History / Preservation
Chicago Tour Highlights 'Ugly Architecture'
The tour's creator wants to give visitors a different take on the city, pointing out the quirky gems amid its notoriously beautiful buildings.
Affordable Housing: 'In the Direct Path of Climate Change'
Managers of affordable housing at the deadly northern end of Ida's path review what worked, what didn't, and what we might need to abandon altogether.
New York Plans to Improve Access to Hart Island, the Nation's Largest Public Cemetery
Managed for decades by the Department of Corrections, the island could soon become a public park with regular ferry service and expanded visiting hours.
Homeowner Groups Find an Antidote to Zoning Reforms: National Register Historic Districts
Many neighborhoods are moving to create historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in response to the growing number of states, cities, and neighborhoods loosening single-family residential zones.
The New Pentagon City Could Be More Sustainable, Walkable
In a draft plan, planners in Arlington County, Virginia call for improved pedestrian infrastructure, higher-density housing, and more public parks.
Controversy on Philadelphia's Historic Commission Over Mayoral Pressure
As one of the most historic cities in the country, Philadelphia faces uniquely intense pressures between historic preservation and development. A new controversy on the city's Historic Commission offers the latest example of the dynamic.
New Public Housing? HUD Has Found a Way
For decades, the number of public housing units across the U.S. has been shrinking. But within the limits of the law and funding, HUD has figured out a way to get back some of the housing that has been lost.
What Is White Flight?
'White flight' refers to the exodus of white Americans from central cities to suburbs in the early and mid-20 century, a phenomenon which led to declining tax revenue and business closures that created lasting damage to urban neighborhoods.
Growth and Heritage Colliding in San Antonio
As demand for real estate grows, residents in the city's historic neighborhoods face rising costs and the threat of displacement.
Eliminating Single-Family Zoning Alone Won't Solve California's Housing Crisis
While zoning reforms can help reduce barriers to building more housing, high construction costs and local opposition mean that the state won't see an immediate boom in density.
Is Historic Preservation Zoning?
In a victory for preservationists, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Houston's Historic Preservation Ordinance despite a lawsuit alleging that the ordinance constitutes illegal zoning rules.
Obama Presidential Center Breaks Ground on Chicago's South Side
Years of controversy and delay were in the rearview this week when the Obamas joined the governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago to break ground on the Obama Presidential Center .
How the Iconic Dingbat Took Over Los Angeles
The low-slung, car-oriented apartment buildings represent a mid-century solution to a housing shortage and offer valuable lessons for new development.
New Research Reexamines HOLC's Role in Redlining
New Deal agencies did engage in discriminatory lending practices–but not quite in the way we think.
A Tour of Houston's Rapidly Gentrifying Neighborhoods
These Houston communities have experienced the most dramatic demographic changes in the last decade, according to new Census data.
Who Is Robert Moses?
Known to some as the 'master builder' and to others as a villain in the history of New York City's development, Robert Moses was an influential and controversial city official who guided the construction of hundreds of projects in the mid-20th century.
Austin Interstate Expansion Plan Draws Opposition
A proposal to widen I-35 has drawn criticism from community members who want to see the city shift away from car-centric development.
Boosting the Signal on East Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District
The city of Austin formally designated the African American Cultural Heritage District in 2007, but recently decided to focus new planning and economic development energy to reaffirm the district's significance in the community.
What Is Historic Preservation?
Historic preservation is a controversial, highly contested cause, with a long history of failures and successes in the United States.
Memphis Targets Adaptive Reuse of Historic School for Neighborhood Benefits
A plan to rehabilitate the vacant former location of Melrose High School in Memphis' Orange Mound neighborhood "recalls many other recent initiatives aimed at elevating and investing in Black urban history."
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
