Urban Development
Big-Box Costco Goes Downtown, Mixed-Use
Costco is the anchor tenant in a new Downtown Vancouver mixed-used development that partially opened November 2006. Besides going mixed-use, Costco also added underground parking to adapt to its new urban environment.
Two Big Retailers Drop Plans for Two Big Manhattan Stores
Home Depot and Apple are dropping plans for two big Manhattan stores. The Slatin Report offers the insider's view on the deals.
A Smart Growth 'Rent Belt'?
Wendell Cox and Ronald Utt suggest that smart growth abuses are creating a "Rent Belt" of high-Cost areas.
Regional Plan Causes Infrastructure Concerns In Reno
A proposed regional plan in Reno, Nevada, is looking to make big steps towards increasing the area's density and environmental friendliness. But opponents are worried that a rise in density will create major infrastructure problems.
A New LEED Hub In Las Vegas
An 18 million square-foot hotel and commercial resort in Las Vegas is set to become the largest LEED-certified project in the U.S. when it opens in 2009. Other builders are expected to follow the green path in Nevada, where tax breaks are generous.
Spanish Harlem Losing Its Accent
A wave of gentrification is threatening Manhattan's Puerto Rican enclave.
Developer Bringing Panama City's Old Quarter Back To Life
A former New York corporate lawyer turned developer is pouring his love for historic and human scaled urbanism into the city's neglected core.
Expansion And Growth 'Reserve' Land Rejected In Kentucky
Planning officials in Fayette County, Kentucky, have approved a plan that will not expand its boundary of growth. The planning commission also unanimously rejected the establishment of an 'urban reserve', in case minds changed about expansion.
Coastal Town Gives Developer A Major Challenge
After a $1.3 million campaign, residents of Pacifica, California rejected a developer's proposal for a new hotel, shopping center, and residential community master planned by Duany Plater-Zyberk. But the developer's not giving up yet.
Will Scotland's First New Urbanist Town Be Built?
Despite support for the plan and the amenities it provides for Inverness, some fear that Andres Duany's planned town of Tornagrain is not needed.
City Hall Is Best Left In The Center Of The City
Mayor Tom Menino's proposal to move Boston City Hall to the south waterfront ignores the importance of the building's location, and the recent developments in downtown.
Unified New Orleans Plan Gets Green Light
Recovery czar Ed Blakely lays out his five-point plan for the city's comeback as residents endorsed a plan for rebuilding the city's neighborhoods.
Re-Improving Boston's Pedestrian Environment
This article from The Phoenix looks at Boston's reputation for being a walkable city, why that reputation is fading, and who is helping to bring it back.
Mix And Match Development
Philip Langdon covers two new urban projects, Holiday neighborhood in Boulder, CO, and Beerline B in Milwaukee, WI, that achieve an intriguing mix of approaches and styles.
The Winding Road To Shipping Port Reuse
The long and convoluted tale of the demise of a container port and the planned rebirth of a piece of Brooklyn waterfront.
27 Of The Worst Things About Boston
There are many things to like about Boston, but this article lists of 27 things to not like about it, including inconvenient bus routes, short subway operating hours, and a lack of street signs.
Austin Tries A Waterfront High Rise (Again)
In a rerun of a failed 1999 plan to build a high-rise near the city's Town Lake, officials in Austin, Texas, are looking to increase downtown density. The City is hoping this try works, but the original plan's opponents are still opposed.
Town-Gown Showdown
The City of Santa Cruz and its University of California campus are struggling to come to terms with the university’s ambitious plans for growth and its impact on the city.
Growth A Concern In Idaho, According To Survey
Growth, education and jobs/wages/employment are the top concerns identified in public policy survey conducted recently by Boise State University's social science research center.
In California, Fast Food Entrepreneur Buys Route 66 Town
Fast-food chicken baron Albert Okura purchased Route 66 town of Amboy, home to a well known landmark of roadside architecture.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
