Urban Development
Debating L.A.'s Growth, Traffic and Transit
The Transit Coalition's Bart Reed and USC planning Professor Peter Gordon debate transit and traffic in L.A. in this five-part point-counterpoint series.
Cities Scramble for Salt Lake Commuter Rail Station
Suburban Salt Lake cities are squabbling over who should host a possible station for the area's new commuter rail system. The city seen as the best choice doesn't want a station, while another city is doing all it can to lure the system.
Areas of Stability and Change
Two new classifications of land in Denver -- areas of change and areas of stability -- are moving the city's redevelopment and densification plans forward.
Like It or Not, Vegas is Coming Up
Despite planners' love-hate relationship with it, Las Vegas is a hotbed of great city-making, according to this post from California Planning and Development Report.
Hollywood High?
Developers and politicians in L.A. are stealthily moving forward with plans to build a skyscraper in the heart of Hollywood -- a 40-story project that would tower high over existing development in the area.
8 Years And $45 Million Later, Still Nothing
Efforts to redevelop a blighted commercial plaza in South Los Angeles have proved fruitless -- angering residents who say the city has ignored them and allowed taxpayer money to be wasted. Questions remain about the developer's financial dealings.
The Ongoing Saga Of The Seattle Viaduct
With elections coming up, local politicians are peddling various plans for the replacement of the Alaska Way Viaduct -- though there is increasing consensus around removing the freeway and creating a waterfront boulevard.
Bay Area's Growth Shifts To Urban Areas
The latest population and housing estimates for the San Fransisco Bay Area show that urban areas are equaling, if not exceeding, the growth of suburban communities -- with more multifamily homes being built in lieu of detached single-family homes.
Green Affordable Housing Complex Opens In Harlem
A new 85-unit apartment building in Harlem shows that affordable housing and green building practices can go hand in hand.
A Neighborhood Revitalized By Books
A stretch of warehouses, parking lots, and rundown buildings in Minneapolis -- once envision as technology corridor -- has been instead been transformed into a thriving literary arts community, complete with new businesses and residences.
Pod Hotels: The Urban Motel 6?
Resembling a compartment in a first-class airplane cabin more than a standard hotel room, new pod hotels are popping up in major travel centers in Europe and North America, offering mini-rooms that provide travelers with lower-cost lodgings.
Eminent Domain Back On The Ballot In California
Two ballot measures -- one sponsored by property owners, the other by local government groups and businesses -- seek to tighten the rules around eminent domain, and potentially end rent control in the state.
Green Incentives Don't Help Small Businesses
While cities are eager to encourage businesses to go green, many government incentive programs are not designed with small businesses in mind.
Despite The Best Intentions, Sprawl Continues In Oregon
Though the state is considered a model for smart planning, Oregon's sprawling landscape shows that the state has much the same problems as the rest of the country.
A New Downtown Skyline For San Francisco?
San Francisco planners unveiled a rezoning proposal that would permit new skyscrapers around the new Transbay terminal, shifting downtown southward around a planned 1,000 foot tower -- which would be the tallest on the West Coast.
Homeowners Resist Plan To Scale Down City
Officials in Youngstown, Ohio, hope to save money and strengthen their community by vacating sparsely populated neighborhoods, but homeowners in the targeted areas are reluctant to leave -- even with the city's $50,000 incentives.
Smart Growth's Role In The Housing Crisis
The housing markets most affected by the subprime mortgage fallout are those with the toughest land use regulations, argues Wendell Cox.
Questioning The Value Of Stadium Subsidies
Taxpayers typically contribute more than 50 percent of the cost of a new stadium or arena these days, but what are they getting for their money?
Did Rising Gas Prices Burst The Housing Bubble?
A new reports says high gas prices have contributed to falling house prices in the nation's suburbs.
Developer Action Needed to Spur Light Rail Plans
Private investors and developers must come forward and plan around proposed rail lines in Detroit if there is any hope of transit materializing, according to this editorial.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
