Urban Development
Rural County Readies Itself For Urban Transition
With a number of large housing developments underway, rural Jasper County, South Carolina, is anticipating a rapid urban transition. Local officials are looking to draft a growth plan to ensure that developers whims won't shape the region.
Planning And TOD To The Rescue
This column from The San Francisco Examiner describes how "urban planning can save the world", and identifies transit-oriented development as a major solution to global warming.
Incentivizing Green Building
The British Columbia village of Saanich has passed a measure that will make it easier for developers building energy-efficient projects to get approval. Green builders will also receive building permit fee rebates.
Booming Town Seeks Water From Reluctant Neighbor
An 11-year drought in the Southwest U.S. has a growing small town in Nevada looking to pump water from nearby Beaver Dam, Arizona. Many in the Arizona town are upset over the proposed water-snatch, which they say limits their own ability to develop.
Convert A Condo--Take A Hike
At yesterday's L.A. City Council meeting, landlords and tenants sparred over affordable housing, money, and incentives for the middle class. After the dust settled, councilmembers voted: landlords may have to pay higher fees to relocate tenants.
Farmland Dwindles As Land Values And Development Increase
Farmland in British Columbia is being rapidly snapped up by residential developers as land values increase. This pressure is threatening the area's remaining fertile farmland.
The Next Generation Of Street Furniture
A bid is up for new street furniture in Toronto. Three firms have submitted their proposals for innovative street furniture, public restrooms, and bus stops. Some of the designs can be seen in this slideshow.
Opposition Growing To Public Subsidies For Retail Mega-Projects
Proposed state legislation in Arizona will punish cities that offer subsidies to retail projects. Kansas City's new mayor was elected on an anti-TIF platform. Increasingly, public financing for urban revitalization is coming under attack.
British Columbia Buys 'Poverty Hotels'
The provincial government in British Columbia has purchased 11 residential hotels in an effort to improve its handling of a rapidly increasing homeless population.
Back To The Future: The 1970 Los Angeles 'Centers' Concept Plan
Many say Los Angeles is a city that grew without any rational planning. In reality the planning was there -- but much of the best planning never quite materialized.
Two Abandoned Railroads, Two Different Results
Debate over the future of an elevated railway in Philadelphia is missing a key ingredient that has helped pushed New York's High Line project forward -- leadership and vision.
New York City's Latest Infill Strategy
With developable land all but gone in Manhattan, developers are now setting their sights on the open space many modernist housing towers reserved for basketball courts, plazas, and parks.
Town's Smart Growth Vision Remains Unrealized
Residents of one Upstate New York town have spent 4 years trying to transform a former hospital site into an mixed-use town center, without success.
Do We Need To Rethink Gentrification?
A growing number of scholars argue that traditional ideas about the causes of gentrification, as well as the winners and losers, may be unfit to describe the complex processes happening in modern day cities.
Mayor Releases 'Realistic' Plan For New Orleans
The newly released blueprint by Mayor Ray Nagin and Recovery Chief Ed Blakely may be the type of practical redevelopment plan New Orleans has been waiting for all along.
Getting Smart Growth Without Gentrification
Planning activists in San Francisco are working to encourage infill development without neglecting social equity concerns.
Seattle Drops Plans For Developer-Funded Parks
Plans to use fees charged to developers for building parks and open spaces in Seattle have been abandoned.
Retirement Communities That Reach For The Sky
Wealthy retirees who value city living over golf courses are creating demand for new urban, high-rise retirement communities.
The Suburban Vision of 'Radiant City'
A new documentary called Radiant City paints a peculiar portrait of contemporary suburbia.
The Potential of Gentrifying Cities
Neal Peirce explores the capitalist and progressive potential of inner city housing in gentrifying cities.
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
