Urban Development

Housing Developers Breathe Neighborhood Into Downtown Boise

With a number of large-scale condo and apartment developments planned for downtown Boise, seven developers are transforming the formerly vacant downtown into a vibrant neighborhood.

June 13, 2007 - The Idaho Statesman

To Preserve Its Skyline, London May Limit Skyscrapers

Preservationists are calling for buffer zones around the city's heritage sites, which could upset Mayor Ken Livingstone's plans to spur urban regeneration with new high-rise buildings.

June 13, 2007 - BusinessWeek

A Walkable Downtown Los Angeles?

As part of a new set of guiding principles that call on city planners to 'demand a walkable city', Los Angeles may adopt new standards requiring developers to widen sidewalks, not streets.

June 13, 2007 - LA Downtown News

TODs Prove To Be A Boon For Urban Regions

In this special report, the WSJ examines the growing popularity of rail-based TODs, examining their effect on land values as well as the challenges they may face in obtaining approval.

June 13, 2007 - The Wall Street Journal

Building TODs Without The Transit

With pedestrian-friendly urban design increasingly popular, many suburban communities are building urban village-type developments usually designed around transit stations -- except they don't have transit.

June 12, 2007 - USA Today

China's Pre-Olympic Clean-Up Creates Slums

In preparation for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing and other Chinese cities have taken measures to clean up their "urban villages", demolishing homes and displacing thousands of poor migrants, which has resulted in the creation of many slums.

June 11, 2007 - The Economist

A Browner Shade of Green: The New Water Rules and the Next Chapter of Sprawl

Stormwater mitigation rules are supposed to help protect the environment, but the current regulations also end up encouraging sprawl over urban redevelopment.

June 11, 2007 - Lisa Nisenson

Los Angeles' Smart Growth Saga

The city is working hard to increase density, but with Angelenos firmly attached to their cars and the region's transit moving at a snail's pace, can smart growth really work in L.A.?

June 11, 2007 - LA Weekly

Seattle Approves Major Mixed-Use Project For Pioneer Square

Plans call for redeveloping the north parking lot of the Seattle Seahawks stadium into a new mixed-use development that will add 400 housing units to the historic district and better link the neighborhood with adjoining areas.

June 10, 2007 - The Seattle Times

Low-Income Tenants In D.C. Agree To Relocate

Plans to redevelop several ailing housing projects near the U.S. Capitol into mixed-income communities are moving forward after most tenants agree to relocate voluntarily.

June 10, 2007 - The Washington Post

More Controversy Surrounding Financing Of Atlantic Yards Project

A freelance journalist has uncovered documents that highlight major government financial backing for Forest City's Enterprises' proposed Brooklyn redevelopment project, which has largely been promoted as a privately funded development.

June 9, 2007 - Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn

Integrating The Farm With The City

The idea of linking agriculture and smart growth is gaining ground in California's booming rural areas.

June 8, 2007 - New America Foundation

Olympic Games Cause Of Major Displacement, Says Rights Group

A human rights group has accused the Chinese Government of forcing 1.5 million residents from their homes in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing -- the latest in a continuing saga of displacement in former host cities.

June 8, 2007 - The Washington Post

Sell It As 'Smart Growth'

Savvy real estate developers who can promote their projects as smart growth developments are attracting significant capital from public pension funds -- regardless of the actual merits of the project.

June 7, 2007 - LA Weekly

Turning Shuttered School Sites Into New Homes

Forced to close schools due to shrinking enrollment, a Detroit suburb is selling its surplus schools to housing developers in hopes that children from new families will prop up remaining schools in the community.

June 7, 2007 - Metro Times

Will Camden's Best Corporate Citizen Skip Town?

In an effort to improve its world headquarters, Campbell Soup wants to expand its campus in Camden, New Jersey. The only problem is that the company's plans include knocking down a nationally registered historic building.

June 7, 2007 - The New York Times

India's Richest Man Builds Skyscraping House

Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man, has plans to build a 570-foot, 27-story skyscraper in Mumbai as a home for his six-person family, a stark contrast to the city's many crowded slums. Some planners predict similar skyscraper projects will follow.

June 6, 2007 - The Guardian

Will Atlantic Yards Be A Sustainable TOD?

Located on the site of a major rail transit hub in Brooklyn, the Atlantic Yards project has the opportunity to be one of the highest profile transit-oriented developments in the world. But will it really promote transit use and reduce congestion?

June 6, 2007 - The Gotham Gazette

Temporary Tokyo And Its Shifting Visions Of The Future

Tokyo is rapidly developing -- and redeveloping. One of the unique characteristics about the city is the temporal nature of its buildings and spaces, which are often replaced after very short lives with new visions of the city's future.

June 6, 2007 - Wired

When TV Meets A Real Place, Prices Can Soar

The primetime Fox television show "The OC" and MTV's "Laguna Beach" may have helped increased real estate prices in Orange County, California.

June 6, 2007 - The Financial Times

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.