Urban Development
Public Benefits Not Worth Density to Palo Alto Residents
Palo Alto’s planned community zoning has existed since 1951. As the real estate market in the Silicon Valley heats up, residents are questioning whether developers are abusing the density and height benefits they receive from the zoning code.
Ped-Friendly Proposal for Houston’s Downtown Convention Center
In anticipation of the 2017 Super Bowl, Houston First Corp. is seeking approval of a project to improve the city's convention center and “reshape the once-moribund East End of downtown into a dynamic new focal point of the city.”
Wrestling with the ‘D’ Word (Density)
There are few hot buttons in planning conversation like the word “density.” One writer in San Diego claims that the breakdown inspired by the term originates from concerns with cars, not buildings.
Behind the Scenes of Philly's New Land Bank Law
In Philadelphia, an alliance of unusual suspects worked together to convince the city to create the land bank. The law isn't perfect but the new land bank will significantly improve the city’s vacant property process.
The Mythical Search for 'Congruity' in the City
In the eighth installment of the Urban Juxtapositions series profiled in Planetizen on January 16, Chuck Wolfe asks if we are using the right language when it comes to densifying urban spaces.
What Can Ancient Cities Teach Modern Urbanites?
These 15 ancient cities can help modern urbanites plan more efficient and sustainable municipalities.
What Makes San Diego Walkers Stop So Much?
San Diego's downtown street grid features smaller blocks than almost all other major U.S. cities. Small blocks mean more intersections, less distance between them, and a lot of interrupted bipedaling. Bill Adams reviews some potential fixes.
Developing the Recipe for a Thriving Corridor in St. Louis
Along an eight-mile corridor that runs westward from the Gateway Arch, the population has jumped 10 percent since 2000. Tim Bryant examines the ingredients that define the place "where St. Louis succeeds as a city."
"Ghost Buildings" Help Stakeholders See the Shape of Things to Come
An Oxford city councillor would like to bring a Swiss system of erecting "ghost building" profiles to the UK for the first time to help residents and officials understand the scale of proposed projects before granting permits.
Professionals Priced Out of Hot Detroit Neighborhoods
As unbelievable as it may sound in a city with tens of thousands of vacant properties, young professionals are being priced out of popular Detroit neighborhoods like Midtown and Corktown as demand far exceeds supply.
Gentrification and Displacement: Not the Relationship You Might Have Thought
The prevailing wisdom is that as a neighborhood gentrifies, long-time, low income residents are forced to move out because of rising rents, i.e. displacement. Two studies from Columbia University and the Federal Reserve draw different conclusions.
StreetSeen: A New Tool for Understanding the Built Environment
Want an easy to use public engagement tool that helps you to understand the visual preferences of the public? StreetSeen (http://streetseen.osu.edu), a free online tool allows planners and others to simply construct and deploy visual surveys.
D.C.'s Neighborhoods are Improved, but Who's Benefiting?
After a decade of phenomenal growth and transformation, a survey of D.C. residents reveals widespread agreement on neighborhood improvement, but also concern that the changes are only benefiting the city's affluent residents.
Pedestrian Infrastructure in LA Neighborhood a Study in Contrasts
In Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, some locals are benefiting from public-space improvements as part of the Eastside Access project. But many nearby streets and sidewalks are sorely neglected.
Venice Beach Plan Would Avoid Coastal Commission Controls
When residents and business owners in the coastal neighborhood of Venice in Los Angeles want to develop, they require approvals from the state's Coastal Commission and the city. A proposed coastal program could remove the state from the equation.
Mixed-Success Predicted for High-Rise, Mixed-Use Suburban Developments
With occupancy rates rising faster in urban than suburban locations, some suburbs are remaking themselves into mixed-use communities with hi-rise office and residential towers; Tysons Corner, Va. and Research Triangle Park, N.C. among them.
In "Her," the L.A. of the Future Speaks to Some of Today's Anxieties
In his latest film, “Her,” Spike Jonze presents a one-of-a-kind vision of L.A.'s future.
$1 Billion Miami Beach Convention Center Plans Back to the Drawing Board
A new mayoral administration in Miami Beach has cancelled a $1 billion plan to redevelop 52-acres around the city’s convention center, scrapping the plans of a design-build team that included Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas.
New Series: In the Urban World, Juxtapositions Matter
In an ongoing series, Urbanism Without Effort author Chuck Wolfe argues the importance of the overlaps, overlays and convergence points that define city life, and emphasizes the importance of reading and interpreting their everyday expression.
Predictions for Austin’s Real Estate Boom
With a whole portfolio of positive indicators about the health of the real estate market in Austin, a group of local industry leaders recently made predictions about what 2014 will bring for one of the country’s fastest growing metros.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
