Urban Development

Adapting to extreme weather events resulting from climate change has largely taken the form of infrastructure engineering, e.g building flood doors for subways or reinforcing sand dunes, but what of 'social adaptation' for residents themselves?

January 5, 2013 - The New Yorker

In case anyone thought that developers were the only bad actors seeking to profit off of contentious projects, confidential settlement terms leaked to Curbed show how local groups abuse the California Environmental Quality Act for dubious gains.

January 5, 2013 - Curbed LA

A new exhibit seeks to document the Los Angeles that could have been, had the visionary plans of the past been executed, reports Eric Jaffe.

January 4, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

The Yomiuri Shimbun reports on plans to elevate the ground level in urban areas that were inundated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, prior to rebuilding. One town will elevate its land by 17 meters (55 feet).

January 4, 2013 - The Daily Yomiuri

Like a lot of people, Placeshakers is kicking off the new year with a list: placemaking wishes for 2013. Read on for seven trending ideas they hope break large.

January 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Counterfeiting is, of course, nothing new in China. From DVDs to Apple stores to an entire Austrian village, the country is rife with copycats. But a new project in Chongqing may take the cake, reports Kevin Holden Platt.

January 3, 2013 - Spiegel Online

Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood has seen a dramatic rise in incomes and property values over the past decade. Emily Badger examines the historically black neighborhood's non-white gentrification, and how it's viewed differently than other areas.

January 3, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

In a photo essay on small homes and the people who love them, Sightline Fellow Alyse Nelson explains the attraction of compact living and the ways in which small homeowners are living it up by scaling down.

January 3, 2013 - Sightline Daily

Russia's growing middle class is leading a boom in American-style enclosed shopping malls, which are still rather new to the country. Some rival the size and popularity of Minnesota's infamous Mall of America.

January 3, 2013 - The New York Times

The globe's increasing urbanization has spawned city-building projects on a scale never seen before, and each week seems to bring news of the next instant city. Mackenzie Keast tracks nine such projects that are due to proceed in 2013.

January 2, 2013 - Urban Times

As they reflect on a year of exciting advances in urbanism, and look forward to the next, the writers at The Atlantic Cities discuss the most loathed trends they hope will die in 2013.

January 2, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

We've known for decades the better ways to do things, for greater urban health, sustainability, resiliency, vibrancy and economic success. So this year, let's resolve to have the will and skill to get past the short-term politics, the rhetoric, the market momentum, and the financial self-interest that has kept our better solutions from being realized.

December 31, 2012 - Brent Toderian

Mark Belko traces downtown Pittsburgh's rejuvenation since bottoming out three decades ago. The area's recent comeback, marked by a surging office market and residential renaissance, has some claiming that Downtown is better than ever.

December 31, 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

From guerrilla wayfinding to future-tising, these are my top five, perhaps lesser known, highlights of a banner year for Tactical Urbanism.

December 30, 2012 - Mike Lydon

As cities across the world look to convert aging and obsolete airfields to new uses, a growing body of repurposing success stories show "how problematic properties can be successfully converted," reports Christine Negroni.

December 29, 2012 - The New York Times

What to do with 200 vacant, industrial acres bordering S.F. Bay in Newark, CA is no easy task for city planners who face activists, including environmentalists, skeptical of any development, let alone one of higher density.

December 29, 2012 - Reuters

Eric Pryne reports on the online giant's unprecedented impact on Seattle's physical and real estate landscapes, as the company's "breathtaking" growth rejuvenates the downtown office market.

December 28, 2012 - The Seattle Times

In this fascinating photo essay, Jordi Sanchez-Cuenca explores Mexico City's urban morphology. Seemingly every type of urban form known to man can be found within the Mexican capital's boundaries.

December 27, 2012 - POLIS

The BIG news out of New York City last week was the City Planning Commission's approval of Durst/Fetner's pyramid shaped apartment building slated for the west side of Manhattan, reports Matt Chaban.

December 25, 2012 - The New York Observer

Arch527, a coalition of African-American architects from Harlem with an impressive portfolio, says Columbia University is failing to include them in its $6.3 billion campus expansion into West Harlem, in violation of a community benefits agreement.

December 24, 2012 - DNAinfo.com