Land Use
L.A. Looks to NYC for Pedestrianization Inspiration
Inspired by Manhattan's pedestrianization of Times Square, L.A.'s city council recently approved $1.8 million in funding to reduce a major downtown thoroughfare's roadway by half to make room for "a massive increase of the pedestrian infrastructure."
Chalking Vandal Acquitted in San Diego
The streets of San Diego may be safe once again for nefarious chalking after a jury acquitted a local man accused of 13 counts of vandalism for scrawling anti-bank messages on sidewalks.
Court Halts Controversial Taksim Square Project
An Istanbul court has ruled in favor of Turkish architects, city planners and landscape architects who sued last year to halt the planned redevelopment of Taksim Square. The project sparked nationwide protests last month.
Stroading: A Meme to Advertise America's Overbuilt Streets
Have you heard of stroading? While we don't recommend you try this at home, it behooves us to tell you about the ingenious meme that Charles Marohn and his friends have devised to point out America's over-engineered urban streets.
A Guide to New York's Celebrated and Underrated Urban Landscapes
If you haven't managed to escape from, or you've managed to escape to, New York City this holiday weekend you might be pleased to learn that a new guide to the city's urban landscapes has been published by Norton Architecture and Design Books.
Should the World Follow America's Lead and Raise Property Taxes?
Unlike the United Sates, Canada, and Great Britain, few countries raise substantial revenues from property taxes. The Economist argues that property taxes are among the most efficient, stable, and progressive forms of taxation and should be embraced.
Why 'Leave it to Beaver' Neighborhoods are Ripe for Renewal
The nation has a huge quantity of postwar housing that can be made more walkable and appealing to new generations of residents. Robert Steuteville examines what makes them good candidates and notes some examples of successful retrofits.
Could Mandatory Insurance Prevent Vacant Building Blight?
Abandoned factories litter the landscapes of cities and towns throughout the Rust Belt. A new paper proposes an innovative solution to help prevent vacant buildings from plaguing a community before a building is ever constructed.
How a Growing Megalopolis Will Redefine Africa's Economic and Political Boundaries
Within a few decades, explosive population growth in West Africa will create an urbanized area similar in size to America's eastern seaboard between Boston and D.C., "only far more populous." At one pole is Lagos, a "powerful new city-state."
Paris Is What People Want; How Can We Make More of It?
Hazel Borys concludes her whirlwind European travelog. This week: a look at the DNA of Paris, and how to replicate it elsewhere.
A Framework to Assess the Hidden Costs of Big-Box Stores
A narrow approach to land use policy makes it difficult for communities to assess, and consider, the full impact of new big-box stores. But on Cape Cod, a regional planning framework allows the hidden consequences of big boxes to inform decisions.
Is Urban Planning Effective in the Developing World?
A common question raised by those working in the developing world is whether urban planning is useful in those environments. Since questions often focus on planning of a comprehensive type, they overlook planning's intrinsic value and flexibility.
Stunning Discovery Upends Our Understanding of Pre-Industrial Urbanism
The results of a survey conducted last year of the forests of Cambodia, but just published this month, has found a complex landscape of "low-density urban sprawl" connected to Angkor Wat, upending our understanding of pre-industrial urbanism.
Researchers Propose an Alternative to High-Density, Carless Sustainable Development
Can we combine our love affair with cars and single-family homes with sustainable growth? Mark Delucchi and Kenneth S. Kurani think so.
Koontz Decision: No Big Deal or Blow to Sustainable Development?
In a forceful op-ed, professor John D. Echeverria argues the Supreme Court's recent "blockbuster" land use decision will "result in long-lasting harm to America’s communities." Not so fast, says Rick Hills, the decision offers an "exit strategy".
An App to Map Free Urban Snacks
A map and website developed by PhD student Ethan Welty and friend Caleb Philip catalogs the cornucopia of edible trees found in the "urban orchards" of two-dozen cities around the world.
With Pop-Up Project, Detroit Becomes a Beach Town
With 150 tons of golf-course bunker sand, the Downtown Detroit Partnership has turned a traffic island at the southern end of the Campus Martius into an urban beach, part of a larger effort to revitalize they city's downtown.
Can Mobile Homes Help Solve America's Affordability Crisis?
Homeownership is slipping out of reach for many Americans, caused largely by the lack of affordable housing inventory. There is a solution to the inventory shortage that many buyers, advocates and policymakers are overlooking: Manufactured Housing.
Civic Groups Win Decisive Battle in Effort to Rebuild NYC's Penn Station
With two City Council committee votes this week, civic groups and New York's most prominent architecture critic appear to have won their very public battle to ultimately boot Madison Square Garden from atop Penn Station, reports Matt Chaban.
Red or Blue, States Demand Walkable Urbanism
A new study by the Sonoran Institute finds unmet demand for walkable neighborhoods in the western American states of Idaho, Montana and Colorado. In these states, houses in walkable areas sell for markedly more than in sprawling areas.
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
