North America
5 Glimpses Into the Future of Civic Engagement
Seeking to maximize the power of the Internet to expand public outreach efforts, a plethora of engagement platforms have proliferated in recent years. Government Technology looks at five of the most promising new models of civic engagement.
Oil Wealth Transforms Canada
Writing in Foreign Policy, The Tyee's prolific environmental writer, Andrew Nikiforuk, blasts Canada for becoming a "rogue, reckless petrostate" due to its economic dependence on exporting oil. He holds Prime Minister Stephen Harper responsible.
Don't Count on a Millennial to Buy Your Suburban Home
James Briggs speaks for his Millennial generation cohorts when he outlines the many reasons why unloading that suburban home on young buyers will be a hard sell.
Latest Housing Trend: Luxury Yards
Apparently a pool, barbecue, and some lounge chairs is no longer enough for an elegant backyard. Full kitchens, movie theaters, bathtubs, and even air conditioning are among the items being integrated into luxury outdoor rooms.
Zoning Our Way to HOA Insanity
If local's so great, why is the HOA, the country's most popular form of micro-governance, such an impediment to complete, complex and convivial communities? Scott Doyon has some ideas.
Land in Conflict: How Planners Can Better Manage an Increasingly Contentious Public Process
Land use disputes are increasingly taking up our time and producing unsatisfying results. A new approach to resolving conflict based on mutual gains may provide a better way to manage the most challenging situations.
How Parking Minimums Beget Ugly Urban Environments
In the Pacific Northwest, and elsewhere, excessive parking requirements dictate the form and footprint of buildings, mostly to the detriment of urban environments. In a lavish photo essay, Alyse Nelson explores the damage inflicted by parking laws.
TOD Works in Reducing Driving, Even Without the Transit
Across America, TOD is seen as the solution for many of the problems that plague cities. But what if you could get the economic, environmental, and health benefits of transit-oriented development without the billions of dollars in rail investment?
The Case for Protecting Strip Malls from 'Commercial Gentrification'
As our suburbs diversify, the most affordable commercial districts found in such areas (often in strip malls) become an important entry point for immigrants to build their 'American Dream'. Kaid Benfield asks if such opportunities deserve protection.
Which of These Five Park Projects Best Boosted its Surrounding Community?
The Urban Land Institute has announced the five finalists for its annual Urban Open Space Award, which recognizes 'an outstanding example of a public destination that has enriched and revitalized its surrounding community.'
Piecing Together a Central Park for the Entire United States
The American Prairie Foundation is piecing together 500,000 acres of privately owned land across the Great Plains to join with three million acres of public land in forming one of the world’s largest wildlife reserves.
The Cost of Walmart
A new report tallies the cost to public coffers incurred by Walmart employees who rely on public-assistance programs to supplement their low wages. The report should provide food for thought for any community seeking to attract the retail giant.
New Urbanism's Chief Regret?
In his fifth entry in a lengthy examination of the successes and failures of New Urbanism, Peter Katz looks at one of the movement's key blindspots: the failure to help improve the processes and practices of local governments.
5 Keys to Permitting Better Places
Cities and engaged citizens want to create better places; so why is it so difficult to get a project approved, built, and installed? Reforming the permitting process could unlock the creative powers of citizens and designers to improve their cities.
Data Centers: The Next Trend in Adaptive Reuse?
Sears is planning to convert a number of its shuttered buildings into data centers. Could this become a trend for the reuse of vacant buildings nationwide?
Urban Ruins and the High Line Next Door
Chuck Wolfe suggests we all have the inspiration within us to envision how to remake our cities--from the conjecture of a Seattle restauranteur about Seattle's monorail to neighborhood examples of "we used this before, let's use it again".
Friday Funny: Pining for the Good Old Days of 'Slight' Gentrification
Do you treasure the good old days of $6 drafts, fancy drinks in Mason Jars, and less-snazzy Starbucks? Than you'll sympathize with Dan Hopper, who laments the changes to his neighborhood as 'slightly richer people' move in.
Can Gentle Gentrification Create 'Shared Neighbourhoods'?
Is revitalization without displacement possible? Although it's a harder and longer process than unmitigated gentrification, Brent Toderian argues that "positive and responsible change" can coexist with the maintenance of existing communities.
Developing a Second Life for the Suburban Office Park
Across America, developers and municipalities are trying to adapt a relic of the sprawling post-war suburbs for a more urbane 21st century. Can office park makeovers revive these increasingly barren landscapes?
Cities May Be Back, But Don't Forget About the Burbs
A review of June Williamson's new book reminds us that the need to retrofit suburbia is as urgent as ever, despite the ascendance of cities. Amanda Kolson Hurley explores the top five reasons 'why the suburbs are shaping up as the new frontier.'
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
