Witold Rybczynski wrote The Last Harvest about a new development being created in an exurban cornfield. NPR visits the half-finished community with Witold, which is suffering from the economic crisis.
"In the parts of New Daleville that are finished, there are signs that the residents are adapting to a more modest vision.
Original house plans in the development called for elegant brick facades, in what is called the neo-traditional style - think porches and sidewalks. Instead, almost every home buyer chooses vinyl siding, because it's cheaper.
Recent retirees Diane and Paul Roberts relish the sense of country life they get in New Daleville. They sometimes see ducks flying overhead. Still, exurban life isn't convenient. There is no nearby store, and the space New Daleville's developers planned for a coffee shop or ice cream parlor is still a vacant lot.
"When you have to go four miles to get a carton of milk, that's rural!" Diane Roberts said."
Read the full story: The Exurbs: Houses, Cornfields — And Empty Lots
Homebuyers Return to the Exurbs
It's been a while since 2008, and a new crop of homeowners is colonizing the far-flung exurbs. Mostly foreclosed and even abandoned last time around, the exurbs are still a risky buy.
Exurbs Hit Hard by Housing Crisis
Exurban developments are struggling to control their rampant foreclosure rates and plummeting housing values.
'Slumburbia': Exurban Decay Spurred By Mortgage Crisis
The mortgage crisis is devastating many communities far from urban centers, while 'inner cities', regionally speaking, are weathering the financial storm far better thanks to their urban form that makes them attractive to those that can afford them.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
Not in my parking spot: LA renters oppose ADU development in their garages
Some tenants advocates say taking away residents’ parking spaces harms senior citizens and people with disabilities who rely on their cars to navigate the city.
NITA’s first budget outlines $5 billion operating plan
The plan also proposes a $9.73 billion capital program for 2027 through 2031.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority