Urban Development

Millennium Park Chicago

Planning Chicago: An Interview with D. Bradford Hunt and Jon B. DeVries

After decades of decline, Chicago is reveling in its resurgence as America’s hottest urban center and a “port of the global age.” However, these successes conceal a city struggling with increasing inequality and a planning culture “in retreat.”

April 10, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

Plan for Successor to L.A.'s Shuttered Redevelopment Agency Takes Shape

The state-ordered demise of the Community Redevelopment Agency has been a huge blow to redevelopment and affordable housing efforts in Los Angeles. A new plan being put forth by city leaders hopes to help fill that void, reports Ryan Vaillancourt.

April 10, 2013 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Downtown Cincinnati

People Replace Parking in Downtown Cincinnati

The planned replacement of a parking garage with a $94 million 30-story, mixed-use tower in downtown Cincinnati is a positive sign of the area's comeback. Now about eliminating those parking minimums....

April 9, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Future of Municipal Planning: Is John Nolen Rolling Over in his Grave?

Are today's city planners fulfilling the promise of John Nolen? Howard Blackson explores a profession losing its influence, and ponders how to get it back.

April 9, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Heavyweight Fight Brewing Over Future of Madison Square Garden

The "World's Most Famous Arena" has seen many title fights in its day. But a looming decision about the renewal of the venue's special permit, and the future of Penn Station, has New York's political and real estate heavyweights entering the ring.

April 9, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

Parsing Margaret Thatcher's Architectural Legacy

According to Anna Winston, the former prime minister's impact on the architecture profession was huge. With the redevelopment of Canary Wharf, for example, her administration gave a leg up to Cesar Pelli, Sir Norman Foster and SOM, among others.

April 9, 2013 - Building Design

The Next Step in Downtown Pittsburgh's Resurgence: Build More Parking?

With an approaching mayoral transition, Mark Belko looks at what Pittsburgh's next leader will need to focus on to keep downtown's rejuvenation rolling. Should building more parking be at the top of the list?

April 8, 2013 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Interest in City-Center Living a Key to Integrating Cape Town

Twenty years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, Cape Town is preparing to become World Design Capital. Zoe Dare Hall looks at the coastal city's burgeoning real estate market, which reflects two decades of integrative planning.

April 8, 2013 - Financial Times

In SoMA District, can S.F. Move Beyond Petty Politics to Think Big About its Future?

As the "new tech capital of the world," San Francisco's SoMA district is facing development pressures that challenge the city's often petty planning process, while providing an opportunity to reconsider what the city could become.

April 6, 2013 - Huff Post

D.C.'s Displacement Woes Spread to the Suburbs

D.C.'s decade of prosperity and growth has been accompanied by a wave of development and displacement that is now threatening to submerge its inner-ring suburbs. Robert McCartney examines the consequences.

April 6, 2013 - The Washington Post

Ocean Grove Sidewalk

The Case for Age-Friendly Suburbs

Several trends are conspiring to challenge America's ability to house and care for its senior citizens. Utilizing successful examples, architect and planner Eric C.Y. Fang examines how the suburbs can be adapted to support an aging population.

April 5, 2013 - Eric C.Y. Fang

The Big Move: Will Toronto Seize its Future by Funding an Ambitious Transit Plan?

As the city's controversial mayor snickers at proposals for new funding sources for transit, Toronto is missing out on another opportunity to build a big-city mass transit system, says Marcus Gee. How much will it cost the city in the long run?

April 5, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

To Create a Great 'Third Place', Get Out of the Way

For far too long, the shaping of public spaces has been left to architects and urban planners, who plan from the top down. The most successful projects involve people directly in deciding how their public spaces will look, feel, and operate.

April 4, 2013 - Shelterforce Magazine

Embracing Placemaking's Freak Factor

Realizing that overly controlled environments rarely breed the kind of innovation and culture that make cities great, Scott Doyon gets down with the funky and unpredictable.

April 3, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Density Done Well, and Not Just Downtown

It’s an understatement to say that the “D-Word” is a controversial subject in cities across North America. It needn’t be so though, and shouldn't be, as when it’s done well, density is immensely important to the success of cities and regions.

April 2, 2013 - Brent Toderian

Can Office Conversions Ease London's Housing Shortage?

As a property buying binge by the global super-rich makes parts of London "more international, more expensive and more empty," the government is looking to ease the conversion of offices to residences. Can this ease the city's housing shortage?

April 2, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

A Contrarian View on New York's Penn Station

When it comes to New York's two rail stations, there's the iconic Grand Central Terminal that just celebrated its centennial, and then there's Penn Station - which all mourn because the original was razed in 1963 - except the NY Post's Bob McManus.

April 2, 2013 - New York Post

In Bloomberg, NYC Preservationists Find a Friend

During Michael Bloomberg's time in office, New York City has protected more historic sites than under any of his predecessors. The 41 new or expanded historic districts have developers fuming over what they see as planning overreach.

April 2, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Is This America's Next Great Train Station?

Remember this past week when we asked where America's next generation of grand transit hubs would be built? It turns out one may be destined for San Francisco.

March 31, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Design

Reducing Historic Tax Credit Could Curb Development in St. Louis

A successful tax credit that boosts development and preservation in St. Louis's historic urban core is under legislative attack in Missouri.

March 30, 2013 - Next City

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.