Urban Development
A $1.5-Billion Forward Pass by L.A. City Council
Unanimous approval of the five-year outline to build a 72,000-seat football stadium in Downtown L.A. goes to show that the City Council is all game for a politically radioactive project.
U.S. Credit Downgrade, Recession Fears May Impact States, Cities
States' borrowing ability may be limited and federal deficit reductions are expected to leave municipal market in limbo, report Kathy Bergen, Kristen Mack and Monique Garcia for Chicago Tribune.
Surprising Advice for Peninsula Planners
San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King cautions against too much redevelopment and not enough preservation along El Camino Real in San Mateo County, where a major initiative is attempting to change much of the corridor's character.
Chinese Megaproject Goes From Urban to Rural
New York architects Tsao & McKown are developing a handful of communities in Chengdu that range from dense urban living to agrarian lifestyles.
Real Estate Bliss in Singapore
Like the Hamptons for affluent New Yorkers, Singapore emerges as the go-to real estate hot spot - replacing Hong Kong - for wealthy Chinese. "It confers class status in China to say that you own a flat in Singapore," asserts Mohamed Ismail.
Can the Ultra-Ex Project Save Cleveland?
"Vacancy begets vacancy." With more than 1,000 vacant lots adding to the city's running total of 20,000 each year, Cleveland is on an Ultra-Ex mission to prepare these sites for tomorrow's housing renaissance.
Why Did the U.S. Allow Its Cities to Decline?
Frank Gruber asks, "why, not how." Many of the explanations for decline are clear; why it was allowed to happen, less so. Gruber highlights "suspects" of what might have led to cities' destruction.
Guggenheim City Laboratory Arrives in NYC
The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a traveling exhibition that will visit nine cities in the next six years, providing a public space to explore the challenges of today's cities.
Burbs Becoming "Mini-Cities"
Jenny Sullivan of Builder Magazine spots a trend for slightly increased densities in suburban towns, creating urban-lite communities that are attracting city dwellers who would never have dreamed of living in the burbs.
Urban Multifamily Leading Real Estate Market Opportunities
Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneors, now the executive chairman of CityView, makes the case for urban markets as the driving force of the real estate market (including investment from foreign investors) in the near future.
Colleges as a Catalyst for Development
While other NYC development is stalled out, colleges and universities are "on a building spree", writes Mitchell Moss, and they are revitalizing old buildings and infrastructure.
Touring the New High Line
Architect Magazine tours Phase 2 of the much-discussed High Line Park, a former elevated train track that has become a popular public space. NYC Planning Director Amanda Burden makes an appearance.
Economic Returns Harder to See in London's Changing Olympic Area
London's preparations for next summer's Olympic Games have been widespread, but the event's economic returns are harder to see.
Our River, Ourselves
The moribund state of the Los Angeles River reflects the zeitgeist of the city that it runs through, says The Economist. A mile wide but an inch deep, revitalization proposals are too conceptual at best and too feeble at worst.
Park Spurs Development and Brings Town Through Recession
The creation of a park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, is credited with helping the city lure new development and stay economically healthy during the recession.
Olympic Regeneration?
With an eye to the future, the planners of London's Olympics have built the Olympics venues in a depressed part of town. They're hoping their work will turn the area around.
'Smart' Cities, Urban Innovation and Fuller
Before there were "smart cities", there was R. Buckminster Fuller.
Inside London's Olympic Park
London Evening Standard columnist Kieran Long takes a tour through London's Olympic Park and finds a new public space that will likely show its importance long after the games are over.
South Florida's High-Rises Enter Real Estate Nirvana
Home sales in the Miami metropolitan area surged 16% during the first six months of this year. Not only does the figure represent the highest jump since 2007, two-third of the transactions were paid in cash.
San Francisco Plan Had Vision, But Also Missed Targets
A downtown plan created a vision for development in San Francisco, but couldn't guide the social and cultural changes the city would see over the past 25 years.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
