Urban Development
Editorial: Connecticut Must Do More to Support Compact Development
Though Connecticut is well served by commuter rail, a new report indicates that only half of the communities with Metro-North station have land use regulations in place to maximize development around them.
Bemoan Atlanta, as Well as Detroit, Writes Columnist
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman looks at two great American cities, one losing population for decades and now filed for bankruptcy, the other growing rapidly but through sprawl, not smart growth. Yet Atlanta suffers lower social mobility.
How One Family Helped Propel Downtown Cleveland's Remarkable Revival
More people live in downtown Cleveland now than at any time in the past 60 years. Yet this revival didn't happen easily, and it wasn't the result of a giant 'silver bullet' project. Sophie Quinton explains how one family contributed to the revival.
Is a Subsidized Soccer Stadium a Smart Investment for D.C.?
Recently it was announced that D.C. had reached a tentative agreement to help fund a new soccer stadium to be built in an area of the city that has long resisted redevelopment. Stadiums are generally a bad deal for cities, but is this an exception?
How Can Northeast Ohio Grow Smarter?
The 'biggest regional planning effort in a generation' is providing residents of twelve Northeast Ohio counties with an opportunity to discuss how the area can leverage its existing infrastructure rather than continuing to sprawl.
7 Ways Portland Is Better Than Your City
On a recent trip to Portland, land use attorney Bill Adams couldn't help but make comparisons to redevelopment efforts elsewhere. He found 7 tangible areas in which Portland shines through its copious clouds.
Redesigning American Cities for Less Driving
This 16-minute radio interview of Forbes writer Micheline Maynard and Cornell urban planning professor Michael Manville explores how and why to redesign cities to make them less auto-dependent to match reduced driving.
NYC Pushes Ahead With Plans for New Neighborhood Built on Landfill
A far-fetched proposal for Seaport City - a new landfill neighborhood on the East Side of lower Manhattan - is one step closer to reality with New York City's release of a request for proposals to study the idea.
Homeowners Threaten Beijing's Hutong Heritage
For years, Beijing's historic homes have been threatened by redevelopment pressures. Now, the building of illegal additions by homeowners looking for affordable ways to expand are causing alarm. For the local government, the solution is demolition.
Pop-Ups Smooth Tysons' Urban Transformation
A multi-decade vision will transform the auto-oriented DC suburb of Tysons Corner into a vibrant, walkable place. While the subway extension at the heart of the plan will open this year, development will take time. Pop-ups will help bridge the gap.
Cottage Living Shows the Enduring Attraction of Simplicity
In a world of seemingly infinite variety and excess, simplicity engenders great affection. Hazel Borys offers this query on the subject of cottage living: How is it that less adds up to so much more?
54 Ideas for Fixing D.C.
In advance of next year's mayoral race, the Washington City Paper has reached out to local leaders for their suggestions for how to fix one of the city's intractable problems. See their 28 detailed, and 26 simple, solutions.
Might London's Monumental 'Crystal Palace' Rise Again?
A Chinese developer is interested in erecting an exact replica of one of architecture's most notable lost buildings on the site where it burned to the ground in 1936.
One Major Flaw of Plan Bay Area
According to SF State University geographer, Jason Henderson, the adoption of Plan Bay Area by MTC and ABAG last Thursday was a "watershed moment in regional planning", but it also was a missed opportunity to improve transit to capture more trips.
New Study Makes Economic Case for Increasing D.C. Height Limits
As part of a study into potential changes to D.C.'s Height of Buildings Act requested by Congress, the results of an economic feasibility analysis were presented this week. Relaxing limits would create jobs and several thousand new housing units.
Why the New Urbanist Visionary Who Coined 'TOD' Wants to Retire It
In a wide-ranging interview with Metropolis Magazine, CNU founding member Peter Calthorpe opines on China's planning process, the future of America's suburbs, CA high-speed rail, and why he would retire the term 'transit oriented development'.
With East Riverfront Redevelopment, Builder Bets on Detroit's Future
Just outside of downtown, and a short walk from the Detroit River, developer McCormack Baron Salazar is planning to build a new neighborhood of town houses, apartments, and retail on mostly vacant land - a $60 million bet on the city's future.
America's Rail Station Renaissance
The latter half of the twentieth century saw the slow decline of train travel and the deterioration of America's grand railroad stations. Amid growing rail readership, the country is embarking on a new era of station construction.
How Neighborhood Improvement Can Prevent Gentrification
Rick Jacobus looks for a way out of gentrification paralysis, and suggests that incremental improvements to lower-income neighborhoods can be a bulwark against broad displacement.
'Teardown Enforcer' Eases Mansionization of Minneapolis Suburb
In an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota's first 'residential redevelopment coordinator' works as a buffer between aggressive builders and residents upset about the side effects of mansionization.
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.
Yukon Government
Caltrans
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Norman, Oklahoma
City of Portland
City of Laramie
