Urban Development

Richard Florida Picks Hot Urban Neighborhoods

In USA Today, Florida picks 10 neighborhoods that give a "slice of local urban life," ranging from Miami's Wynwood and Design District to Fort Worth, Texas' West 7th community.

August 20, 2011 - USA Today

Thousands of Public Gardens for London 2012

Leading up to the 2012 Olympics, a group in London is taking advantage of stalled building projects to create 2,012 public gardens in the city before the sporting event.

August 20, 2011 - Inhabitat

Stalled Projects Don't Stop Las Vegas Redevelopment

Despite a raft of major projects that have stalled, smaller-scale projects are moving ahead in Las Vegas.

August 19, 2011 - Las Vegas Sun

Vision Lacking in Downtown L.A. Stadium Plan

Plans for a downtown football stadium in Los Angeles are seeming ever more likely to pan out. The project present an opportunity for the city to develop a major center, but shortsightedness could keep it from becoming an exciting part of the city.

August 19, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

The Trouble with Designing for Transit Preference

Suburban areas don't necessarily equate with car-dependence, according to some New Urbanist plans for far-out areas. But convincing residents to opt for transit can be a challenge.

August 19, 2011 - Scientific American

Place Overpowers Bunkers in Cleveland's Post-9/11 Projects

A decade after terrorist attacks looked to usher in an age of security-heavy architecture, new projects in cities are eschewing the security bunker for eyes and feet on the street.

August 19, 2011 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Burning Man Does Good At Home

Burning Man -- the annual arts festival and self-reliance experiment -- is more than a party in the desert. Its organizers are starting a new effort to revitalize the neighborhood around their San Francisco office.

August 19, 2011 - Fast Company

Livability Grows in China's Emerging Megacities

A new breed of developers in China are increasingly trying to make the country's new cities into pleasant, walkable and even environmentally sustainable.

August 18, 2011 - Grist

Condemnation and Cohesion in the Slums of Manila

The slums are either a socially cohesive neighborhoods or a major problem -- depending on who you are. This exploration into the slums of Manila show the disconnect between the people and the government about the slums and their future.

August 18, 2011 - New Statesman

Dilapidated Properties and Delinquent Taxes Plague Philadelphia

Delinquent properties are scattered throughout Philadelphia, and they collectively owe nearly $500 million in taxes. This is a major problem for the city, and new legislation is hoping to tackle it.

August 17, 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Court Sides with Sadik-Khan: Bike Lane Stays

The ruling by Judge Bert A. Bunyan of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Tuesday added steam to the NYC transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan's campaign for pedestrian-oriented, cyclist-friendly streets.

August 17, 2011 - The New York Times

Art as Public Participation

Candy Chang is using public art installations to spark community involvement and input on land use.

August 16, 2011 - Grist

Are Slums "Cohesive, Sustainable" and "Here to Stay?"

Paul Mason takes a tour of Manila's 10-year-old Estero de San Miguel slum to test the theory that slums have upsides and finds that understanding the question's realities is as important as trying to find the answer.

August 16, 2011 - BBC

Philidelphia Comprehensive Plan Accused of Spreading Gentrification

Community leaders argue that the recently approved Philadelphia comprehensive plan does more for developers than the working class in this op-ed.

August 16, 2011 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Best Small Towns in the USA

A week after the Ames straw poll in Iowa brought all the hype to America's heartland, Money magazine announces its annual ranking of the nation's best small cities. The Midwest dominates the Top 100 list, with the Northeast coming in second.

August 15, 2011 - Money

"Egregious Spot Zoning" May Get Veto

Anne Arundel County, Maryland is embroiled in a debate over controversial zoning changes to rural areas that Executive John R. Leopold is calling "egregious spot zoning".

August 15, 2011 - The Baltimore Sun

Changing Economy Forces Update to New Urban Plan

With an entirely different economic reality in place since 2005 when the original plans were drawn up, Andres Duany of DPZ will update plans for the 165-acre S.C. state mental health hospital campus in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

August 15, 2011 - The State

Multi-Million Dollar Student Housing in Manhattan

It is not uncommon for wealthy Chinese to spend seven figures - in cash - on real estate "as housing for children studying in New York."

August 15, 2011 - The New York Times

Why Latin America Needs a Planning Revolution

Futile efforts to deal with rampant urbanization could fetter the region's robust economy and squander its potential to become a global economic powerhouse, according to the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI).

August 15, 2011 - The Economist

Amman May Nix Bus Rapid Transit

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) may no longer be pursuing a bus rapid transit (BRT) system because of opposition from within government circles.

August 13, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

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.

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.