Walkability
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Rethinking Suburban Development: New Trends in Creating Livable Communities
Discover new trends in suburban development focused on creating more livable, sustainable communities for future growth.
Culdesac Tempe Defies Expectations
Despite initial skepticism about its true potential for sustainable urbanism, the built-from-scratch “car-free neighborhood” is widely popular with its residents.
Survey Shows Boomers Are Unlikely to Stop Driving
Limited transit options and a lack of walkability mean more older Americans will continue to drive their cars as they age.
Study: Americans Spending Less Time Interacting in Public Space
American pedestrians are moving faster and spending less time connecting with other people when walking down city streets.
Midburbs: A New Definition of Suburbs
When the name “suburb” just doesn't quite fit.
San Francisco Development Centers Pedestrians, Public Space
The Mission Rock project eliminates street parking, replacing it with public seating and landscaping.
Accessibility and Car-Free Zones
Some critics of car-free zones call them exclusionary to people with disabilities, but other experts argue that, when properly planned, pedestrian enhancements improve safety and accessibility for everyone.
Accessibility and Car-Free Zones
Some critics of car-free zones call them exclusionary to people with disabilities, but other experts argue that, when properly planned, pedestrian enhancements improve safety and accessibility for everyone.
Research: Sprawl Linked to Poverty
Low-income families living in high-sprawl neighborhoods are limited in their access to education, jobs, and other amenities, often trapping them in a cycle of poverty.
Study: Automobile Dependency Reduces Life Satisfaction
Automobile dependency has negative implications for wellbeing. This academic study finds that relying on a car for more than 50 percent of out-of-home travel is associated with significant reductions in life satisfaction.
Opinion: “New Towns” Are the Answer to Affordable Housing Challenges
How thoughtful design can create more walkable, livable communities.
Dallas Considers Nixing Parking Requirements
According to one local official, Dallas projects routinely build 20 to 30 percent more parking than they need, driving up the cost of housing and leading to unsustainable land use patterns.
How Good Transit Benefits Communities Beyond its Users
Robust, efficient transit networks can have an outsized impact on vehicle miles traveled, even by non-transit users.
Dallas Extends Permit for Downtown Drive-Thru
The city has indicated this is the last time it will extend a permit for a drive-thru at a McDonald’s restaurant as it transitions to supporting a denser, more walkable downtown environment.
Paris Creates Limited Traffic Zone in City Center
Most vehicles will be barred from entering a 5.5 square kilometer zone to limit traffic, noise, and pollution.
How the Built Environment Affects Your Mood
Humans have survived for millennia by staying together, not apart.
Zoning for Good
A new book highlights the power of zoning to change communities for the better.
When ‘Prioritizing All Modes’ Is a Lie
In many cases, it’s impossible to prioritize the safety of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users without sacrificing some speed.
Pedestrians First: Tools for a Walkable City
A comprehensive new website provides information on why and how to improve community walkability and offers practical tools for evaluating walking conditions.
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
