Urban Development

Haya El Nasser at USA Today suggests that "smart growth" is showing its age, and will go the way of the dustbin along with "urban renewal." Meanwhile, "intelligent cities" is the new hot jargon word.

February 4, 2011 - USA Today

We've got more commercial strip development than we can handle, says Edward T. MacMahon of ULI, and the economy is restructuring the retail landscape away from the strip.

February 4, 2011 - Citiwire.net

Developers are planning a push into the Great White North with an (until now) distinctly American product - the outlet center.

February 4, 2011 - Retail Traffic Magazine

The famous district in Manhattan may finally get the special status needed to provide more services to its residents and businesses.

February 4, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Building megacities needs to be a multidisciplinary effort, according to architect and designer Sean C. S. Chiao.

February 3, 2011 - What Matters

The cities of the future should be "smart" -- equipped with data-collection tools and technologies to improve city functionality -- but being smart also means being a good listener, writes Saskia Sassen.

February 3, 2011 - What Matters

This slideshow from The New York Times looks at a variety of examples of large-scale planning efforts that never materialized.

February 2, 2011 - The New York Times

Economic crises tend to manifest themselves in specific design trends, especially in the field of architecture. This latest recession has spurred the age of Do-It-Yourself architecture and urbanism.

February 1, 2011 - Places

What makes effective transit-oriented development? Transportation planner Alan Huynh makes a good argument for the proximity to a cup of coffee as a defining characteristic of quality TOD.

February 1, 2011 - The Alan Note

That's what Richard Reep proposes in this article looking at reuse options for vacant retail properties from strip malls to megamalls.

February 1, 2011 - New Geography

Developer FivePoint Communities has cleared hurdles, and the financing flowing again for two major California projects, one on San Francisco's Treasure Island and one at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station near Irvine.

January 31, 2011 - Builder Magazine

Reporter Leon Neyfakh digs deep into the architectural battle between New Urbanism and Landscape Urbanism, saying it is a war for the future of our built environment.

January 31, 2011 - Boston Globe

A real estate report found that there are only four cities in the U.S. where it makes more sense for residents to rent rather than buy. The foreclosure crisis has made it more practical to buy rather than rent in 72% of America's 50 largest cities.

January 31, 2011 - San Francisco Examiner

The Domino Effect is a new documentary film that explores the process of real estate development in New York City to uncover the complex networks of banks, developers, politicians, and non-profit organizations that shape our cities.

January 30, 2011 - L Magazine

Seattle has the political momentum behind sustainable urbanism, but it doesn't seem to have a physical neighborhood example of how sustainable urbanism can work, according to this article.

January 30, 2011 - Sustainable Industries

The term "smart growth" may be approaching the end of its shelf life, according to some. Its replacement: "intelligent cities".

January 30, 2011 - USA Today

At the subway stop at Wilshire Blvd. and Vermont, developer Jerry Snyder halted construction on his planned vertical retail mall, saying that the apartment market is comparatively "very strong."

January 28, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

Haitian government hires planners who propose a better urban environment than existed prior to the devastating earthquake.

January 27, 2011 - New Urban Network

The DC United soccer team has identified a few small urban sites in the Washington D.C. area to build a possible new stadium. The density and urbanity of these sites virtually guarantees a "very urban stadium", according to this post.

January 27, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

New Urbanist Stefanos Polyzoides is profiled by the Los Angeles Times, which mentions a few projects the architect and planners is working on in East L.A. and Fresno.

January 27, 2011 - Los Angeles Times