Urban Development
Facing Plummeting Permit Applications, Seattle Weighs Rolling Back Mandatory Affordability Fee
While many factors affect the drop in housing permits, developers say a change to the fee could make a significant impact in moving projects along.
America’s Next Rust Belt Could be its Most Digitally Connected Cities
Research warns that the rise of AI is making some of the country’s most economically successful cities vulnerable to AI-driven decline.
You Can Live Inside America’s Oldest Indoor Shopping Mall
The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island, first built in 1828, was redeveloped into 48 micro-housing units.
Bay Area 2050+ Plan Prepares Region for Nearly 5 Feet of Sea Level Rise
The regional plan includes its first ever resilience project list, prioritizing infrastructure projects that can protect the area from sea level rise.
War and Place: The Iran you Don't see in the News
The world is watching Iran right now through the narrow lens of conflict. When governments see the world through a target reticle, smoke fills the frame — and the places people actually live get ignored.
Mamdani Budget Funds Queensway, Dimming Hope for Reactivated Long Island Rail
Supporters of a proposed rail extension say building the elevated park as proposed would make it harder to bring trains back to this part of Queens.
A Historic Texas Beach Town Faces Existential Growth Questions
Galveston, Texas is growing — and so are questions about its land use strategy.
Red Cities, Blue Cities and (Property) Crime: A Sequel
Like urban violent crime, urban property crime is often a political football. Republicans claim that crime in Democrat-run cities is proof that Democrats are incapable of maintaining public order. Do they have a point?
Study: Clarifying California’s Vague Definition of Transit Stops Could Make 1.3M Acres Eligible for Density Bonuses
According to researchers, no California jurisdictions are using the broadest possible definition of a transit stop.
Why Walk Scores Don’t Tell the Whole Story
A popular measure of walkability only measures proximity, not safety or comfort.
LA County to Make ‘Historic’ $78M Investment in Parks
A record $78+ million in Measure A funding advances park access, health, and climate resilience in communities that need it most.
Trump’s Totalitarian Vision for the Future of Gaza
The Trump Administration has put forth its plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. It is a totalitarian nightmare.
Google Razed 80 Acres in Downtown San Jose. Then… Nothing Happened.
The project was expected to generate about $79 million annually in property taxes.
Philadelphia’s ‘Chinatown Stitch’ Freeway Cap in Danger After Feds Retract Funding
A project 15 years in the making would reconnect Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood after decades of being split in half by a roadway.
Eight Sci-Fi Books That Teach Urbanists the Dos and Don’ts of the Future
Science fiction has long painted a picture of the city of the future. What if it’s our roadmap out of dystopia?
Seattle Density Increase Stymied by Underground Power Line Requirement
A new policy that requires buildings with four or more units to bury their electrical lines is making housing development more costly and causing months-long delays.
February Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Transit agencies like BART and TriMet face lingering budget shortfalls, forcing major service cuts and layoffs, while federal plans to ban fare-free transit throw a wrench in NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposal to make the city’s buses ‘fast and free.’
In Defense of QUIMBY — a Rebuttal
Psychology shows that residents love what planners and architects don’t. Experience tells me that they’re right.
Alysa Liu's Oakland Training Center Highlights the Importance of California's Defunded Redevelopment Agencies
The financial and legal ecosystem that led to the creation of the Oakland Ice Center no longer exists after California dissolved its state redevelopment agencies.
Iowa County Passes Restrictive Data Center Ordinance
A new Linn County ordinance requires data center builders to conduct environmental reviews, limit light pollution and noise, and compensate the county for infrastructure costs.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
