Urban Development
"The Ugliest Damn Building in New Jersey"
"...and maybe America," added Gov. Christie. The building in question is Xanadu, a brightly-colord mall that was scheduled to open in 2007 and with almost $2 billion spent ran into financing problems. New investment may turn the project around.
Stadium Renovation Prices out Brazil's Poor from its Most Revered Public Space
As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, renovations to the Maracana, an infamous soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, are pricing out the city's poor. Some say the work is killing one of the city's few egalitarian public places.
Subtle Changes in American Density
Density -- either high or low or somewhere in the middle -- is a key defining element of our cities. In this essay, Witold Rybczynski looks at the relative densities of U.S. cities and suggests that things may start to change subtly.
Environmentalists and New Urbanists Battle Over Proposed Development
Plans to redevelop former salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area have pitted environmentalists against New Urbanists.
How Chinese Megacities Avoid Problems
Megacities are quickly on the rise in China. But as this post from New Geography argues, they've managed to avoid problems currently faced by other megacities in developing nations.
Forbes' "Best Cities for Jobs 2011"
Joel Kotkin teamed up with Michael Shires to produce the annual Best Cities for Jobs list for Forbes Magazine.
A New Strategy for Shrinking Cities
In this article, Roberta Brandes Gratz argues that demolition-based strategies are not an effective way for shrinking cities to promote revitalization. Instead, she cites a recent auction of blighted homes in New Orleans as a better alternative.
Seattle's Answer to Affordable Housing
Zach Patton details the effects of Seattle's zoning regulation which allows for the construction of "backyard cottages." These cottages, writes the author, are a viable way to increase urban density and provide affordable housing.
Suburban Growth Still Leads, But in Changing Ways
Suburban population growth in the U.S. is still on the rise, but new trends show that those suburbs closest to urban cores and those farthest away are driving the growth.
Can Pod Cars Transform Traffic in Delhi?
Delhi is considering installing "pod cars," known in the U.S. as personal rapid transit or PRT, as a form of public transportation.
Vancouver's Biggest Plan Yet
Vancouver, B.C. is known for its strong commitment to progressive planning, which has resulted in a dense, vibrant downtown. Planning director Brent Toderian explains his city's biggest plan yet.
New Tools for Broke Cities
Howard Blackson looks at new tools for fixing cities, including form-based codes, plans for complexities (neighborhoods, urban patterns, architecture), classification of character, and funding systems.
San Diego Folds Planning Department into Development Department
To save $1 million a year, the mayor is folding the Planning Department into the department in charge of processing building permits.
How Vacating Seniors Will Crash the Housing Market
The great senior sell-off, rising household sizes, dropping homeownership, tighter lending standards, and other reasons why the next decade will be a disaster for homebuilders, writes Robert Steuteville.
Developer: I've Walked Away From Projects Because of Parking Minimums
Why is it so hard to build in New York City? Why are rents so expensive? It's partly because parking requirement are so onerous that developers are doing everything they can to avoid them, writes Noah Kazis.
Redesigning a Car Museum to Be Less Car-Like
The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles was built into a 1960s department store, and in the 90s the facade was fashioned to look like the grill of a vintage car. With new funds in hand, the museum wants something more "attention-grabbing".
Infrastructure Lags as Brazil Prepares to Host 2014 World Cup
Infrastructure projects are lagging in Brazil, which is causing some to worry that the country won't be ready to host the 2014 World Cup.
Remaking a Suburb into as Small Business Hub
Levittown is the quintessential American suburb. A new proposal seeks to reinvent it as a hub for small businesses.
Understanding the World's Urban Transition
Two writers from different parts of the world collaborate to expound on the evolution of places and how best to understand the changes underway in the urban world.
Fighting Canadian Sprawl with TDRs
The TDR, or transfer of development rights, could be a way for Canadian cities to reduce the expansion of its sprawling cities, according to this piece.
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
