Urban Development
The Lost Downtown Demographic
Revitalizing downtowns requires appealing to all demographic and, specifically, age groups. Diversifying entertainment options will allow all groups to enjoy the activities associated with downtowns.
Neighborhoods First (and Goal)
Howard Blackson's words of advice for San Diego's new administration are applicable wherever it is you call home. Neighborhoods first!
Businesses Seek a Slice of the Pacified Pie in Brazil’s Favelas
Following the surge of “pacifying” missions in many of Rio de Janeiro’s famed favelas, Forbes’ Ricardo Geromel discusses the arrival of private sector investments and how they may evolve in the future.
'Fabricated' Letters of Support Dog DC Area Redevelopment
An effort to bring jobs and the first Whole Foods to Prince George's County confronts rezoning debates and backhanded tactics.
L.A.'s Rail Revolution Celebrates 20 Years
Dave Sotero reflects on the "mammoth undertaking" necessary to build L.A.'s modern subway system. He begins with the completion of the first phase of the Metro Red Line 20 years ago, and ends with a look at its promising future.
Florida to Obama: Establish a Department of Cities
Lamenting the lack of a single big, transformative urban idea during President Obama's first term, Richard Florida urges the president to establish a new cabinet-level Department of Cities to build a "lasting urban legacy."
An Appraisal of Ed Koch's Impact on New York
Former New York City mayor Ed Koch passed away on Friday at the age of 88. For the popular figure who was known for stopping constituents on the street to ask, “How’m I doin’?”, Joseph Berger endeavors to deliver an answer.
6 Easy Ways to Make a City More Livable
Baltimore has a lot of bold ideas for changing the face of the city. While we wait for them to happen, why not implement some simple solutions for making the city more livable, proposes Mark R. Brown, AICP.
Sprawl Update: Sacramento Supervisors Approve Controversial 2,700-Acre Project
As we reported last week, the central question facing the Board of Supervisors was how could they approve a project that appeared to violate a regional sustainability plan - one that they voted for as MPO members? They did - by a 4-1 vote.
Enjoy the Images of the Superdome, Because You Helped Pay For It
Mark Byrnes explains the recent renovations - both inside and outside - of New Orleans' Superdome, home to Sunday's Super Bowl. The work was funded, at least in part, by FEMA.
Creating a Defined Urban Core Just Outside the Nation's Capitol
Montgomery County planner John Marcolin details the ongoing creation of an urban core in Silver Spring, Maryland, the thriving unincorporated area just northeast of Washington, D.C.
Developers and Unions Lobby NYC to Expand Midtown East Upzoning
Former adversaries - developers along with labor and the construction industry - have formed "an unusual alliance" to push the Bloomberg administration to consider more expansive development rights for the area around Grand Central Terminal.
Placemaking Is About More Than Just 'Cool Urban Amenities'
Brendan Crain responds to recent criticism of placemaking as a counterproductive and superficial pursuit with a defense of the social and economic capital building elements that are the foundation, and outcome, of the process.
L.A.'s Reuse Ordinance: A Victim of its Own Success
Los Angeles's landmark adaptive reuse ordinance has been credited with helping to spur downtown's dramatic growth over the past decade. However, developers now find it cheaper to build new than reuse the area's historic structures.
Will Changes to Philly's New Zoning Code Hurt Development?
Only five months after the city passed the long-overdue update to its 1962 zoning code, City Council members are once again tinkering with the ground rules. Two months after moving to revise parking requirements, they're now focused on outreach.
Picturing Ten Urban Qualities Important for Every City
Writing in The Atlantic Cities, Chuck Wolfe provides ten illustrated examples of enjoyable environments that reflect an evolving recognition for the qualitative aspects of the urban experience.
To Unleash Dallas's Building Boom, Tear Down a Freeway
Patrick Kennedy proposes an elegant and cost-effective way to deal with Dallas's aging elevated freeway and the city's "massive pent-up demand for walkable urban housing" - tear the sucker down.
The Emerging Asian City: An Interview with Vinayak Bharne
The publication of the 24 chapter volume “The Emerging Asian City: Concomitant Urbanities & Urbanisms”, brings together some of the most significant emerging voices and thoughts on the forces and phenomenologies shaping urban Asia today.
Will Montreal Parking Tax Promote Redevelopment or Relocation?
Montreal recently doubled a special tax assessed on non-residential downtown parking lots in the hopes of spurring residential development. But could the tax drive employers out to the suburbs?
S.F.'s Mayor Sets His Sights on Public Transit
During his first State of the City address, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee put reforming MUNI - the city's "notoriously late and overcrowded public transit system" - at the top of his agenda.
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
