Land Use
How Detroit's Mayor Attempts to Save the Great American City
With the challenges facing American cities of tight budgets and lost revenues, Major Bing openly asks how to shrink the size of Detroit and makes an open call for plans, concepts, and strategies to save the failing city.
Re-Zoning for a Future Population Averse to Single-Family Homes
As demographics shift and housing preferences of younger buyers lean away from single-family housing, much of the single-family-home-zoned areas in Charlotte will need to be rethought, according to this editorial.
A Very Thorough Understanding of a City's Streets
One woman in Lansing, Michigan has started a walking mission to explore and document every stretch of street in her city -- a total of more than 400 miles.
European Urbanism: Lessons from a City without Suburbs
Athens, Greece has all the elements of good urbanism - density, diversity, destinations, distance (to transit) and design. So is Athens a poster child for good urbanism? Fanis Grammenos takes an in-depth look.
Livability Lessons from Gainesville
Urban designer David Green talks with Anthony Lyons, Director of the city of Gainesville's Community Redevelopment Agency, about his successes in the city and how other cities can become more livable.
Farming the Subdivision
Agricultural spaces are increasingly being included in housing developments.
Temporarily Activating and Renting Unused Spaces
In Japan, owners of vacant space can rent them out by the hour, day or week to people who need them for temporary purposes thanks to a new website.
Yacht Race's Potential Long-Term Impact for San Francisco
San Francisco will host the America's Cup yacht race in 2013. Some in the city argue that the event could provide a good opportunity for the city to make major investments in projects that last long after the event.
Preparing to Create New York's New Public Space
Governor's Island is likely the next major waterfront area in New York City to be converted into a public space. Designers and planners are starting to think about what form it could and should take.
An Understandable Zoning Guide
New York City has released a new handbook of its zoning regulations in an illustrated, easily-comprehensible guide.
Temecula Mosque Plan Approved Unanimously
The City Council of Temecula, CA decided that a proposed mosque met all zoning requirements and voted to approve its construction, despite opposition that supporters claim was fueled by religious reasons and not concerns over traffic and parking.
Religious Freedoms vs. Land-Use Laws
A Vermont couple is challenging the decision of a state zoning commission that limits their right to illuminate a 24 foot cross on their own property to several weeks around Christmas.
Religious Freedoms vs. Land-Use Laws
A Vermont couple is challenging the decision of a state zoning commission that limits their right to illuminate a 24 foot cross on their own property to several weeks around Christmas.
The Broken Teeth of Philadelphia
David Gouverneur, urban designer and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at PennDesign, says mending the urban fabric of his city is a bit like acupressure: you put the pressure in certain key places to mend the whole.
A Community Built to be Green
The Vauban District in southern Germany is a small community built around a green transportation scheme, but it has become much more: a model of cooperative decision-making, sustainability and eco-planning.
BRT on the Rise Globally
Bus rapid transit is growing in popularity throughout the world, though implementation is lacking in the U.S.
Re-Integrating Disused Military Bunkers into the Public Realm
The Dutch Water Line is a floodable defense system built in the 16th Century in the Netherlands. Hundreds of bunkers were built during World War II, but now sit unused. A design firm has constructed a walkway right through the middle of one.
Brazil Inundated by Poor Planning Practices
While Brazil sits underwater due to heavy rains, an even greater political problem persists.
Exploring the Catacombs of Paris
Beneath Paris is an underground network of tunnels and quarries, long closed to the public. National Geographic takes a tour of this forbidden part of the city, where urban explorers keep tradition alive.
Planning for Kids Makes Cities Better for All
While some cities have focused planning efforts on making their public spaces more accessible for the elderly, some argue that the age group they should be focusing on is kids.
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
