Land Use

L.A.'s Neighborhoods Defined and Mapped

After months of input on boundaries from readers, the Los Angeles Times has released its map of neighborhoods in the city.

June 4, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Dry Counties Facing Zoning Issues As Liquor Sales Approved

The Planning and Zoning Commission of Lubbock, Texas is in the process of revamping old zoning to meet a new voter-approved iniative to allow off-premise alcohol sales.

June 4, 2009 - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Moving A City

This piece from Wired looks at the Swedish mining town of Kiruna that is literally picking itself up and moving.

June 4, 2009 - Wired

Zoning for Turbines

The city of Cumberland, Maryland is prepping a new zoning text amendment to regulate wind turbines, primarily to create height restrictions on turbines over 150 ft. in height.

June 4, 2009 - Cumberland Times

California Budget Crisis Derails Open Space Acquisition

With a budget proposal that threatens to close 80 percent of California state parks on the table, Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, explains how the state's budget crisis left the SMMC "dead in the water."

June 3, 2009 - The Planning Report

Removing Illegal Signs

On Thursday, the Department of Buildings of New York City took off a billboard which has blanketed the lower floors of the 19th-century Cushman Building, 174 Broadway, at Maiden Lane for several years.

June 2, 2009 - New York Times

Watch the Land Change Through Google Earth Images

These videos show images of locations that have seen significant change over the past few years as seen through Google Earth images, from Dubai's manmade archipelago to Utah's disappearing Lake Powell.

June 1, 2009 - Wired

Making Public Space Hip

The group tasked with reenergizing Bermondsey Square in southeast London see their target audience as "urban safarians."

June 1, 2009 - Building

Histories of No History: Commodification and Urbanization in the American West

Josh Stephens reviews two biographies of cities, The Dallas Myth: The Making and Unmaking of An American City and Reno’s Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City.

June 1, 2009 - Josh Stephens

School Sprawl

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a new report focusing on the effect of the built environment on children's health. Access to parks, the ability to walk to school, and opportunities for 'incidental exercise.'

May 30, 2009 - American Academy of Pediatrics

Detroit Could Become Countryside, Planners Say

A team of visiting planners suggested that Detroit could evolve into a series of urban villages connected by countryside.

May 30, 2009 - Detroit Free Press

Friday Funny: Planner Breaks Into Song

Pine Lake, Georgia City Council Member Melanie Hammet finds songwriting inspiration in the issues of land use planning.

May 29, 2009 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

California Cities Object To Greenhouse Gas Law

California's SB 375 attempts to require cities to develop in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. But some cities say the new law is misguided, and the state should focus on zero-emission vehicles instead.

May 29, 2009 - California Planning & Development Report

Is Smart Growth Successful?

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has undertaken the first significant study to find out if state smart growth policies are achieving their stated goals.

May 29, 2009 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Story of the High Line

The Sundance Channel has produced a series of short films profiling the landscape architects, officials, activists, writers, and Ethan Hawke and Kevin Bacon about how the High Line park came to be.

May 29, 2009 - Sundance Channel

Getting Buy-In On A New Urbanist Vision

Alamo Heights, a suburb of San Antonio, grapples with whether to adopt a "New Urbanist" (but slightly more traditional) approach to its major thoroughfare to improve pedestrian and bicycle access.

May 29, 2009 - San Antonio Express-News

Class Project Gains Legs

A proposal authored by Stanford students for a class to create a pedestrian-only zone near campus has gotten the attention of business owners and the community.

May 28, 2009 - Streetsblog

Urban Advocates Find New, Public Home

The San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) has opened new offices with the goal of interacting more with the public and creating an 'urban center'.

May 28, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Discarded Landscape of Car Culture

Empty swimming pools and deserted roadside motels feature prominently in No Lifeguard on Duty, a new book of photographs.

May 28, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Clinton Promoting 'Climate-Positive' Communities

Last week in Seoul, Bill Clinton announced a new collaboration between the Clinton Climate Initiative and the U.S. Green Building Council to go beyond the single LEED building and create new green development models for whole communities.

May 27, 2009 - The New York Times

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.