Urban Development
The Weight of Development: Could Shanghai be Sinking?
Shanghai and the Pudong District in particular have seen unprecedented development over the past 25 years. The soil the city is built upon, however, has begun to subside recently.
'Mr. Mayor, Tear Down This Freeway', Says San Francisco Planning Think Tank
In their June magazine, SPUR proposes a bold vision for transforming several San Francisco neighborhoods based on three big moves: tear down the end of Interstate 280, put Caltrain and high-speed rail underground, and redevelop the Caltrain railyard.
Cleveland Leaders Agree to Spend Surplus Cash on Downtown Revitalization
This week, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald unveiled how he and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson would like to spend the nearly $100 million in surplus revenues that had been set aside for a downtown project. Steven Litt likes what he heard.
After a Slow Start, Can the BeltLine Speed a Culture Shift in Atlanta?
Much to the chagrin of those who partake in the city's congested commute, cars dominate as Atlantans' prime means of mobility. The city's wildly ambitious BeltLine project seeks to change this, but can it be built fast enough to have an impact?
Sharing Transit Costs Produces Shared Benefits in D.C.'s NoMa Neighborhood
Jay Corbalis profiles NoMa (short for “North of Massachusetts Avenue”), Washington D.C.'s fastest growing neighborhood, where a building boom has been propelled by an innovative transit funding partnership between the public and private sectors.
Dynamic New Landscapes Lead Toronto's Transformation
Toronto is undergoing a 'remarkable transformation', says Charles Birnbaum, and unlike most large scale redevelopment efforts, landscape architecture is leading the way. With abundant photos Birnbaum surveys the new works framing the city's growth.
Developers Fret as Austin Considers Density Bonus Program
Seeking to standardize what is considered an ad hoc and inconsistent approach to allowing extra density in downtown developments, Austin's city council will consider a new bonus program later this month.
The Low Tech Solution to Building Smarter Cities
If you only listened to the IBMs of the world, you'd think the path to building better cities was through high tech solutions. But old fashioned dialogue and discussion, facilitated by some low tech platforms, works best, argues Alec Appelbaum.
$400 Million Redevelopment to Transform Downtown Minneapolis
Developers have announced plans for 'one of the largest real estate projects in Minneapolis history.' The ambitious proposal for a five block area in the city's downtown east neighborhood could be a catalyst to transform the 'largely barren' area.
Removing the Obstacles to Infilling Los Angeles
City leaders from the Mayor on down recognize that infill development is necessary to create a more livable Los Angeles. So why does the public sector allow so many obstacles to stand in the way of small-scale development?
On the Waterfront in Post-Sandy New York
On Places, Tom Vanderbilt surveys the landscape and politics of New York City after Hurricane Sandy, focusing on both early response and long-range planning.
Rwandan Town Takes Top Honors at CNU Charter Awards
A student project to radically rethink housing projects on New York’s Lower East Side and a holistic approach to a Rwandan village took top honors at the 2013 CNU Charter Awards, announced this week at CNU 21 in Salt Lake City.
Urban Renewal Relic Dictates Development in Boston: Is it Time to Break Up the BRA?
The Boston Redevelopment Authority wields supreme power over the city's land use decisions, a position unique in American cities. Is it time to disband this relic of planning and development from a different era?
Is New York a Modern City-State?
Places Journal talks with New York Design Commissioner David Burney about the politics of urban design and planning.
Toronto Curates its Skyline With Tall Building Design Guidelines
An update to Toronto's Tall Building Design Guidelines seeks to address problems with the seven-year-old planning document, while strengthening the protections afforded historic properties, key sightlines, and local context.
How to Road Diet Cheaply and Easily
Provoked by the excessively wide road in front of his home to ponder the options by which cash strapped cities might place suburban streets on road diets, land use attorney Bill Adams comes up with one possibility - give away the excess.
Urban Ruins and the High Line Next Door
Chuck Wolfe suggests we all have the inspiration within us to envision how to remake our cities--from the conjecture of a Seattle restauranteur about Seattle's monorail to neighborhood examples of "we used this before, let's use it again".
Applying the Brakes to the Streetcar Revival
With Los Angeles, Charlotte, Washington D.C. and many more cities hoping on board, seats are filling up quickly on America's streetcar bandwagon. However, experts caution gung ho cities about unreal expectations for improving mobility.
Can Gentle Gentrification Create 'Shared Neighbourhoods'?
Is revitalization without displacement possible? Although it's a harder and longer process than unmitigated gentrification, Brent Toderian argues that "positive and responsible change" can coexist with the maintenance of existing communities.
Does Delhi's Drive to be a World-Class City Doom Low-Income Communities?
A proposal for a vertical neighborhood in Delhi is long on height but short on insight, according to Greg Randolph of the American India Foundation. Is Delhi ‘poised to repeat the public housing mistakes of the West’?
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
