Land Use

Unincorporated Area Residents Fight City Control

Members of a citizen group in Bull Mountain, an incorporated area in Washington County, Oregon, are at odds with an agreement that would allow cities to provide all urban services and dictate urban growth boundaries.

April 11, 2009 - The Times

Thirteen Strategies for Sustainability

How is Kansas City to make itself sustainable? This blog offers 13 strategies, one posted a day, from experts in different fields.

April 11, 2009 - One KC Voice

D.C. Stadium Bill is Really TOD Bill in Disguise

This column argues that legislation to build a new stadium for Washington D.C.'s professional soccer team is also a move to jumpstart development around many of the area's transit stations.

April 11, 2009 - The Gazette

Making A 'Playborhood'

Mike Lanza, an entrepreneur in Palo Alto, CA, is using his front yard as a place for his friends and neighbors to gather and play. Julia Galef from the Project for Public Spaces brings us this story.

April 10, 2009 - Julia Galef

Las Vegas Mega Development on Shaky Ground

A major retail and tourist project in Las Vegas -- what some are calling the largest project in the world -- is stumbling amid the recession. Its developers and the city are unsure of its future.

April 10, 2009 - Reuters

CO Springs to Bring Downtown Back to Life

Colorado Springs planners have put two ambitious plans on the table: The first, a brand new Master Plan for its downtown, and the second, a form-based code.

April 10, 2009 - Colorado Springs Gazette

A Blueprint for the Arts in Salt Lake

Part of a new master plan for Salt Lake County includes prescriptions for new cultural and arts sites distributed throughout the county, providing a blueprint for creating a network of cultural hubs within and around Salt Lake City.

April 9, 2009 - The Salt Lake Tribune

China's Eco-Cities Stumble and Fall

The ambitious green Chinese city of Dongtan was hyped up to be one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world. But now, like other eco-city plans, work on the project has slowed to a halt.

April 9, 2009 - Yale Environment 360

Making Sense of Street Vendor Regulations

The Center for Urban Pedagogy wants to make city codes understandable to the people that are impacted. With that in mind, CUP tackled New York's regulations for street vendors.

April 8, 2009 - The New York Times

Linking Health to the Built Environment

This video lecture calls on builders, architects and planners to work with the medical and scientific communities to better explore how the built environment affects public health.

April 8, 2009 - National Building Museum

San Antonio Saves The Trees

Officials in San Antonio say they've closed a legal loophole that allowed developers to clear trees for ranching or farming.

April 8, 2009 - San Antonio Express-News

How to Make Pedestrian-Friendly Streets

GOOD Magazine illustrates what makes a street pedestrian-friendly, from bollards to bulb-outs.

April 8, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Whither Vacant Buildings?

Officials in Fort Worth, Texas, are searching for ways to deal with buildings left vacant by businesses struggling during the recession. Other cities and the state of Texas are also addressing the issue.

April 7, 2009 - Fort Worth Star Telegram

Prescribing New Life for Dying Malls

A panel of experts weighs in on what cities should do with their dying shopping malls.

April 7, 2009 - The New York Times

Burnham Memorial Planned, But Designs Are Secret

A memorial to famed planner Daniel Burnham will be built on the lakefront in Chicago, and three finalists were recently chosen to design it. The designs haven't been made public yet, to the frustration of some locals.

April 6, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

California Desert A Hotbed for Alternative Energy

On the state's path towards drawing 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the end of 2010, California is focusing on its southern desert as the site of this alternative energy generation.

April 5, 2009 - NPR

Planning for Spontaneity

According to this opinion piece, planners must ease up on "big bang" planning--an approach centered around sweeping changes with fixed ideas of what the outcome must look like.

April 3, 2009 - Archinect

Vancouver Revisits View Preservation Policy

Amid growing concern that downtown Vancouver's mandated view corridors cost too much development while making too little sense, its planners are once again debating their necessity.

April 2, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

Washington Not Stimulating New Growth Patterns

For the first time since the Carter administration, Washington is in the position of paying for seemingly everything. But how will the federal government's spending affect growth in California? Not in the way you might think, says Bill Fulton.

April 2, 2009 - California Planning & Development Report

One Acronym Too Many

While completing a DEIR for the CCC on a BRT for a TND TOD, environmental planner Linda Gorman, MURP, AICP contracted acronym poisoning and had to be rushed to the hospital.

April 1, 2009 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

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.