Land Use
The World's Most Non-Urban Settlements
From an underwater laboratory located in the U.S. Virgin Islands to a research station built on a 10,500-foot high ice plateau in Antarctica, Gizmodo has assembled the "20 loneliest outposts at the end of the world."
The Man Who Would Plan Washington
The blog Greater Greater Washington has been instrumental in furthering the discussion of land use in D.C. Rachel Weiner profiles its controversial founder, David Alpert, whose lack of formal planning experience is no impediment to his ambitions.
Can L.A. Transform a Notorious Housing Project into a Vibrant Mixed-Income Community?
Jessica Garrison reports on the ambitious $600 million "makeover" planned for the Jordan Downs housing project. The phased transformation, which allows any existing resident "in good standing" to stay, will be the largest such effort in the U.S.
Is Bloomberg to Thank for New Yorkers' Increasing Life Expectancies?
New Yorkers can expect to live eight years longer than they could just 20 years ago. Do Mayor Bloomberg's policies and initiatives deserve some credit? A mounting body of evidence ties urban form to human health.
America's Housing Stock in Need of Triage
In rising to meet America's changing housing needs and demands, not every community is positioned to pull it off. What to do? Painful though it is, Ben Brown suggests triage.
Why New Urbanism is the Bane of the Legal Profession
It's not how complicated or divisive New Urbanist-based land use regulations are that's driving the legal profession nuts. It's the opposite. There just aren't many New Urbanist rulings in the casebook, explains Jonathan Zasloff.
What Did Robert Moses Think of 'The Power Broker'?
Bridge and Tunnel Club has published the full 23-page typed, double-spaced letter that Robert Moses wrote in response to Robert Caro's biography.
SimCity-Style Interactive Map Seeks to Make Zoning Understandable
In an essay for Next City, Juan-Pablo Velez, member of the Chicago-based civic tech collective Open City, explains the rationale behind their latest project, which aims to make the city's zoning "digestible by humans."
Using Pictures to Think About Cities
How does each of us perceive the city? Using photos of pedestrians in Seattle crosswalks and the highly walkable Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Chuck Wolfe challenges readers to think for themselves about what they see.
Postwar Suburbia from the Air
On Places, D.J. Waldie assesses iconic aerial photographs of Lakewood, California, one of the nation's first postwar planned communities.
Plan for East River Blueway Comes Into Focus
This week Manhattan borough president Scott M. Stringer was set to outline a blueprint for expanding access to the East River in his state of the borough speech. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the improvements are seen as a potential buffer.
Who Can Fill L.A.'s Design Leadership Vacuum?
While New York has benefited over the past decade from the design leadership of Michael Bloomberg, Amanda Burden, and Janette Sadik-Khan, Los Angeles sorely lacks such powerful champions. Sam Lubell asks who will step up for L.A.
What's Next for Alexandria's Waterfront?
The pending sale of historic industrial buildings in Alexandria is seen as crucial to spurring the Virginia city's waterfront redevelopment, and "fulfilling a new vision for the area."
Where Are You Putting Those Food Scraps?
State and local governments across the United States are beginning to divert waste from landfills and promote organic composting.
For Walkability, the Journey is as Important as the Destination
This Big City reviews a new book by urban designer Julie Campoli that explores the elements crucial to creating walkable places. "Simply having shops, services and venues within walking distance is not enough."
L.A. Opens its First Pilot Parklet
With the opening last weekend of the city's first pilot parklet in the neighborhood of Eagle Rock, Los Angeles is hoping to join the ranks of cities hopping on the low-cost trend in public space creation.
Neighborhoods First (and Goal)
Howard Blackson's words of advice for San Diego's new administration are applicable wherever it is you call home. Neighborhoods first!
Should We Let Main Streets Disappear?
Kaid Benfield pens a provocative column in which he suggests that the traditional American Main Street is a thing of the past, and may no longer fit our modern retail economy. Are traditional main streets still worth preserving and emulating?
Cuomo Proposes Bold Plan to Return NY Coastline to Nature
An ambitious plan being proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo would see $400 million spent to purchase homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy with the intent of demolishing them and returning their properties to undeveloped coastline, reports Thomas Kaplan.
'TVs on a Stick' Spark Battles Across the US
Since the Federal Highway Administration relaxed a rule against digital billboards in 2007, communities across the country have struggled with how to balance concerns about distracted drivers and disfigured landscapes with the desires of advertisers.
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
