Urban Development

Called one of the most complex public works projects in Denver's history, Denver's new Union Station will lie at the center of a rapidly growing rail and transit network.

July 26, 2014 - KWGN

Parking is at the center of proposed urban design and planning responses a recent melee at Montrose Beach in Chicago, which followed an un-permitted concert.

July 25, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

One writer takes issue with the city of Detroit's decision to subsidize a $450 million arena plan for the Detroit Red Wings. The Ilitch family, owners of the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings, are worth $3.6 billion.

July 24, 2014 - Deadspin

A growing body of research examines the question of how to make places more attractive and healthy, without then making them more expensive.

July 24, 2014 - Next City

After plans to create a transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly district in the Austin suburb of Leander fizzled due to the recession, the city has cut back minimum height and density requirements in the hopes of attracting more investment.

July 23, 2014 - Austin American-Statesman

Unlike the message of an annoying commercial, bigger may not be better in the real estate market. Residential developers in Washington D.C. have found that millennials like small studios, or micro-units, provided the spaces are well designed.

July 23, 2014 - The Washington Post

Located between San Francisco and the East Bay, with harrowing on- and off-ramps for ingress and egress to the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island will soon add 8,000 homes, 500 hotel rooms, and 550,000 square feet of offices.

July 22, 2014 - SFGate

Ruth Graham details the work of Franz-Josef Ulm, who is developing a theory of "urban physics" that compares the structure of cities to materials found in nature. Boston, for instance, is disorderly like water (and Los Angeles).

July 22, 2014 - The Boston Globe

Rachel Dovey details a new report that finds boom-era trends of gentrification persisted in urban areas throughout the effects of the post-2007 recession.

July 21, 2014 - Next City

A new report by the United Nations projects the growth of the world's urban population, which is expected to surpass six billion by 2045.

July 21, 2014 - Quartz

Life is hard. So are baseball, soccer, and a bunch of other stuff that require making good enough guesses to size opportunities and duck calamity. With apologies from Ben Brown for beating up on David Brooks.

July 21, 2014 - PlaceShakers

John King describes a new, 7.6-acre hospital campus in the heart of Oakland, California as accessible only by car or ambulance—in other words, "enough to make you sick."

July 21, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are pushing ahead with an ambitious plan for a pedestrian and bike connection between downtown Cleveland and the lakefront.

July 21, 2014 - The Plain Dealer

Planetizen blogger and professional planner Steven Snell pens another dispatch for Fast Forward Weekly. This time he explains the "Slow" ethos—slow food, slow homes, and, yes, slow cities.

July 19, 2014 - Fast Forward Weekly

The Architect's Newspaper featured a suite of "new urbanism" projects underway in Nashville—everything from BRT, to convention centers, to bikeshare.

July 19, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

With the neighborhoods north of Pennsylvania Avenue booming, there are still stretches of "America's Main Street" that have escaped the revitalization.

July 18, 2014 - The Washington Post

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) expressed irritation that Chicago is no longer a world-class city when it comes to building heights. The issue arose during a Senate floor discussion on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Chicago's Willis Tower ranks #11.

July 18, 2014 - Politico

Since Portland began subsidizing accessory dwelling units (ADU) by waiving development fees, construction of ADUs have increased to a pace of more than 100 a year. A new study finds additional benefits in the low impact of ADUs on neighborhoods.

July 17, 2014 - Bike Portland

The initial presentation of a 40-story tower, designed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, working for developer Tishman Speyer, prompted John King to argue in favor of the project. But will city planners and electeds grant the project an exception?

July 17, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

What are the philosophical and practical commitments of an approach to urban planning that respects cultural differences in ways of being and building?

July 17, 2014 - Dean Saitta