Urban Development

Back in 1971, Alvin Duskin mounted an all-out campaign to limit buildings in San Francisco to 72 feet. Today, he is one of many Bay Area activists reconsidering density.

July 15, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a bill that will bring about $31 billion worth of road, transit and school construction projects.

July 15, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

Sales in Brooklyn are down, and that's made a ghost town out of the recently booming but now busted Williamsburg neighborhood.

July 15, 2009 - New York Magazine

The late columnist Emmett Watson set the tone in Seattle for keeping the small bungalow, suburban character of the city. Today, New Urbanists and others are working to redefine Seattle's landscape post-Watson with denser, affordable buildings.

July 13, 2009 - The Seattle Times

Citing the important role they tend to play in storylines, the Architects' Journal lists off the top 10 cities from comic books.

July 11, 2009 - Architects' Journal

With a housing market full of new condos and converted loft buildings, Chicago is becoming a popular place to purchase a vacation home.

July 10, 2009 - The New York Times

Several communities in South Florida are suing the state government over the recent passage of a law that allows exurban development to occur even if there is no adequate transportation infrastructure in place.

July 10, 2009 - The Miami Herald

In Austin, TX, a planned transit-oriented development went bust. The new developer is taking the density down from 1,200 homes to "plus or minus 700."

July 9, 2009 - Austin American-Statesman

As the city of Charleston, SC works to develop a plan to guide future development along the eastern end of Calhoun Street from Marion Square to the SC Aquarium, preservationists express concerns about possible new guidelines.

July 9, 2009 - The Post & Courier

Economic improvement projects funded by the stimulus are moving full steam ahead -- in France.

July 8, 2009 - The New York Times

This slideshow from The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the abandoned and stalled buildings form around the country that epitomize the bust of the building market.

July 7, 2009 - The New York Times Magazine

Empty lots are scattered throughout San Francisco, sites of would-be towers that have been temporarily put off by the building bust. Instead of letting these lots sit empty until construction, some are finding ways to utilize them in the meantime.

July 7, 2009 - San Francisco

Environmentalists in Berkeley and Oakland are realizing that the inner-city development they protested in the past is actually more eco-friendly than the alternative.

July 6, 2009 - East Bay Express

Winners have been announced in an open competition to design what could become a permanent, sea-based, autonomous living facility.

July 6, 2009 - Bustler

A controversial effort to develop a modern art museum in San Francisco's Presidio has come to an end.

July 5, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

As Houston considers extending its urban boundaries, planners and locals struggle with the proper techniques for ensuring good development without zoning.

July 5, 2009 - Houston Chronicle

Terrapin Run LLC proposed a 4,300 home development in Allegheny County. Local officials decided that the project was not in keeping with environmental or smart growth objectives for the area, and the developer answered with a lawsuit.

July 4, 2009 - Baltimore Sun

Cities on the rise are growing faster and cities on the decline are shrinking slower, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

July 2, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Yale economist Robert Schiller believes that the housing market is showing signs of improvement. "At this point, people are thinking the fall is over," says Schiller.

July 1, 2009 - Bloomberg.com

Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG looks at plans for a zoo in France made up of simulated environments, and wonders why we don't build simulated environments for humans.

June 30, 2009 - BLDBLOG