Urban Development

Finalists Chosen in Redesign Bid for Decommissioned Airport

Six finalists have been chosen in a bid to redesign Berlin's decommissioned Tempelhof Airport. The airport is currently open as a park, but the city wants a more formal redesign.

August 31, 2010 - Der Spiegel

The Empire State Building's New Neighbor

A controversial new skyscraper seen as a challenge to the historical skyline dominance of the Empire State Building has been approved in New York City.

August 30, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Post-Katrina New Orleans: Focusing on What Could Be

Patrick L. Phillips, CEO of the Urban Land Institute, reflects on the state of rebuilding efforts in New Orleans on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. He sees an impressive level of planning, momentum and cooperation among stakeholders.

August 30, 2010 - Patrick L. Phillips

An Apartment to Fit A Family? Forget It

Architect Roger K. Lewis writes in The Washington Post that it is nearly impossible for a family with school-age children to find a suitable apartment in the city, even if that is the way they'd prefer to live.

August 30, 2010 - The Washington Post

Will Atlanta Grow No More?

Citing three examples of growing pains in Metro Atlanta, this piece wonders whether the region is incapable of efficiently growing any further.

August 30, 2010 - The Economist

Recreating European-Style Cafe Life in America

In Portland, patterns of urban use are emerging that are similar to the European-style neighborhood bar as a community gathering place.

August 30, 2010 - EnzymePDX.com

Landmark Mall to Become Mixed-Use Village

Randhurst Mall was the first enclosed mall in the Chicago Area. Today, developers are replacing the mall with an open-air, mixed-use project with a traditional Main Street-style design.

August 29, 2010 - The Chicago Tribune

Ten Master-Planned Communities That Bucked the Trend

Builder Magazine looks at ten master-planned developments that sold well in a market that has dwindled through the recession.

August 29, 2010 - Builder Magazine

Seeking That Neighborly Feeling

The new HafenCity district under construction in Hamburg, Germany, is one of the largest urban developments underway today. Some worry that its newness and bigness aren't prime conditions for harboring neighborliness.

August 27, 2010 - Der Spiegel

Can This Desert Oasis Project Actually Be Green?

This piece from Fast Company Design looks at plans for an eco-conscious-yet-inappropriately lush desert development being planned in Oman, and wonders whether a project so out of place will actually work.

August 27, 2010 - Fast Company Design

Pictures of the World's Fastest-Growing City

Wired presents a slideshow of photography exploring the booming Chinese city of Chongqing -- the fastest growing urban center in the world.

August 27, 2010 - Wired

Cairo's New Megacities

Overcrowding and pollution in Cairo have inspired planners to push out into the desert, raising two brand-new cities out of the sand.

August 26, 2010 - The New York Times

Growth in Footprint Far Exceeded Growth in People

A new study shows that while development in the North Carolina mountains increased 568 percent between 1976 and 2006, the population only increased 48 percent. What happened?

August 26, 2010 - The Naked City

County Stuck With Mall It Bought At Cusp of Recession

Chesterfield County, Virginia purchased the ailing Cloverleaf Mall two years ago with the idea of turning it into a mixed-use development. One recession later, the mall still stands and the city is stuck with an "expensive eyesore".

August 26, 2010 - Richmond Times-Dispatch

As Slump Continues, Developers Turn to Mixed-Use, Ped-Friendly Homes

In a new survey conducted in the Tri-State and Mid-Atlantic regions, 60% of developers said they were shifting their emphasis away from big houses to "conservative pedestrian-oriented mixed-use neighborhoods."

August 25, 2010 - City Bizlist

"Dilbert" Creator Tries to Build Green House

Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, walks readers through the planners, planning commissioners, architects and builders that plagued him through his quest to build a sustainable home.

August 25, 2010 - The Wall St. Journal

From Storm Drain to Sidewalk

An architect and planner in India has proposed a plan to convert Delhi's storm drains into a network of walkways and passages.

August 25, 2010 - The City Fix

Detroit's Big Plan

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has officially announced the city's new 18-month policymaking process aimed at creating what his administration is calling the Detroit Strategic Framework Plan.

August 24, 2010 - Next American City

Inside a Growing Chinese Megacity

Through the example of the booming megacity of Chongqing, this article explores how urban growth is occurring in China, and what it means to plan a rapidly growing city.

August 23, 2010 - Foreign Policy

A New Ethic for Urban Reinvention

In a unique collaboration, an American lawyer and a Venezuelan architect merge thinking on holistic design, planning and regulation

August 23, 2010 - myurbanist

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.