Urban Development

Clash Between Ideals and Realities in Boise

Boise, Idaho attempts to find common ground between its vision for the future and the need for economic development.

October 13, 2010 - The Idaho Statesman

Cattle vs. Subdivisions

Arizona's long-standing open range laws allow cattle to roam freely, but the state is now reconsidering the laws as residents of the West's suburban subdivisions are growing more frustrated by encounters with roaming cattle.

October 12, 2010 - New York Times

Fearing a 'Middle Class Ghetto'

As London redevelops its troubled East End ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers are warning against the post-event developments turning into ghettos of the middle class.

October 12, 2010 - Building Design

No ARC without TOD

New Jersey wants billions in federal money for its ARC project, but NJ Transit's commuter rail service is too often just a subsidy to the rich and an excuse not to develop North Jersey, says Stephen Smith.

October 11, 2010 - Market Urbanism

Reviving Suburbs Requires an Urban Sensibility

Richard Florida argues that edge cities ravaged by the recession should take cues from urban development patterns to spur growth.

October 11, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

New Jersey Moves Away From McMansion Trend

In the face of a recent report showing that sprawl was rapidly eating up developable land in New Jersey, developers have begun to ditch the McMansion in favor of taller and more dense projects.

October 11, 2010 - The New York Times

A Post-Sprawl Los Angeles

CNN's Richard Quest takes an incredulous look at the changes brewing in Los Angeles as downtown revitalizes and the city densifies.

October 10, 2010 - CNN

A Tale of Two Tall Towers

Josh Leon reports on his time "around two instructive pieces of vertical architecture that could presumably be competitors in a transoceanic race between the US and China for economic hegemony."

October 10, 2010 - Next American City

Stuttgart Roiled By Conflict Over Proposed Development

A plan to underground the central train station of Stuttgart and create a new city neighborhood above it is so controversial that violent protests have broken out.

October 8, 2010 - Speigel International

New Jersey Running Out of Land

The NYT is reporting that New Jersey is running out of developable land, but with the recent ARC decision, the legacy of the Mount Laurel doctrine, and decades of highway-based suburbanizing policies, is New Jersey actually ready for density?

October 8, 2010 - Market Urbanism

Grocery Stores Becoming Hot Mall Properties

Supermarkets are moving in to spaces vacated by department stores in malls, which until recently were too costly for grocery stores to rent.

October 7, 2010 - Retail Traffic Magazine

Stopping Sprawl, Slowing Emissions, Improving the Economy

A new report suggests that making policies in Canada to avoid urban sprawl development will reduce pollution and boost the economy.

October 6, 2010 - The Vancouver Sun

Cities, Not Farms, At Fault For Bay Pollution

Cities, not the agriculture heavy Central Valley, are the source of most of the runoff and pollution that enters the San Francisco Bay, according to a new report.

October 6, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Millions in Affordable Housing Funds Misspent

Continuing its exposé of California redevelopment agencies, The L.A. Times uncovers that $700 million meant for affordable housing across the state was spent without a single unit being built.

October 4, 2010 - The Los Angeles Times

Parks Better For Cities Than Stadiums, Arts Centers

Because of their broad appeal, diverse uses, and heavy programming, parks may do more for cities than the performing arts centers of the 1980s and the sports venues of the 1990s have accomplished, says JoAnn Greco.

October 3, 2010 - The Washington Post

Arrested Redevelopment

A Los Angeles Times investigation finds "widespread instances of corruption, questionable spending and poor accountability" among California's 400 municipal redevelopment agencies.

October 1, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

The Problem With Density

Density is an imperfect and unreliable measurement of intensity, says architect and city planner Walter Hosack, and must be replaced with a yardstick that can more accurately measure cause and predict effect.

October 1, 2010 - Cities and Design

Photographing a Decade of Difference in East Germany

After a trip through Eastern Germany in 1990 photographing blasted out buildings from World War Two, photographer Stefan Koppelkamm's second trip ten years later revealed vastly renovated places -- to his disappointment.

October 1, 2010 - Der Spiegel

Dubai Calms Down

After nearly collapsing under the pressure of a free-wheeling building boom, Dubai is on the rebound. A new internal accounting effort is trying to explore what went wrong and how to avoid those mistakes in the future.

September 30, 2010 - Reuters

Brooklyn Bridge Park's Evolving Role

As a new park near the Brooklyn Bridge gradually opens in New York, the role it plays in public life in the city is already evolving.

September 30, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

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.