Urban Development
End of the Big Box Era
In Birmingham, Alabama, developers are seeing a lot of empty big box and anchor retail spaces, while smaller, neighborhood centers are actually seeing an increase in occupancy.
On Top of the World: Looking Down from Dubai's Burj Khalifa
The world's tallest building is now open in Dubai. Christopher Corbett takes you up to the 124th floor.
The Role of Design and Architecture in Saving Haiti
This episode of DnA wonders whether design and architecture will be able to help Haiti revive itself.
Despite Praise, Portland Has Room for Improvement
Portland, Oregon, is held high on a pedestal for innovative urban planning and development. But the city has its drawbacks and needs to face them, writes Aaron M. Renn.
The Food Court, R.I.P.
The "food court", staple of malldom and home of Hot Dog on a Stick, is dead, say retail architects and designers. Higher-end restaurants and softer surfaces are replacing the shiny plastic tables and Orange Juliuses of the past.
Good Bones
That's what a consultant told Robert L. Hubbard, city director of planning and community development of Gardner, Massachussetts, about the city's infrastructure. Gardner intends to build on those bones with an urban renewal plan.
Brazilians Reinterpret Their Living Spaces
In this paper, Gustavo Rivera Jr. (Ph. D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago) evaluates the economic and sociocultural impact of recently developed public housing estates within the favelas of Belo Horizonte.
Coastal Towns Told to Radically Transform in Face of Sea Level Rise
Cities along the British coast are being warned that sea level rise over the next 100 years will have significant destructive effects. Officials are being cautioned to consider city-altering plans that shift populations away from endangered areas.
A Suburban Bird's Eye View
Metropolis presents a slideshow of photographs by artist Christoph Gielen, who photographs suburban developments from a helicopter.
Vancouverism in the Global Spotlight
Vancouver is preparing to take the global stage when it hosts the Winter Olympic next month. With all the sports-related pomp, the city's unique approach to sustainability will also fall under the spotlight.
Narrowing Streets to Create Parkspace in L.A.
Planners in Los Angeles are considering a plan to remove two lanes of a strip of downtown street to create parkspace for the formerly light-industrial area's growing populations.
Street Food, Now With Table Service
Blogger and landscape architect Lisa Town gathers a few D.I.Y. tables and chairs designed for creating instant public seating space for street food, including a hydrant tabletop.
Cruise Ship Utopia
The cruise ship Utopia will be a $1.1 billion dollar party boat that includes 200 homes for sale for $3.7 million and up. That is, if they can get enough buyers in a tough market.
Jane Jacobs, Gentrifier?
Prof. Sharon Zukin argues that Jacobs had "a gentrifier’s appreciation of urban authenticity" in her new book, Naked City.
2000 - 2009: The Decade in Planning
The editors' choice of the most significant stories in the realm of urban planning, design and development of the "aughts" (2000-2009). The decade began with one crash and ended with another, but in between we've learned a lot about making cities.
Supply and Demand for Big Boxes
The market for big box spaces plunged during the recession as companies like Circuit City folded. But demand is very slightly picking up, and in some places it never went away.
Transitioning From Sprawl To Compactness
Regional planning in CA's sprawling Central Valley has turned to the huge challenge of increasing density. Fortunately, SB 375 will facilitate planners' efforts to double Fresno County density to 8 units per acre. Yet institutional obstacles remain.
Texas Pastor Builds a Neighborhood
Though he originally planned to build a prayer center on part of a 20 acre property he was pursuing, a Texas Pastor has expanded his plans into an all-out neighborhood with more than 450 homes.
Creating Urban Connections Between Dubai's Icons
The Burj Khalifa has opened in Dubai. Now, locals say, the development of the city's public life must begin.
Agriculture vs. Business on Portland's Growth Boundary
Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, is an ambitious town on the urban growth boundary that is eager to expand into the farmland next door. How will Portland's system of growth-slowing government respond?
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
