United States
'Design as Activism': The Rise of the Citizen Architect
This special issue of Metropolis Magazine highlights "citizen architects" working on small-scale projects to improve local communities.
Car Dealerships Closing Shop
Car dealerships -- long-sought by cities as big tax revenue generators -- are struggling in the economic downturn. Nearly 600 have closed this year, and another 100 are expected to shut down by the end of the year.
The Work of Neighborhood Stabilization
Foreclosures are blighting neighborhoods across the country. There's no question that something needs to be done. But to react effectively, the field of community development needs to carefully consider which areas should be targeted and how much can be saved, argues Charles Buki.
Segregated in the City
As more and more people move to the cities, the prevalence of economic and racial segregation becomes more and more apparent.
Pointing the Finger at Planners
In allowing places to be designed for cars before people, city planners are primarily to blame for creating an "autocentric" America, according to this article.
Why It's Different This Time
Historically, green initiatives come about as responses to energy crises, but are abandoned when oil prices drop and the economy busts. This time around, though, that's less likely to happen.
Obama, the 'Tin-Cup Urbanist'
If history is any indicator, Senator Obama's presidential plans to pump more federal money into fixing cities' problems are futile and wasteful, according to Steven Malanga.
One Developer's Outlook
Dawanna Williams of Dabar Development Partners discusses the narrower options for mid-sized developers in the current financial climate.
Trains Are Not Planes
Amtrak and other rail systems are using air travel as their model of service, which Alex Marshall argues is a big mistake given the advantages of rail that they fail to exploit.
Getting Food and Farming on the Next President's Mind
The next president should take farming seriously and personally, according to Neal Pierce, who writes that rethinking the scale of food production is smart for regions, the environment and the economy.
Fix America's Infrastructure, Fix the Economy
The next president must commit to fixing our infrastructure, says Dave Demerjian of Wired. Such an investment will create jobs, strengthen our economy and make America more competitive.
Three Oil Producing Nations Impacted By Oil Price Plunge
Plunging oil prices are hitting three oil-producing countries the hardest: Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. This article looks at each of them and evaluates how they will fare if oil prices do not rise, including their relationships to the U.S.
Reusing Empty Big Boxes
Sometimes big box retailers get too big for the boxes they're in. So they move. What's left behind are huge empty buildings -- and opportunities for re-use.
'Can Hard Times Be Good for Architecture?'
Critic Christopher Hawthorne argues that a difficult market could lead architecture away from a fascination with large, iconic buildings to a focus on the 'connective tissue' of cities.
Nancy Pelosi, Symbol of the West
The myth of the American West as a wild, natural place is long gone, says urban studies professor Carl Abbott. The Western U.S. is actually the most urban part of the nation.
Real Estate Market Won't Hit Bottom 'Til 2009
The Urban Land Institute reports on their new study, which predicts the real estate market will hit bottom in 2009 and 'flounder' through 2010.
Is it 'Over' for the American Landscape?
In this review of Alex MacLean's new book, "Over: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point," Hervé Kempf of Le Monde describes MacLean's book as a photo essay on a nation at the end of an era.
Leave the Sprawl of the Past Behind
A melting economy and struggling suburbs may mean it's time to reconsider how we model our cities and development patterns, according to this column.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
