North America

Scott Doyon takes on the oft-expressed gripe that Traditional Neighborhood Development somehow feels fake. Doyon sees value in incorporating the collective wisdom learned over generations, regardless of whether it's reminiscent of another time.

September 18, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In a blog post for Better! Cities & Towns, Susan Henderson compiles a comprehensive list of the types of personalities that must be brought on board to navigate the politics of zoning reform.

September 7, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

Stacey at Gardenista has collected images and descriptions of four sublime "canopy walks" that "make it easy to walk from tree to tree at an altitude typically reserved for birds."

September 5, 2012 - Gardenista

Often times, the community development field and health philanthropy have worked in the same neighborhoods, but separately. This is changing, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Marjorie Paloma told Shelterforce how.

August 28, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

The number of super-tall residential buildings continues to grow globally, with top floor residences fetching nine-figure prices. Historically, the world's tallest buildings housed offices.

August 26, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Getting along is much easier when the fronts and backs of buildings are rational: public activities out front, private out back, and a street wall to keep them orderly.

August 17, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In the latest article from Better Cities & Towns' series on healthy, walkable town centers, Geoff Dyer offers insight into the ways that locating office space in mixed-use centers can improve economic vitality.

August 14, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns

Accomplished comic author, and orthodontist-in-training, Grant Snider turns his acerbic attention to his neighborhood, and the wonders of "Suburban Planning."

August 10, 2012 - Incidental Comics

Modern architecture's infatuation with glass, seen in sparkling residential and office towers rising in cities across North America, has been a bird killer of staggering proportions. Christopher Joyce profiles those trying to solve the problem.

August 10, 2012 - NPR

In an op-ed for New Geography, Skip Preble argues why communities can benefit from incorporating market analysis and financial modeling techniques into their planning processes.

August 7, 2012 - New Geography

Although the Obama administration is still weighing whether to give the Keystone XL pipeline the necessary approvals to begin construction, the courts are already deciding that eminent domain can be used to secure access to private land.

July 30, 2012 - The Washington Post

Steve Mouzon finds fault with the uniform application of the 1/4 mile walkability radius, regardless of context. And, in the first in a series of articles, he introduces a new tool for understanding and building walkable places.

July 30, 2012 - Original Green

July 24, 2012 - Laurel Prevetti

Declining state aid, hobbled endowments, and rising debt are hurting the balance sheets of colleges across America. Unfortunately the economies of their surrounding towns, which rely on schools for jobs, customers, and more, are far from immune.

July 24, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Increasingly utilized as 'black boxes' in the aftermath of collisions with motorized vehicles, video cameras are the newest addition to the arsenal of tools being employed to make streets safer for bikes.

July 23, 2012 - The New York Times

Sarah Laskow notes the latest battlefronts in the growing 'war on gardens' being perpetrated by cities across North America.

July 21, 2012 - Grist

Benjamin Wellington, Student ASLA, favorably reviews Peter Del Tredici’s field guide to naturally-growing plants in urban areas.

June 26, 2012 - THE DIRT

Douglas Coupland, most famous for authoring the book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, is pitching a combined street lamp / wifi / cell phone tower to bring connectivity to Vancouver's streets.

June 25, 2012 - National Post

Sarah Kathleen Peck speaks with Amanda Walter and Holly Berkley about their new book, "Social Media in Action," the challenges different design professions have in communicating their work, and the ways in which new technologies are making it easier.

June 8, 2012 - Metropolis POV Blog

Geoff Dyer points out why the difference between the typical strip mall and the multi-way boulevard may be more subtle than you think.

June 8, 2012 - PlaceShakers