Urban Development
Paris Develops for the 21st Century, Along its Periphery
After more than a decade of planning, the ambitious Clichy Batignolles project is rising in northwest Paris. The development is an attempt to stay competitive in the global marketplace, without compromising the city's world-renowned charms.
Is Congestion Pricing the Solution to San Francisco’s Traffic Woes?
A new report paints a grim picture of San Francisco’s traffic future. Without radical reductions in auto usage, the city’s downtown will be ‘mired in gridlock.’ Is a controversial congestion pricing scheme the solution?
High Above Hollywood, Buying Into the Glamour Without the Grittiness of the Boulevard
With new luxury high-rises sprouting in a densifying Hollywood, and many more on the way, those hawking penthouses priced between $1-$45 million play up the unique amenities and play down the messy reality of a changing neighborhood.
Comprehensive Planning off the Beaten Path
Liven up your comprehensive planning effort Texas style. Matthew Lewis, Development Director for the city of San Marcos, used everything from Legos to "design rodeos" (i.e. Texas charrettes) to get to common ground.
Minister Reins in Mumbai's Haphazard Development Controls; Will the City's Skyline Suffer?
The chief minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra (home to Mumbai) is pushing to rationalize the region's density controls, which had been prone to abuse by developers. Some fear the controls will result in more homogenous designs.
The Urban Diary as a City-Dweller's Tool
Chuck Wolfe champions the 'urban diary' tool as a universal means to understand the city around us.
Accounting for Latent Travel Demand
Planners must anticipate how people would respond to new options, such as better walking, cycling and public transit services. This requires imagination.
Official's Embrace of Gentrification Causes Stir in Detroit
Speaking at an event this week, Detroit's economic development czar was unabashed in his support of gentrification for the troubled city. The subject is a sore one for a city that still recalls the rampant black displacement of the 1940s and ’50s.
'Civic San Diego' Provides City with Redevelopment Afterlife
Since the state's 400+ redevelopment agencies were killed in 2012, cities across California have struggled to manage unfinished projects and support development in distressed neighborhoods. Civic San Diego may provides a model for life after death.
Bike Sharing Prepares to Get its World Rocked
The evolution of today's infrastructure-intensive bike sharing systems has been a hard-fought learning process; alas, the current paradigm is about to get turned on its head, and it's happening – surprise - this week in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Will Compact Development Define America's Next Era of Land Use?
'America 2013', a report released this week by the Urban Land Institute, presents the results of a nationwide survey on housing, transportation, and community preferences. Demographic trends indicate a continued demand for city living.
The Promise of China's Eurocentricism
Can we transform China’s Eurocentric towns from architectural caricatures into urban catalysts, and from one-dimensional exports, into reflective antidotes to the unequivocal and rapacious sprawl that continues to ravage its urban landscape?
Identifying the 'Sabermetrics' of Urbanism
Can successful places be driven by key metrics in the same way Billy Beane assembled the 2002 Oakland As? Guest Shaker Michael Hathorne proposes a little Moneyball for cities.
Crowdfunded Development Gets Boost from New Securities Laws
In the U.S., investment in private development has long been limited to wealthy individuals; making the type of crowdfunding that raised $239 million from 3,100 people for a skyscraper in Bogota difficult. New securities laws should change that.
Development Done Well Is a Community Affair
Crowdsourcing is a great tool for locating potholes and taking surveys – but can it inspire an underdeveloped neighborhood to come together as a community? A developer in Salt Lake City is motivating residents to use DIY techniques in placemaking.
Changing the Water in the Fish Tank
David Foster Wallace's commencement speech, now a viral video, misses an essential truth.
London's Recovery Cleaves a Divided Britain
Giant construction cranes once again dot London's skyline, signs of the British capital's "spring recovery". But with more cranes in the capital than the rest of the country combined, the unbalanced recovery is further diving "two-speed Britain".
In New York's Sky-High Residential Market, It's All About the Views
Robin Finn looks at New York's "Stratospherians", vertical lifestyle fans with deep pockets that are driving the city's residential tower construction, and prices, to new heights.
Are Developer Fees Responsible for Vancouver's High Housing Costs?
The Vancouver Sun looks at the fees that the city charges developers, such as the community amenity contribution, and finds them much higher than neighboring areas. Even though costs are higher, so are developer profits.
Breaking the Glass Apple: Arguing for Architectural Complexity in New York
With recent developments in Astor Place, Hudson Yards, and Midtown East, Fred A. Bernstein sees a danger in New York City becoming just another a homogenous city of glass facades like Shanghai or Dubai.
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
