Landscape Architecture

Appreciating and Encouraging Urban Trees

This piece from The Vancouver Sun looks into the controversy surrounding the removal of trees in the city, and what would have to be done to begin encouraging more tree plantings in the city.

April 5, 2011 - The Vancouver Sun

Visualizing Water in the Landscape

Water shortages are on the rise, and effective management of this dwindling resource is becoming increasingly important to cities. How architects and planners visualize water in the landscape plays a big role in how it is understood and managed.

April 3, 2011 - Places

Landscape Architects' Influence Grows

As green spaces and public areas increase in demand, more and more projects are being awarded to landscape architects rather than architects, some foresee a potential professional turf war.

March 30, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

Tools of Inspiration

Landscape architect and designer Ken Smith talks about some things that inspire him, such as William H. Whyte's classic book The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

March 26, 2011 - Fast Company

Ping Pong in the Park

Following trends seen in Europe and China, a public park in New York City has installed a ping pong table.

March 25, 2011 - DNAInfo

More 'Parklets' Heading to San Francisco

The City of San Francisco is expanding its program of "parklets" -- small public patio-like spaces built on parking spots.

March 25, 2011 - The San Francisco Examiner

Parks in the Realm of Landscapes and Infrastructures

Are parks landscapes or infrastructures -- or can they be both? This question is broached in this wide-reaching interview on the role of parks in cities with landscape architect Gerdo Aquino.

March 18, 2011 - Archinect

The Changing Role of Cemeteries as Parks

America's first public parks were cemeteries. But over time, they've moved from the center of town to the edges. A new book looks at the history of these places of the dead.

March 18, 2011 - The Atlantic

Top 10 Websites - 2011

Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.

March 17, 2011 - Abhijeet Chavan

Sidewalks: A Suburban Battleground

Neighbors across the country are clashing over whether or not to build sidewalks in their neighborhoods.

March 10, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Reusing Broken Concrete as a Method of Sustainable Construction

NYC is reusing materials from a construction site in Queens to redesign the area's streetscape with pedestrian safety in mind.

March 9, 2011 - THE DIRT

New Riverfront for Minneapolis

The city of lakes ironically gets a redesigned riverfront, as was unveiled by the city's Park and Recreation Board. Click for more and the video of the winning design.

March 9, 2011 - THE DIRT

Seattle's 'Unsustainable' Parks System

As the parks system grows in Seattle, it is becoming more difficult to afford to maintain. One local official calls the system "unsustainable".

March 8, 2011 - The Seattle Times

The Future of Johannesburg's Mining Landscapes

Gold mining was an integral part of what made the city of Johannesburg, South Africa one of the most economically important cities on the continent. But as mining winds down, some are trying to find new ways to use the landscape of mining operations.

March 4, 2011 - Places

The Unlikely Biennale of Landscape Urbanism

A landscape urbanism biennale in an unlikely suburb of Tel Aviv offers its working class citizens a look how their city can change for the better.

March 2, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Public Role of Tahrir Square

A Cairo native who had returned home before the recent unrest and revolution looks at the role of the city's Tahrir Square, and how recent events have given additional meaning to this public space.

March 1, 2011 - Places

Pocket Parks: Packed With Peanuts?

The Planters company has revealed plans to assist cities in designing and building urban pocket parks in underused land. In return, the parks will include branding from the company, including a Mr. Peanut statue sitting on a peanut bench.

February 28, 2011 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Fundraising for Detroit RoboCop Statue As Urban Regeneration

A grassroots online campaign has already raised more than $50,000 to build a statue of the science fiction character RoboCop in Detroit. The effort's organizers call it an art project with the goal of urban regeneration.

February 18, 2011 - The Detroit Free Press

Valencia Gets a "Central Park" of its Own

Spain's third largest city has chosen the winning design for a new urban park that is to sit atop nine rail lines, potentially creating the most important redevelopment project the country has seen in many years.

February 16, 2011 - THE DIRT

Preparing New York City for Extreme Weather Events

Climate change and sea level rise are expected to increase the amount of major storm events worldwide. For coastal parts of New York City, the effects could be catastrophic. The city is trying to plan now for the storms to come.

February 15, 2011 - WNYC

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.