Urban Development

Baltimore Seeks A New Street Vision

Planners and officials in Baltimore are looking to recreate one of the city's major streets as a vibrant tourist and retail area. But opinions differ on how to do it and where to look for examples.

June 29, 2007 - The Baltimore Sun

Rail Expansion Gives City A Chance For Rebirth

New development spurred by rail expansion is setting Washington D.C.-adjacent Tysons Corner, Virginia, on what many see as a fast-track to revitalization.

June 29, 2007 - Falls Church News-Press

An In-Depth Look At Housing In Portland, Oregon

In a series of articles, The Portland Tribune looks at the state of the housing market in the city and the trends that are affecting the urban lives of the city's diverse population.

June 28, 2007 - The Portland Tribune

Building Starter Mansions In The People's Republic Of China

U.S. home builder Toll Brothers, renowned for its large home suburban subdivisions, is looking to expand overseas.

June 28, 2007 - Reuters

Finding 'The Perfect American Street'

Recounting a recent trip to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, writer Philip Langdon shares the pleasure of the small town's main street.

June 27, 2007 - The Hartford Courant

Twin Cities Envision Greater Regional Cooperation

The idea of expanding the influence of the metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota's Twin Cities region has been around for a while. But increasing growth and congestion may finally push the idea forward.

June 27, 2007 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

A New Species of Mall Rat Evolving?

The second largest mall owner in the nation will redevelop over 200 of its properties into mixed-use centers.

June 27, 2007 - New Urban News

What Subdivision Walls Tell Us About Our Values

A recent column cites the phenomenon of subdivision walls as an example of how Americans are neglecting and shunning the public realm.

June 27, 2007 - The Charlotte Observer

Using Universities As A Cover For New Development?

Developers are hoping that by putting private colleges and universities within new developments, communities will be more likely to loosen land use approvals.

June 26, 2007 - The Sacramento Bee

Atlanta Swelling With Coastal Florida Expatriates

Fear of hurricanes, high housing costs, and prohibitive insurance premiums are driving coastal Florida residents north to Atlanta. Real estate agents and developers are happy, but the region is already strained by growth.

June 26, 2007 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Look At Houston In A Different Light, Argues Kotkin

Often maligned by by most planners and urbanists, the City of Houston, Texas, receives a glowing defense from Joel Kotkin.

June 25, 2007 - The Houston Chronicle

Worries Over UGB-Splitting Bill And The Onslaught Of Sprawl

A powerful home builders lobby in Oregon helped push a bill through the state legislature that some say threatens the urban growth boundary for the city of Eugene, and essentially opens the flood gates for sprawl in the area.

June 25, 2007 - Eugene Weekly

Bruegmann: Sprawl Is Natural And Is Part Of History

Once considered "sprawl" by Londoners, the city's row houses now form the essence of the city. Are attacks of sprawl in the US built on "an extremely shaky foundation of class-based aesthetic assumptions and misinformation?"

June 24, 2007 - Forbes

The Challenge Of Rebuilding The Past

In Boston's Fort Point Channel district, redeveloping historic warehouses into luxury residences is easier said than done.

June 24, 2007 - The Boston Globe

Musician's Village Rises In New Orleans

Successful recording artists Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to develop a neighborhood specifically for the city's musicians.

June 23, 2007 - Architecture Record

Detroit Riverwalk Ushers In New Redevelopment Model

After pursuing a single-player, single-project strategy for decades, Detroit seems to have found a winning recipe for redevelopment with its new RiverWalk, which stressed regional cooperation from various public, private and non-profit organizations.

June 23, 2007 - The Detroit Free Press

New Orleans Woos South Florida's Construction Firms

With nearly $17 billion dollars available for reconstruction, New Orleans officials are calling upon south Florida's construction firms to help handle the demand.

June 22, 2007 - The Miami Herald

How A Blighted Downtown Is Resurrected

Once-blighted areas of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, have seen huge increases in development and property values recently -- a trend many attribute to public initiatives that encourage private investors. But other factors are also causing the boom.

June 22, 2007 - The Courier-Journal

Shaping America's Cities: Part 2 - A Debate Over Smart Growth

Author Robert Bruegmann and activist Gloria Ohland debate Smart Growth.

June 21, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

World's Most Expensive Cities Named

Moscow is the world's most expensive city, at 35% more expensive than living in new York. Asuncion in Paraguay is the least expensive city for the fifth year running.

June 21, 2007 - CNN Money

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.