Sprawl
Cities and Automobile Dependence: What Have We Learned?
Thirty years ago Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy introduced the concept of automobile dependency. In this article they reexamine the evidence, consider criticisms, and discuss how their insights changed—sometimes painfully—planning practices.
Opinion: Richmond, Virginia Needs a Land Value Tax
Switching from property tax to a land value tax could rein in sprawl, boost urban density, and lower the cost of housing.
What Is Smart Growth?
Smart growth describes an approach to planning and development that prioritizes compact built environments, designed for benefits to the economy and the environment.
Council Votes to Allow Development on the York Region's Greenbelt
The York Regional Council took a significant step toward allowing development on a large chunk of the area's greenbelt—a move opponents say will set a dangerous precedent.
What Is Infill Development?
Billed as an alternative to urban sprawl, infill development encourages the development of underused or vacant land in existing urban areas to increase density and place new development near existing resources and infrastructure.
700 Homes Added to a Quickly Growing Corner of the Atlanta Metro Area
The Chamblee City Council has approved a massive new development project that will add more than 700 homes and tens of thousands of square feet of retail to the quickly growing city.
What Is an Urban Growth Boundary?
Some cities and regions limit the growth of sprawl by setting an urban growth boundary—a strict geographic limit on where real estate development can occur.
380-Acre Development Planned in Southwest Boise
One of the fastest-growing cities in the country could be making space for even more growth.
How Cities Can Plan For the Rise of Autonomous Vehicles
When cars first started proliferating on American roads, it led to increased sprawl and flight from central cities. What can we do now to prevent the same problem as AVs become more widespread?
What Is a Suburb?
Another term lacking a consensus definition in the field of planning, "suburb" is usually deployed to describe residential communities outside central urban areas.
What Is Greenfield Development?
Greenfield land has remained untouched by previous development. Some definitions of greenfield land also include agricultural land. Thus, greenfield development encroaches on the natural environment to expand the built environment.
Getting to Work: New Commute Duration Heatmaps
The Mineta Transportation Institute's new interactive website produces heatmaps that illustrate commute duration—the number of minutes that workers spend traveling to their jobs—plus related information, for most U.S. communities.
Census Data Reveal Increasing Density in the U.S.—Reversing a Two-Decade Trend
The New York Times is calling 2010 to 2020 the "Downtown Decade."
Report: D.C. Housing Too Decentralized
Over the last three decades, the D.C. region has seen the most development in far-flung exurbs disconnected from area jobs and transit networks.
Can Houston Rein In Its Famous Sprawl?
The city's unabated growth has made it a bustling hub of industry and commerce, but can it sustain its unmitigated outward sprawl?
Pew: More Americans Prefer Big Homes, Longer Distances to Retail and Amenities
The pandemic has resulted in an an increasing preference for sprawl among Americans, according to the findings of a recent Pew Research Center "American Trends Panel."
What Are Master Planned Communities?
Now frequently associated with retirees and sprawling developments in the U.S. Sun Belt, master planned communities, also known as new towns or planned communities, were invented as an escape from the haphazard growth of urban areas in the mid-20th century.
Cities Are Back (At Least They Were Before COVID)
The 2020 Census results show that central cities were gaining population to a much greater extent than earlier Census estimates had suggested.
Cities in the South and West Keep Sprawling
New suburbs continue to expand into previously undeveloped areas, putting strain on local resources.
What Are Exurbs?
Farther out than suburbs but still connected to a major urban center, exurbs lie at the ever-shifting border between urban and rural spaces and are defined by economic ties to a city, low density housing, and high population growth.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
