Land Use

Putting the 'Urban' in 'Suburban'

The suburbs are steadily becoming more urban, with denser development, taller buildings, and a greater mix of uses.

July 20, 2009 - USA Today

China's Urban Policy Leaps While U.S. Lags

China's fast-paced development is making it into a major economic power. Its emphasis on urban policy is leaving the U.S. in the dust, writes Eugenie Birch.

July 18, 2009 - Citiwire

Soaking Up Runoff For a Greener Street

The city of Santa Monica has just unveiled its first segment of green street, one where rainwater runoff seeps into porous pavement and landscaping.

July 17, 2009 - The Lookout

New Eco-Town Plans Meet NIMBY Resistance

The UK government recently announced the sites of four new planned "eco-towns". But local opposition to the projects remains high.

July 16, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Changing Tune on Density

Back in 1971, Alvin Duskin mounted an all-out campaign to limit buildings in San Francisco to 72 feet. Today, he is one of many Bay Area activists reconsidering density.

July 15, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

A Perfect Storm of Construction

A perfect storm of projects, ranging from a new busway to an expanding sports arena, is just beginning to disrupt life in the village of Rozelle, Australia. Construction could continue past 2020.

July 15, 2009 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Getting Resilient

A paper published earlier this year by a team of professors argues that cities need to learn to become more resilient as resources become more scarce.

July 14, 2009 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Vancouver Requires Electric Car Inclusionary Zoning

The city of Vancouver is going to begin requiring that a certain amount of electric car charging stations be included in all new residential developments.

July 14, 2009 - CBC

The Securitization of Public Space

Julia Galef takes a look at Secure Cities, a new website that maps the effect of security measures on public space since 9/11.

July 14, 2009 - Metropolis Magazine

New Orleans Debates Highway To Boulevard Project

According to a new draft master plan, the Clairborne Expressway may be the next freeway to join the nation's growing highway to boulevard movement.

July 13, 2009 - The Times-Picayune

Emphasizing the Urban Angle of National Parks

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has said he wants to bring park programs back into the lives of urban dwellers. This piece argues that a good place for him to start is one of the few urban national parks at St. Louis' Gateway Arch.

July 13, 2009 - STL Today

Eating Healthy Now Required in San Francisco

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has issued a directive that seeks to mandate healthy eating and food production in the city.

July 12, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

The Fourth Urbanism

Columnist Frank Gruber seeks to define an urbanism separate from New Urbanism, Post-Urbanism, and 'Everyday' Urbanism: what he calls "Cityism."

July 11, 2009 - The Huffington Post

Nuclear Power on the High Seas

A Russian manufacturer has announced plans to build a nuclear energy plant on a floating platform near the Bering Sea.

July 11, 2009 - The New York Times

Communities Sue Florida Over Growth Management Law

Several communities in South Florida are suing the state government over the recent passage of a law that allows exurban development to occur even if there is no adequate transportation infrastructure in place.

July 10, 2009 - The Miami Herald

Private Ads in Public Spaces

The new public plazas in New York City have gained much popularity among locals -- and earned much money for the city. Officials have been renting out the spaces to advertisers, blurring the lines between public and private.

July 10, 2009 - The New York Times

Density is Victim of the Economy

In Austin, TX, a planned transit-oriented development went bust. The new developer is taking the density down from 1,200 homes to "plus or minus 700."

July 9, 2009 - Austin American-Statesman

Next Steps for Shrinking Cities: Results of the Planetizen Brainstorm

Bulldoze? Densify? Walk away? There are many ways cities can react to shrinking populations and abandoned neighborhoods. Planetizen readers decide which ways are the best.

July 9, 2009 - Nate Berg

Balancing Preservation and New Construction in Downtown Charleston

As the city of Charleston, SC works to develop a plan to guide future development along the eastern end of Calhoun Street from Marion Square to the SC Aquarium, preservationists express concerns about possible new guidelines.

July 9, 2009 - The Post & Courier

Highway Teardowns Benefitting Traffic Flow and City Life

The Infrastructurist offers four case studies of cities that have removed highways. The result: less congestion.

July 8, 2009 - The Infrastructurist

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.