Urban Development

On The Importance Of Congestion

Congestion is one of the most common complaints about a city, whether it's L.A., New York, Beijing, or Sydney. This article takes a look at how congestion is important to making a city what it is.

November 15, 2007 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Green Condos in Downtown L.A. Defy the Cooling Housing Market

Developers plan to continue with a major project in downtown L.A. despite a slowing market, confident in demand for environmentally-friendly homes and walkable, urban neighborhoods.

November 15, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

San Jose: 'Not For Sale By Owner'

Economist Peter Gordon reflects on a recent tour of San Jose, California -- where the so-called "revitalized" downtown is dead and nearly one-third of the city is blighted.

November 14, 2007 - Peter Gordon's Blog

School And Condo Mixed Use Plan Meets Opposition

Plans to reconstruct a New York school with a high-rise condo development on top have riled neighbors, arguing that the plan would grossly violate zoning restrictions.

November 14, 2007 - The New York Times

Finding A Housing Balance: Houses Vs. Apartments

A planning expert in Wales is warning that many cities are endanger of pushing families out to the suburbs by focusing solely on high-density development.

November 14, 2007 - BBC News

Sacramento To Decide Fate Of Downtown Railyards

The fate of Developer Richard Rich's vision for 240 acres of downtown Sacramento will be decided by the city's planning commission upcoming vote.

November 13, 2007 - The Sacramento Bee

Plan For The Community, Not Developers

Philadelphia's new waterfront plan should lead the charge to take back the planning process from the city's real estate interests, argues one citizen activist.

November 13, 2007 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Gentrification Burnout?

The gentrification of Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood was supposed to be inevitable, yet recently, the area has lost its sheen. Has New York's gentrification wave found its highpoint?

November 13, 2007 - New York Magazine

High-Rise Proposals Spur Outrage In Paris

Officials in Paris plan to unveil sketches of high-rise developments proposed for the outer rings of the city -- a development type nearly two-thirds of Parisians oppose. Many argue that the aesthetic focus shortchanges social concerns in the city.

November 13, 2007 - The Guardian

Meeting Standards May Not Be Enough In Portland

A proposed plan in Portland, Oregon would force builders and developers who only meet minimum energy efficiency standards in new projects to pay a fee, while projects that exceed standards would receive cash awards.

November 13, 2007 - The Oregonian

West Hollywood's Laundry List Of Poor Planning

This blog post from LAist bemoans the rampant development of West Hollywood and outlines "Ten Reasons to be Pissed at the WeHo City Planners".

November 12, 2007 - LAist

G.I. Mixed Use

This article looks at Fort Belvoir, the mixed use military base.

November 12, 2007 - The Washington Post

BRT Inspires Density In Johannesburg

A broad bus rapid transit system in the works in Johannesburg, South Africa, is sparking a wildfire of dense, mixed use development plans for the city.

November 10, 2007 - Financial Mail

New Urban Projects Faring Well In Declining Market

New Urban and transit oriented developments are showing better financial health compared to other types of development as the housing market declines nationwide.

November 10, 2007 - New Urban News

'Cargo Oriented Development' Brings Life To Industrial Areas

This piece from Smart Growth Online looks at transit oriented development near transit and freight facilities -- dubbed "cargo oriented development" -- as discusses how it can create value in neglected industrial areas.

November 10, 2007 - Smart Growth Online

Coney Island Amusement District May Be Preserved As Park

Plans call to remap Coney Island's amusement district as parkland, allowing further amusement and recreational development, but blocking proposed high-rise condo towers.

November 9, 2007 - The Village Voice

Changing Tides In Chinese Planning

Metropolis Magazine talks with Chinese architect and planner Huasheng Sun about how the two fields have changed as the country transitioned from communism to a more capitalist society.

November 8, 2007 - Metropolis Magazine

The 'Ad-Hoc' Redevelopment of New Orleans

Rebuilding and redevelopment continues is New Orleans, with a wide variety of architectural styles creating a patchwork in the city. Some say this free-form redevelopment is good for the city, but others are calling it a mistake.

November 8, 2007 - The New York Times

Urban Revitalization Through Libraries

Cities across the world are investing in their libraries as opportunities to create world-class architecture and tourist attractions.

November 7, 2007 - The Toronto Star

UK Healthy Towns: A Step Too Far?

The government in the UK has announced plans to create "healthy towns" that encourage exercise through urban design. Is this idea going too far to control peoples' activity?

November 7, 2007 - Spiked

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.

Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop

Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

Early Bird Deadline – save on your tuition fee!🚨

Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

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.