Urban Development
An Olympic Gamble for Community Revitalization
East London is the home of the city's poorest and most overlooked neighborhoods. It's also home to the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics, which officials hope will revive the struggling area.
Downturn Helps Downtown L.A. Avoid Gentrification
The crash of the economy happened at the right time for gentrifying downtown Los Angeles, according to this piece from the Los Angeles Times.
Score One For Livability
Senator Dodd's Livable Communities Act passed a milestone on August 3 by passing the Banking Committee on a party line vote: 12-10. Known as a "smart growth planning" bill, it would integrate transportation with housing and economic planning.
When is a Suburb Not a Suburb?
Joel Kotkin has said there is a war on suburbia. But as Michael Scott writes on New Geography (Kotkin's home base), where does suburbia start and the city end? Where do inner-ring suburbs fit in this model?
L.A.: 'Most Politicized' Planning In The World
An all-star panel of architects, developers and journalists convened to offer advice to L.A.'s new planning director.
A Map of the Present and Future of Lower Manhattan
An online map developed by the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center documents change in New York City, and shows what development and construction is to come over the next eight years.
Preserving Business During Construction Clutter
New transit facilities attract lots of foot traffic, but while the facility is being built the construction clutter drives potential customers away. A new program in Minneapolis attempts to preserve local businesses through the debris.
Michael LoGrande Appointed As Los Angeles' New Planning Director
Chief Zoning Administrator Michael LoGrande has been promoted to director just a few short weeks after his predecessor, Gail Goldberg announced her resignation.
Would A World Cup in Qatar Make Sense?
The Middle Eastern country of Qatar is bidding to play host to the 2022 World Cup. But some wonder whether the Cup might do better for the area if it were hosted by a regional coalition.
Urban Lifestyle Preference On The Rise
Using the 15-year-old transformation of Rockville, MD's mall-centered downtown to a mixed-use town square as an example, the real estate industry sees the suburban-to-urban lifestyle change spreading across much of the country.
San Francisco Parking Battle Shows Limits Of Smart Planning
Neighbors are in uproar over a 71-unit affordable housing project planned on a bus-turnaround in a residential area of San Francisco because it provides only 7 parking spaces. Is smart growth planning getting ahead of itself by becoming top-down?
Revitalizing Downtown in Small and Mid-Sized Cities
Small and mid-sized cities in Canada are taking innovative steps to revitalize their downtowns, and lure businesses and entrepreneurs back.
Volcano-Oriented Development
The Albuquerque City Council and staff are drafting plans for Volcano Heights, Volcano Cliffs and Volcano Trails, three sites bordering Petroglyph National Monument. A simmering debate over open space conservation seems cooled by public process.
Designing Urban Areas to Hear the Sounds of the City
Cities make more sounds than just cars driving by or factories humming. Trevor Cox says we should embrace the subtle sounds of cities, and update our urban design to make sure we can.
Ambitious Development Plan Crumbles Before City's Eyes
This piece from The New York Times looks at how an ill-fated development plan for the island of Alameda fell apart, and the city official tied up in the controversy.
From Baseball Star To Affordable Housing Rehabilitator
Former major league baseball player Maurice Vaughn has made a new new career of buying, then rehabilitating public housing projects. The Times describes Mo's life and transformation as well as that of his six-year-old company, Omni New York LLC.
The Harlem 'Under-Line'
Seeking to replicate the success of the High Line linear park in New York City, some are suggesting the creation of a linear small business market beneath a segment of Metro tracks in Harlem.
The Mall: Not Dead Yet
Retail Traffic Magazine reports that the indoor mall, long declared dead, has weathered the storm of the recession better than expected -- and better than many retail concepts imagined as the next big thing.
The Happy Magic Watercube Waterpark
That's the name of the new project being built in the Beijing Watercube, one of the city's highlight architectural creations built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
New Jersey's Forests Disappearing
A new study shows that the amount of urban development in New Jersey now outnumbers the state's forest acreage.
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
