Urban Development

Could Montreal Be Barcelona?

French starchitect Paul Andreu is creating a new iconic building for Montreal, but writer Joseph Baker posits that one splashy building does not a beautiful city make. Baker calls for a grand vision of city form on the scale of Barecelona's plan.

November 2, 2008 - The Montreal Gazette

The High Cost of Smart Growth

Washington instituted a Growth Management Act in the 1980s to help the state grow smarter. But recent studies show that the GMA has made housing increasingly unaffordable.

November 1, 2008 - Washington CEO

Baltimore Makes Grander Vision for Arts District

Planners in Baltimore have unveiled a 30-year plan to remake its arts district into a mixed-use, transit-oriented, regional destination.

November 1, 2008 - The Baltimore Sun

'Laneway Housing' Adds Density

'Laneway housing'- known to many in the U.S. as 'granny units'- is a popular solution for creating more housing in dense Canadian cities like North Vancouver. In fact, Mayor Darrell Mussatto lives in one.

October 31, 2008 - The Georgia Straight

The Fatal Flaw of Celebration, FL

Architect Richard Reep argues that the fatal flaw of Celebration and other New Urbanist-style developments around Florida is the lack of jobs within walking distance.

October 30, 2008 - newgeography

Re-Inventing the Mall

Shopping malls are rarely architectural gems. Architects, especially big-name architects, typically try to stay away from designing them. But now architects are rethinking how malls should be, and looking to examples of the distant past for guidance.

October 30, 2008 - Metropolis Magazine

Adaptively Reusing Brooklyn's Industrial Spaces

Preservationists say that there are better ways to use buildings along Brooklyn's industrial waterfront than to demolish them.

October 30, 2008 - The New York Times

'Eco-Town' Plans Falter in UK

The UK's "eco-towns" are feeling the hurt of the current economic situation, with only one or two likely to move ahead.

October 30, 2008 - Guardian

Segregated in the City

As more and more people move to the cities, the prevalence of economic and racial segregation becomes more and more apparent.

October 29, 2008 - Next American City

Will Mayoral Race Change Vancouver's Downtown East Side?

Decades of plans and interventions have failed to improve the Downtown East Side of Vancouver, one of Canada's most notorious neighbourhoods. The two mayoral candidates have very different visions for the DETS.

October 29, 2008 - Globe and Mail

One Developer's Outlook

Dawanna Williams of Dabar Development Partners discusses the narrower options for mid-sized developers in the current financial climate.

October 28, 2008 - The Architect's Newspaper

Berkeley Unveils Climate Action Plan Based Around TOD

In Nov, 2006, the residents of Berkeley approved a measure requiring the city to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by the year 2050. The draft plan has been released, and unlike an earlier version, this one emphasizes transit oriented development as key.

October 28, 2008 - The Berkeley Daily Planet

Inside the Mind of the Anti-Planner

Next American City chats with Randal O'Toole -- the "Anti-Planner" -- about the problems of planning and what makes the ideal city.

October 28, 2008 - Next American City

Stop Development, Stop Traffic?

October 27, 2008 - Nate Berg

How to Make San Francisco More Sustainable

As part of its series on creating a sustainable future, the San Francisco Bay Guardian has outlined a list of steps for improving land use in the city, and argues that current plans from the mayor won't be enough.

October 25, 2008 - The San Francisco Bay Guardian

Homeless at the Mall

A reporter goes undercover as a homeless person to find out what happens when the indigent pay a visit to L.A.'s first corporate-controlled public park.

October 24, 2008 - LA Weekly

Boston's Back Bay Fills In

The last empty lot in Boston's posh Back Bay neighborhood will soon be developed into a luxury, contextually appropriate, condominium.

October 23, 2008 - Boston Globe

Rebuilding Underway in Sichuan Province

A California-based architecture firm has been selected by a Sichuan planning department to rebuild the city of Dujiangyan after the deadly earthquake in the province earlier this year.

October 23, 2008 - Architectural Record

Leave the Sprawl of the Past Behind

A melting economy and struggling suburbs may mean it's time to reconsider how we model our cities and development patterns, according to this column.

October 23, 2008 - Chicago Tribune

'Lifestyle Changes' Needed for High-Speed Rail's Success

Critics of California's proposed high-speed rail system say that big cities are too spread apart for it to work as well as it has in Europe and Asia. Additionally, Californians will have to learn to adapt to density and public transportation.

October 22, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.