North America
Suburbs and City Cores Need Cohesion
Rising energy prices and falling home values are bringing many exurban dwellers closer to the city core. In this commentary, Keith Schneider argues that central cities and inner-ring suburbs need to work with each other to stay afloat.
Home Economics
Philip Langdon comments on the the economy of oil and its effects on urban design in the July/August issue of New Urban News.
NIMBYs On Vacation
Next American City nails NIMBYs for their vacation choices.
Small Town Apocalyptic Values
Josh Stephens reviews James Howard Kunstler's novel of post-peak oil existence, World Made By Hand.
Oil Prices Aren't the Only Reason Sprawl is Dying
In this column, Richard Florida argues the decline in the popularity of suburbs is not just a product of rising oil prices, but a result of a new "spatial fix" that is reorganizing how and where people live their lives.
Report Predicts 'Mass Exodus of Vehicles off America's Highways'
A new report for a Canadian bank examining the economic impact of rising oil prices predicts that millions of Americans will be forced to give up driving as gas reaches $7.00 a gallon.
Autograph Architecture
Architect John Field believes that signature buildings by celebrity architects are destroying the urban fabric and our sense of community.
Are Churches Causing Sprawl?
By moving out to areas where planning approvals are faster, rapidly-expanding churches are creating suburban sprawl, according to a recent study from researchers at Ryerson University.
Unmaking the Problem of Suburbia
Though there is some resistance to change, many cities in North America have their sights on undoing the damage of the last 50 years of suburban development.
Kiplinger's Rates Top 10 Cities to Live, Work and Play
Houston tops the list, which includes Des Moines, Boise and Omaha. Yeah, we want to see their criteria too...
Big Box Thinking When Siting Schools is Creating Sprawl
New schools are consistently built far from community centers, while historic school buildings near where people live are demolished, The Blue Ridge Press reports.
Generations of Planning Commissioners
Planning and zoning commissions need to be diverse to make sure the broad range of issues and concerns are considered. That requires commissioners who are from different parts of town, different walks of life, different ethnic backgrounds, and now, different age groups.
Is The FTA Killing Game-Day Transit?
Game-day transit options are popular amenities in big cities, but new FTA regulations could force them to the curb. Cincinnati's Metro feels the heat from the Feds.
Airlines Desert Small Towns, Despite Costly Investments in Infrastructure
If you build it, will they come? Not in Hagerstown, Maryland, where airlines have left town despite a brand new runway.
Agrarian Past Drives South Atlantic Sprawl
North Carolina bills itself as the "good growth state." But as North Carolina's population heads toward 10 million, the state's low-density pattern of development is straining the infrastructure.
Learning From Vancouver
Scholar and Brookings Fellow Christopher B. Leinberger says Vancouver provides an accessible model for American cities as they look for examples of sustainable development done right.
New Urban Developers Surviving The Current Economic Storm
As the housing industry flounders, New Urbanist developers are using the flexibility inherent in their community plans to their advantage.
A Reminder to the City: Neighborhoods Are Building Blocks of Civic Life
Neighborhoods -- their habits, their participants, and their values -- are what create and define value in a city and in a home. Cities need to embrace this fact if they want to preserve values and retain residents.
German City a Model for 'Sane Transportation'
The German city of Bremen has lessons to teach North American cities about sustainable transportation, according to this article from The Toronto Star.
Form-Based Zoning on Main Street
National Trust Main Street Center Program Officer Nick Kalogersis, AICP gives a primer on form-based zoning and its relavance to traditional commercial district revitalization.
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
