Urban Development

While the decades long effort to augment and improve New York's atrocious Penn Station have stalled, D.C. is moving ahead with plans to expand Union Station and redevelop the land above its tracks. Fred A. Bernstein looks at the two projects.

September 18, 2012 - Architectural Record

Scott Doyon takes on the oft-expressed gripe that Traditional Neighborhood Development somehow feels fake. Doyon sees value in incorporating the collective wisdom learned over generations, regardless of whether it's reminiscent of another time.

September 18, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A protest last week through downtown Los Angeles was meant to raise awareness of local activists' concerns that Los Angeles County Metro is displacing working class people and small businesses as it develops land adjacent to its stations.

September 17, 2012 - KPCC

A study just published in Economic Development Quarterly documents the geographical destruction on local businesses wrought by a new Walmart store, and raises questions about its long-term impact on sales tax revenues, reports Nate Berg.

September 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

When the next iteration of the oldest military parade in the world celebrates the French Republic by marching down the Champs-Elysees, as it invariably does every Bastille Day, it will pass through what is increasingly becoming an American mall.

September 16, 2012 - The New York Times

'Rurbanismo,' as it's called, describes the reversal of historic migration patterns now engulfing Spain, as a generations-old trend of rural-to-city movement has been reversed.

September 16, 2012 - The New York Times

Across the U.S., cities bear the scars of giant projects stalled by the economic crisis. Too often, the public ends up with the short end of the stick.

September 14, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Hazel Borys compiles an extraordinary list of studies quantifying the role of livable, walkable places in building equity, city coffers, health, and social capital.

September 14, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Citing a lack of affordable housing, a Manhattan Community Board has sent architecture's hot young firm, Denmark-base Bjarke Ingels Group (aka BIG), back to the drawing board to amend the design for their premier New York project.

September 13, 2012 - The New York Observer

A deal was reached this week between Seattle's City Council and a local hedge-fund manager to build a basketball and hockey arena in the Sodo section of the city. But will the deal be enough to lure professional basketball back to the city?

September 13, 2012 - The Seattle Times

As the L.A. City Council prepares to consider final approval for a proposed downtown football stadium and renovated convention center, Jim Newton ponders to what extent community groups will be able to leverage the fast-tracked approvals process.

September 12, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Continuing to chronicle what he sees as an 'urban migration' from suburban office parks, Richard Florida provides the Bay Area illustration of this movement, as he sees the center of Silicon Valley heading to San Francisco from Santa Clara County.

September 12, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

While the housing crash may have temporarily halted the dramatic growth in downtown LA's residential sector, new retail and restaurant openings continued. Now, as the housing market recovers, developers are clawing to get back to building residences.

September 12, 2012 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Walkable urban places are poised to "put a foundation under the economy as well as government tax revenues," concludes Christopher Leinberger in a new report. Better! Cities & Towns delivers some highlights from his much anticipated study.

September 11, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

California's Central Valley was one of the areas hardest hit by the Great Recession, with several of its cities still burdened by the worst unemployment rates in the country. Signs in Bakersfield, however, point to a burgeoning boom.

September 11, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Late last week, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson announced that Madrid had won the competition to become the future location of Europe's "largest gambling mecca," reports Giles Tremlett. Questions regarding the project's viability remain.

September 11, 2012 - The Guardian

Can community building deliver more jobs than trying to lure back an industrial sector that's been leaving the U.S. for decades?

September 11, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In New York, neighborhood boundaries are big business. Just ask any real estate agent who's tried to pass off a Gowanus apartment as being in Park Slope. Since the city does not officially define boundaries, amateurs are filling the void.

September 10, 2012 - The New York Times

The no man's land once occupied by the Berlin Wall has been the focus of redevelopment efforts for nearly two and a half decades now. But the slow pace of rebuilding means the scars of the Cold War remain visible across the city's landscape.

September 10, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The recent bankruptcy of the California city of Mammoth Lakes - brought on by a $43 million court decision in favor of a developer - is an extreme example of the cost of land use disputes. But it's indicative of a widespread problem in the state.

September 10, 2012 - Los Angeles Times