Urban Development

A Look at Milwaukee’s Zoning Reform Proposal
The ‘Growing MKE’ plan calls for allowing ADUs, reducing barriers to new construction, and expanding the types of housing available in the city’s residential areas.

How AI Envisions American Neighborhoods
How well does artificial intelligence ‘get’ U.S. cities?

Urban Golf Courses: Publicly Subsidized, Privately Enjoyed
City golf courses, paid for by public dollars, are rarely used by the vast majority of residents. Some advocates want to see them opened to the public as parks or repurposed for housing.

Opinion: Voters Deserve to See the Draft ‘One Seattle’ Plan
Despite a promise to release a draft comprehensive plan update in April and with elections in less than a week, Seattle residents are still waiting to see the city’s proposal for how to guide development in the next decades.

How Urban Design Impacts Public Health
With more and more people living in cities, designing equitably healthy urban spaces becomes a key question for policymakers.

Placemaking on the Halifax Waterfront
How small, incremental changes can create vibrant places.

Arizona Town Looks for New Water Sources, Insists Development ‘Full Steam Ahead’
While many Southwest cities are looking for ways to conserve water and limit growth as water supplies become strained, one town is pressing ahead with rapid development.

Goat Blocks: A Blueprint for Urban Placemaking and Walkability
How one development harnesses placemaking tactics to build community at the street level.

New Riverfront Promenade Opens in Detroit
The East Riverfront now provides 3.5 miles of contiguous parks and trails on the formerly industrial waterfront.

Sound Equity: The Unequal Impacts of Covid’s ‘Great Silence’
During the pandemic, many neighborhoods became quieter than ever—but not everyone experienced the benefits equally.

Rick Steves on Walkability Lessons From Europe
Many of Europe’s pedestrian-friendly, transit-rich cities weren’t always that way.

What Abandoned Places Teach Us
Abandoned cities and other forsaken human-built sites are haunted by the mistakes city leaders and builders have made over centuries.

Baltimore Could See a TOD Boom
Developers are calling on city leaders to support transit-oriented development amidst an influx of federal funding opportunities.

Jersey City and Newark: A Tale of Renaissance and Stagnation
The rise and fall (and rise again) of two great American cities teach us lessons about racism, economic opportunity, and more.

Building Bridges to the Future: Preparing the Next Generation of Planners
Discover the importance of preparing the next generation of urban planners to build a sustainable and thriving future.

How Housing Density Could Help Austin Reach Climate Goals
With housing and transportation as the two biggest sources of carbon emissions, a new report shows how boosting density near transit would accelerate emissions reductions.

Opinion: The Arrogance of Social Media Urbanists
Criticism of ‘bad’ urban design and development policies leveled at ‘planners’ often obscures the complex nature of urban politics and land use regulations.

New ‘City’ Elysium Planned in Spain
The development proposes a from-scratch sustainable community built on brand new land at the edge of a reservoir.

Alexandria Residents Weigh in on Zoning Reform
The city’s proposed ‘Zoning for Housing’ is drawing criticism from multiple sides.

How to Kickstart an Urban Resurgence
In the age of remote work, relying on major employers to boost a city’s economic fortunes may no longer be enough.
Pagination
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