Urban Development
Documentary Follows Suburban Development Fight In Austin
"The Unforeseen," a new documentary, takes a thoughtful look at the various interests at stake in the development of sprawling real estate in Austin.
The Corruption Of Smart Growth
With many developers touting their various projects as "smart growth", the term is losing much of it meaning.
Ranch vs. McMansion
Wayne Senville is on a trip across the U.S. on Route 50. He reports on how Creve Coeur, Missouri, is a well-kept suburb west of the city of St. Louis, is handling the trend of ranch homes are being torn down and replaced with McMansions.
Urban Green Space Threatened By Higher Density?
New regulations requiring higher density housing have some worried about the threat to urban green space in the UK.
Manhattan Neighborhood Transformed By High Rises
Two towers climbing hundreds of feet high above the rest of the neighborhood has some Upper West Side residents upset about the resulting transformation of their community.
EPA Bullseye: Smart Growth Targets Big Builders
The US EPA is directing educational and research efforts that explain (among other things) the financial benefits of smart growth directly to the nation's largest homebuilders and developers.
For Hong Kong, Street Markets Are In The Past
While neighborhood farmer's markets are all the rage in the U.S., redevelopment officials in Hong Kong are making plans to raze of the city's oldest open-air food markets -- which is falling victim to gentrification.
Big Box Stores Fuel Chicago Retail Boom
Despite efforts to limit big box retailers in the city, Chicago is riding a new wave of retail spending at the likes of Target and Wal-Mart -- though smaller local retailers are also sharing in the boom.
Historic Brooklyn Waterfront Declared 'Endangered'
Plans for development have threatened the historic industrial buildings along Brooklyn's waterfront in recent years. Now, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has declared the waterfront one of the nation's most endangered historic places.
Study Shows Walkable Nieghborhoods Important To Health Of Elderly
Walkability has been shown to greatly improve the health and wellbeing of senior citizens. In response to recent studies on this issue, planners are looking to create walkable neighborhoods that encourage healthy habits for residents of all ages.
Zoning Loophole Eyes Backyards As Developable Brownfields
A zoning loophole classifying backyard gardens as brownfields has opened the door for developers in England to tear down homes and rebuild flats and apartments, eating up the equivalent of nearly 3,000 soccer fields in the next decade.
West Palm Beach Seeks Signature Skyline
West Palm Beach, Florida, is entertaining several ideas to embolden its skyline. One proposal suggests a 1,500 foot tower, which would be the tallest in the United States.
School Site Next To Freeway Decried As Hazardous
Plans for a new high school next to a busy freeway interchange in New Haven, Connecticut, call for sealed windows and air filtration systems, but community and environmental groups are calling the entire proposal unconscionable.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pagination
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie