Urban Development
Planning's Limits and Strengths Identified at NYC Zoning Conference
Though held in recognition of zoning's 50th anniversary, the conference details future social, economic, and environmental challenges. Raymond Li reports on both the positive and negative points of discussion brought up on Tuesday.
Los Angeles' Streetcar Plans Under Fire
With available funding from U.S. Tiger grant, Los Angeles has big hopes for its downtown which include a streetcar line that would go from north to south. Critics say the line is redundant of other existing transit.
Chicago to Upgrade Their River System
Notification from the EPA has allowed Chicago to adopt new standards that "will help to further the transformation of the Chicago river system from sewage canal to valuable recreational and economic asset," says Regional Administrator Susan Hedman.
ASLA Seeks A More Sustainable D.C.
For Washington D.C., ASLA polled members to develop a new "comprehensive framework" connecting sustainability with economic development.
Manhattan Bus Terminal Tower Plans Nixed...Again
For the third time, a deal between Vornado Realty Trust, its Chinese investment partner, and the Port Authority has fallen through to develop a 40-story office tower atop the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan.
Senate Approves Federal Funding for NJ Rail Tunnel
Despite cancelling the ARC Tunnel project last year, New Jersey may build an alternative tunnel using U.S. Senate funding.
Homeowners Discover Their Homes Are Built On Former Landfill
The master-planned community of Suncoast Meadows in Land O' Lakes, Florida was built partially on a former landfill site. Home buyers were never told, and are now unsure of the value of their homes.
The McMansion as Dorm
In Merced, California, students fill in the large homes chockablock with amenities and left vacant by a high foreclosure rate. Rents often go for under $300 a month.
Freeway Runs Directly Through Office Tower
WebUrbanist tells the curious story of the Gate Tower Building in Osaka, Japan. Property rights battles between the owners and transportation planners resulted in a high-rise tower with a freeway running through the 5th floor.
Boston Area Cities Receive Smart Growth Funding
Each of the cities just north of Boston will use its federal funds however it sees fit to boost smart growth principles and local economic development.
The Tiniest Apartments in the U.S.
$1,000 a month in rent in New York City is a steal - but this apartment is only 100 sq. ft. Curbed rounds up a number of unbelievably tiny rentals in hot markets from Chicago to Reading, Ohio.
Tysons Corner Comprehensive Plan Stymies Project
Citing the city's need for private dollars to contribute to $810 million in road improvements, developers of one residential development has indefinitely shelved its plans.
A New Paradigm for Affordable Housing
Via Verde is a unique 222-unit building built in Queens as an experiment in healthy, sustainable and affordable living for low- and moderate-income residents. Txchnologist takes a tour.
Streetcars are Go in Cincinnati
In Cincinnati, voters have defeated an attempt to block the city's new streetcar, which now will move forward and could be operational as early as 2013. The new streetcar will link downtown and the uptown district around the University.
Muslim Community Drives New Redevelopment Project
In Mumbai, a tight-knit community of Ismaili Muslims are beginning work on their 16.5 acres redevelopment project. The cluster of land, which is said to be in the heart of the city's southern tip, is to be completed by 2017.
Mother-In-Law Apartments Are Good for the Economy
Accessory dwelling units, or in-law apartments, are gaining approval in greater numbers of communities.
Landlords and Regulators Aren't Equipped to Handle Temporary Uses
Even a real estate market as strong as Washington, DC has vacant land and storefronts. Regulatory burdens and business customs make finding temporary tenants difficult, even though temporary uses can enliven dead spaces and spark entrepreneurship.
Introducing The Low Line
Under New York's Delancey Street lurks 60,000 square feet of vaulted ceilings and cobbled streets, sitting unappreciated in the dark. A group of entrepreneurs have plans to create a subterranean park there.
One Southland Big Box Gets Beautified
As a compromise for its presence in the community, mall developers on behalf of residents got one Costco's plans to be redrawn to look less like a, well, Costco. Rosanna Xia reports on the process.
Five Moves to Fix Boston's Housing Problem
In this post, John Keith suggests five methods to help Boston be more affordable to live in, including striking out the city's affordable housing program altogether.
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
