Urban Development
Controversial Florida Growth Management Bill Spurs Call for Veto
A bill that would allow exurban development before adequate transportation infrastructure is in place has caused a stir in Florida, where environmental groups are lobbying the governor for a veto.
The Troubles Facing Nevada's Master Planned Communities
Las Vegas and Southern Nevada are chock-full of planned communities. The region is also struggling with some of the harshest declines in property values in the nation. Though planned communities are seeing some sales, they are mainly in trouble.
The Perils of Gentrification
In Bedford-Stuyvesant, the changes that gentrification have brought to the neighborhood are fundamental, not just cosmetic. One planner talks about how neighborhood character could be retained.
Mixed-Use for Mormons
A private development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, City Creek Center will be the largest mixed-use project in Salt Lake City.
Provinces Must Curb Retail Sprawl
There is a near-consensus on the deficiencies of big box retail, but municipalities don't have the will to turn them down. Provinces must step in with development guidelines, writes Christopher Hume.
Hold the Line: Ottawans Protest in Favor of Urban Growth Boundary
City councillors in Ottawa, Canada are caught up in a convoluted struggle over their ability to control the region's urban growth boundary.
Debate Over How 'Smart' Waterfront Housing Plan Can Be
Plans to build a 12,000 home waterfront development on the San Francisco Bay have some environmentalists up in arms. But the developers claim the project will exemplify "smart growth".
New Suburb Plans Dropped Amid Market Downturn
Due to the downturn in the housing market, plans for a new development that would essentially become a 20,000-person suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area have been abandoned.
A TOD Grows in Trenton
At the sixth busiest stop on the busiest train line in the country, developers are realizing the potential for transit-oriented development around the station.
San Francisco's Japan Center Struggles to Shake Urban Renewal History
The ongoing effort to improve Japantown shows just how difficult it can be to shed the past.
Big Box Exit Spells Trouble for Local Economy
In Dublin, CA, the failure of a slew of big box retailers has created retail deadzones, dragging down local businesses and economies.
A New Suburb Without Cars
Vauban, Germany is a new suburb that is part of the 'smart planning movement'. It is car-free, i.e. the streets are car-free, while car ownership is allowed but restricted to two garages, and the cost unbundled. Only 30% of families own cars.
Ground Zero Plans Taking Shape, But Still Troubled
The long-delayed and troubled design for Manhattan's Ground Zero site has undergone some improvements and been revealed in a new model. But as New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Oroussoff notes, the design is still lacking.
The Fall of Las Vegas
In 2006, Las Vegas was one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Today, that booming metropolis is crumbling and can't maintain its infrastructure. A new documentary from Current.tv takes a look at Sin City today.
Build Smarter: Learning from the Housing Bust
Builder Magazine presents six lessons for builders to learn from the housing bust, including 'limit your land holdings', 'build smarter', and 'diversify beyond new-home construction'.
Capturing the Value of Transit
With stimulus funding creating new transit projects across the country, now may be a great time to use innovative methods for funding development around transit, say Nadine Fogarty and Gloria Ohland of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. Portland and Denver are just two communities that have seen property values rise around rail.
Washington, Stop Promoting Homeownership
Steven Malanga looks back at a century of efforts by Washington to promote homeownership, which he says 'has produced one calamity after another.'
High-Speed Rail Means Real Estate Boom
Peter Gertler of HNTB says that the Obama administration's high-speed rail investments will attract new development around stations.
Vancouver's Sustainable Olympic Village
With goals of LEED-certification and plans for reuse after the games, Vancouver's Olympic Village is being called a model for event-based sustainability.
At Long Last, A Park on the Passaic?
A park proposed for Newark's Passaic River waterfront has been an unfulfilled vision for at least a decade. But city officials say the Trust for Public Land will help radically speed up plans for a park.
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
