Land Use

Serving the Needs of Seniors: Solutions in Practice

We've long focused on the *what* when providing housing for seniors. Today Hazel Borys reminds us that the *where* is equally critical, if not more so.

March 12, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Urban Explorers

Place Hackers Explore Urban Space to Reclaim It

Matthew Power profiles Bradley L. Garrett, Ph.D. and his "research subjects," who are active participants in the urban explorer movement, which aims to "rediscover, reappropriate, and reimagine the urban landscape."

March 11, 2013 - GQ

Cleveland's Public Space Revolution

With new bike paths, regional trails, and renovated parks, Cleveland is catering to bikes and pedestrians, says Steven Litt. He explains how this "car town" is "undergoing a revolution in attitudes toward public space, city streets and walkability."

March 11, 2013 - The Plain Dealer

Walkable Streets: Considering Common Issues

Generalist Geoff Dyer delivers his walkability design tactics magnum opus on PlaceShakers. His years of practical experience are conveniently condensed for your consumption.

March 11, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Biking Craze: Revolution or Fad?

In the 1960s and 70s, America witnessed a bike boom that sounds very similar to today's. Although it petered out, Tom Payne argues why contemporary circumstances have altered the long-term viability of a bicycling revolution.

March 11, 2013 - Urban Times

Calgary Suburbs

Reining in Sprawl Won't Be Easy; One of Canada's Worst Offenders Shows Why

With its progressive mayor and recent examples of exemplary architecture and urbanism, you'd think alternatives to sprawl would be an easy sell in Calgary. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong, says Christopher Hume.

March 10, 2013 - The Toronto Star

Busy Crossing Street

10-Year Study Confirms Public Health Benefits of Walkability

A newly published University of Melbourne study ten years in the making reveals that increased access to shops, parks, and other amenities increased walking and overall health.

March 10, 2013 - Science Daily

Fresno Portal

Can a 'Poster Child for Sprawl' Turn Itself Around?

In a video documentary, Matthew Gordon examines the elements of Fresno's General Plan update, which seeks to reorient the city around a more sustainable urban form, and turn around the fortunes of one of the country's most impoverished cities.

March 9, 2013 - InfrastructureUSA

Hollande Embraces Greater Paris Plan

To the surprise of many, a change in governments has failed to derail former president Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious "Greater Paris" plan for an expanded transit network linking the French capital to its suburbs.

March 9, 2013 - The Guardian

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Boost Brownfield Redevelopment

This week, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2013 (BUILD Act), a bill aimed at assisting local communities in remediating and redeveloping contaminated sites.

March 8, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Outlandish Incinerator/Ski Slope Breaks Ground in Denmark

That wild "mountain-slash-ski-slope-slash-waste-to-energy-power-plant" project proposed by "it" architecture firm BIG that everyone thought was dead has broken ground in Copenhagen, reports Branden Klayko.

March 8, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

Is Good Transit Necessary for Parking Reform?

Paul Barter answers with an unequivocal no. He outlines the reasons why debates over the elimination of parking minimums should be decoupled from transit, and identifies other reforms that can make parking changes palatable.

March 8, 2013 - Reinventing Parking

Poor Renters, not Middle Class Homeowners, Were Hardest Hit by Sandy

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the news media were fixated on the plight of middle-class homeowners in places like the Rockaways in Queens. But two new reports show that low-income renters were the more prevalent victims of the storm.

March 8, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

New Project Seeks to Boost Community Planning in the UK

The passage of the Localism Act gave broad new planning powers to local communities across the UK. A new project seeks to build a bottom-up planning culture to take advantage of new opportunities.

March 6, 2013 - The Guardian

Healthy by Design: On the Growth of Health Impact Assessments

Joe Gose examines the growing use of health impact assessments to guide decision-making through a case study from the La Alma/Lincoln Park neighborhood near downtown Denver.

March 6, 2013 - The New York Times

San Francisco Skyline

San Francisco Grapples With How to Accommodate Astonishing Growth

Over the next 20 years, San Francisco is expected to add 150,000 new residents, or nearly 20% of its existing population. John Wildermuth looks at the "hard choices" confronting the city as it plans for its future.

March 6, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Toronto's Outspoken Chief Planner Ruffles Feathers in Quest for Change

Jennifer Keesmaat is "on her way to becoming modern Toronto’s first celebrity bureaucrat," says Marcus Gee, who profiles the city's new chief planner. Can she succeed in her quest for change without offending those whose support she'll need?

March 6, 2013 - Globe and Mail

Refined Plans Unveiled for Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Site

Alan G. Brake outlines the redesigned plans to develop the site of the historic Domino Sugar refinery along Brooklyn's East River waterfront. The $1.5 billion plan is the latest, and perhaps last, turn in the site's tortured redevelopment saga.

March 5, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

In Lagos, Creating Homeless is a Sign of Progress

Adam Nossiter reports on the latest episode in Lagos's quest to become a "premier business center" - the demolition of the Badia East slum, which instantly left 10,000 residents homeless.

March 4, 2013 - The New York Times

The Timeless Value of Visuals to Planning

Throughout the history of planning, compelling visuals have been essential to communicating the concepts established in "our most influential plans," says Howard Blackson. That tradition continues in New Urban placemaking endeavors.

March 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

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.