Community / Economic Development

The Dark Side to the World's Most Livable City

From high drug use to overpriced housing, Vancouver has its flaws despite its 5-year strong top spot as the world's most livable city.

March 4, 2011 - National Post

What Do Twitter Patterns Say About Your City?

A study of Twitter-use patterns found that some cities are far more active early in the morning, while others showed higher activity at night or on weekends.

March 3, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Is the Nation's Affordable Housing Supply Overwhelmed?

Colleen O'Connor, a writer for The Denver Post, uses the case of Colorado to demonstrate what she sees as an inadequate supply of affordable housing across the country.

March 3, 2011 - The Denver Post

Tourist-Centric Venice Loses Population

As floods increase and the tourist-focus of the city pervades, Venice, Italy is losing much of its charm -- and its native population.

March 3, 2011 - Der Spiegel

Squatters Dominate Caracas Tower Amid Housing Shortage

As housing costs rise and supplies dwindle in Caracas, more than 2500 squatters have occupied a downtown skyscraper.

March 2, 2011 - The New York Times

The Unlikely Biennale of Landscape Urbanism

A landscape urbanism biennale in an unlikely suburb of Tel Aviv offers its working class citizens a look how their city can change for the better.

March 2, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

New City to Sprout in Qatar Ahead of World Cup

Qatar is building cities from scratch ahead of its hosting duties for the 2022 World Cup. One city to be located near the tournament's final match will house 200,000.

March 2, 2011 - Bloomberg

Which is More Livable: Eco-Cities or Mega-Cities?

Are greenfield developments designed with sustainability in mind or already-built metropolises better for the environment and the people?

March 1, 2011 - THE DIRT

Transport is Key in Science Hub

A hub of information and communications technology known as Kista Science City in Stockholm, Sweden, has focused on intelligent transportation to fuel its success.

March 1, 2011 - Next American City

People Power Vs. Weeds

Gene Dunn, a 63-year-old resident of Ventura, California cuts weeds with his square shovel on public streets. City leaders would like to recruit an army of Gene Dunns.

February 28, 2011 - Ventura County Star

The Contradictions of Regulating Temporary Spaces

As popularity of "temporary urbanism" initiatives rises, there are increasingly efforts to regulate these sites. Jonna McKone of TheCityFix analyzes the trend.

February 27, 2011 - TheCityFix

House Committee Wants to Kill HUD, USDOT and EPA Programs

The House Appropriations Committee announced earlier this month a proposed elimination of HUD, USDOT and EPA sustainability programs, in addition to pulling already-awarded funding for TIGER grants.

February 27, 2011 - PlaceShakers

Energy Efficiency is about Location, Location, Location

A new peer reviewed study reveals that housing located in compact, transit-oriented and location efficient developments are more likely to consume less energy than developments in low density suburban areas.

February 25, 2011 - NRDC

An Urbanized and Unequal Planet

In this piece from Metropolis, Joel Kotkin argues that as the world urbanizes, cities are becoming increasingly unequal and do not provide the opportunities they once did.

February 25, 2011 - Metropolis

Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss Future of Cities

A new conference that debuted in San Francisco this week is devoted to creating smarter, greener, and more prosperous cities for the future.

February 25, 2011 - Fast Company

Considering a 9th Ward Land Trust

Residents in New Orleans' still-struggling 9th Ward are considering the creation of a land trust to help revitalize the neighborhood.

February 24, 2011 - Miller-McCune

The Good and Bad of Vancouver's Olympic Legacy

This column from The Seattle Times looks at two of the physical legacies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and finds both success and room for improvement.

February 24, 2011 - The Seattle Times

Treasure Island Towers Cut Down to Size

Towers included in plans to develop a new neighborhood on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay have been slashed to better integrate with the island's development and surroundings.

February 24, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

Suburban Myths

Common conceptions about suburbs are fading away, according to William Upski Wimsatt.

February 24, 2011 - The Washington Post

Tel-Aviv's New Master Plan Kept Secret From Residents

The Mayor of Tel-Aviv has called the new Master Plan a "constitution for the city," yet local officials have stated they will not comment on the plan until after it is approved by the city council.

February 23, 2011 - Sustainable City blog

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.

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.