDAG's $200 billion sustainable communities plan holds far-reaching implications for how regional planners evaluate greenhouse gas emissions from transportation to meet SB 375 requirements to the year 2050.

December 8, 2014 - San Diego Union-Tribune

Report Finds Doubled Concentrations of Poverty Since 1970

A new report from City Observatory analyzes urban poverty and gentrification using census data from 1970 to 2010.

December 7, 2014 - Next City

Remodel of the Village Arcade a Sign of the Urban Times in Houston

The Houston Chronicle presents a lesson in how (and why) to convert the aesthetic of a university-adjacent retail center from suburban to urban.

December 6, 2014 - Houston Chronicle

Gentrification

3 Strategies for Controlling Gentrification

Sandy Smith summarizes a recent "Gentrification, Integration, and Equity" event hosted by Next City in Philadelphia.

December 6, 2014 - Next City

End of the Mall

Life, Death, and Repurposing of the Great American Mall

A PBS Newshour economic correspondent visits the sites of former malls in Ohio and Massachusetts, some successfully repurposed, others in construction, and one in decay, speaking with economic experts along the way about the future of the mall.

December 5, 2014 - PBS NewsHour

The Promise of Renewal in Massachusetts Gateway Cities

Massachusetts is funding a placemaking initiative to renew its old industrial gateway cities. Available funds are only $16 million, but there's a plan to make the money go a long way.

December 5, 2014 - Boston Globe

'High Tech Highway' Emerging in Phoenix

In an area more known for retirement communities and fixed incomes—Phoenix's Easy Valley—corridor of high tech companies has emerged along the Loop 101.

December 5, 2014 - Phoenix Business Journal

Ivy Covered Green Building

The Coolest Buildings Aren't Green

Creating 'greener' buildings will help address climate change... right?

December 5, 2014 - YouTube

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.