Land Use
Taking Back Farmland In Brazil
As poverty increases in Brazil and small farmers are pushed off of their lands into the overcrowded city's and ghettos, some groups are doing whatever it takes to re-distribute farmland to the poor.
Best Ideas Of 2006 Features Innovations In Planning
Urban design, housing for homeless people, and planning for decreased population are highlighted in the New York Times Magazine's annual survey of innovative ideas.
Prairie Dogs And Property Values
In rural Kansas, a fight continues over a 5,500-acre prairie dog colony. Some ranchers and environmental groups want to preserve the area, while many property owners and local officials advocate eradication.
Voters Consider Trading Parkland To Developer
A special election in Lakewood, Colorado, asks voters to decide if the city should trade 22 acres of public parkland with 22 acres of less-than pristine land owned by a developer. Opponents fear the traded parkland would immediately be developed.
News Summary and Analysis - November 2006
As part of a monthly series, we present a summary and analysis of some of the most interesting news to appear on Planetizen over the month of November 2006. This is the transcript of an audio segment that originally aired on the nationally syndicated radio program "Smart City".
How Planners Are Creating Clumsy Kids
A recent study on childhood development in compact cities calls on planners to consider the needs of children when making plans to avoid not giving children enough places to play. Children's motor skills are negatively affected, making them clumsy.
Will Insurance Become A Catalyst For Land Use Reform?
Blaming an increasing degree of risk due to climate change, insurance companies are ending the practice of providing flood insurance in many coastal areas, triggering a potentially enormous effect on housing and land use patterns.
Public Space vs. Political and Ideological Space
A comment on how public spaces are often overrun with political and ideological actions, reducing the equity of the daily user leading to confrontations and chaos in India.
Blakely Chosen To Head New Orleans Recovery
New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has appointed as the city's new recovery czar Edward J. Blakely, the man who played an instrumental role in recovery planning after the 1989 San Francisco Bay Area earthquake and the 1991 Oakland fires.
The Rise and Spread Of Sprawl
As cities from Paris to Beijing now creep outwards, the city that is credited with giving birth to sprawl is re-evaluating its own structure.
What Philly Can Learn From New York's Waterfront
A recent trip to New York's Hudson River Park has opened the eyes of Philadelphia residents looking to redevelop their city's waterfront along the Delaware River. But in comparing the waterfronts of the two cities, Philly's lacks a sense of purpose.
Restrictions On SF Pier Restoration Inhibit Placemaking
Restoring and redeveloping aging piers in San Francisco is helping to create a vibrant pedestrian promenade. But some feel the costs and developmental restrictions associated with the renovations are hindering the full potential of the area.
Fighting Obesity With Urban Planning
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at several New Urbanist communities changing that are encouraging walking and physical activity.
Michael Dukakis Takes On Parking
The former presidential candidate successfully lobbied Los Angeles officials to crack down on sidewalk parking around UCLA.
Wal Mart Supercenters Banned in San Diego
A law banning large retail stores, intended to keep WalMart Supercenters out of the city, is approved by San Diego officials.
Finding Exurbia
The Brookings Institution sheds some light on the growing number of "exurbs" in the United States.
The Rebirth Of The Property Rights Movement
Planner and essayist Richard Carson provides insight into the growing property rights movement.
Recording of 1991 'San Antonio By Design' Seminar by Andres Duany
A YouTube video features a nine-part talk given by Andres Duany in 1991 in San Antonio, Texas, after visting downtown and RiverWalk.
China To Double Fees For New Development
Many wonder if the government's action will work to slow down the pace of construction in its rapidly growing cities.
Is The U.S. Government Encouraging Sprawl?
Federal employees are often located in suburban areas away from transit, going against a policy of locating offices in downtown locations.
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
