Land Use
People's Needs and Placemaking
Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, proposes a new way of looking at placemaking through the lens of the 4 basic human needs (a framework from the field of psychology).
Real Estate Scandal and Planning Reform in Jerusalem
Described as being the biggest corruption scandal in Israel's history, the Holyland Park scandal highlights the need for tighter regulation of land use planning in Israel. But with the Prime Minister's support for deregulation, reform looks unlikely.
Fixing Neighborhoods in Savannah
Fast Company released their annual "Fast Cities" issue, featuring 12 cities the editors believe are taking innovative approaches. Savannah, Georgia was chosen for its Neighborhood Renaissance Savannah program, which cleans up abandoned homes.
Buffalo to Implement Citywide Green Code
Mayor Byron Brown announced that the city's new code will be the "Buffalo Green Code," supporting walkable, sustainable neighborhoods.
Brasilia, 50 Years Later
Christopher Hawthorne remarks that Brasilia had an optimism that is remarkably different from today's new cities that are striving towards sustainability and preparing for eco-disasters.
The Magic of a Passageway
A humble passageway through a building to a parking lot became a favorite public space with just a deli, a Starbucks, and some patio tables.
BRT Blossoms in India
This piece from Places takes a look at a new bus rapid transit system that is growing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
Community Design for Public Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are getting in the urban design racket with a new guide to community design that focuses on how urban form can affect public health.
This Earth Day, Make the Connection With Land Use
Patrick L. Phillips, CEO of the Urban Land Institute, uses the occasion of Earth Day to say yes, "how we use land matters."
The Orthodoxy of Urbanism
Planners take a prescriptive approach to urbanism, while people have their own ideas about what makes good places that don't fit the standard orthodoxy. Drew Austin says both extremes need attention, and synthesis.
'Desprawling' the Suburbs
Tysons Corner, Virginia, represents an unlikely pilot project for "desprawling" America's suburbs, but the expansion of Metro rail through the town has been seized by local officials as an opportunity to revamp the city's urban form and density.
WalMart vs. Preservationists at Civil War Site
In Orange County, Virginia, a battle is heating up at the site of the civil war's Battle of the Wilderness. The Board of Supervisors has approved a WalMart nearby, but preservationists are challenging the decision in court.
Subdivisions Built Around Agriculture
This article from GOOD wonders whether farms could become the new cornerstone amenity in suburban residential communities.
Streetcar Suburbs May Not Actually Support Streetcars
Yonah Freemark suggests that the original streetcar suburbs were actually not dense enough to continue supporting streetcars back in the day.
Running Cities Like A Business
Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez writes that the great success of Mayor Bloomberg's PlanNYC is due in large part to a process that borrowed key principles from the business world.
Living the Car-Free Life In Order to Plan It
New Urbanist Jeff Speck has moved his family to Lowell, Massachusetts without a car in order to experience the perspective of a carless household.
Public Space Creation in Three Midwestern Cities
This piece from The Architect's Newspaper takes a look at three midwestern cities that have recently benefited from outside investments in their urban centers.
On the Mesa, Off the Grid
A mesa in New Mexico is home to nearly 400 people, which makes up one of the largest communities of people in the U.S. living almost completely off the grid.
Friday Funny: The Ultimate SimCity
Behold Magnasanti, the ultimate city built using the SimCity game with no cheats, with a population of 9 million residents.
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
