Urban Design
Defining the Perfect Block Length for Walkability
Researchers at Harvard University have looked at multiple street grids around the country to identify what block size is the perfect length for walkability.
Y Combinator's New Cities Project Gets Curiouser and Curiouser
The Silicon Valley start-up devoted to reinventing the city made a splashy hire this week.
Density Doesn't Measure the Success of Cities
Using density as a metric of urban quality is misleading and inadequate, according to an article on CityLab.
Learning from the Humble Trailer Park
An examination of the common trailer park reveals a few key lessons about land use, urban design, and private governance.
Indianapolis Cooler than Brooklyn? Defining the Coolness Factor of Cities
How do you define a cool city? What makes a street or neighborhood hip? It's not too difficult to identify the right ingredients; it's putting them together that becomes the challenge.
Walkability Study Underway in Downtown Dallas
The University of Texas Arlington's Institute of Urban Studies is doing to legwork for an update of the Downtown Dallas 360 master plan.
What Is Placemaking, Really?
It's a term that gets bandied about by the "creative class" to describe an endless array of projects, from whimsical pop-up art to new uses for century-old buildings. But what does placemaking really mean?
Socially-Blind Urban Planning
In this era of increased inequality, socially-blind urban planning is morally questionable. Specifically, on the issue of homelessness in America, there are three problems to which planners need to pay particular attention.
How the Built Environment Shapes Music
From Motown to grunge, techno to hip hop, modern music came to life in garages, living rooms, churches, and warehouses. Urban design has been instrumental to what we listen to every day.
'Psychogeography' and Why It Matters for Planners
An unfamiliar title for a familiar collection of concepts, psychogeography examines the good and bad effects of environments on the thoughts and feelings of people.
Charlotte Grows Weary of the Bland Cookie-Cutter Apartment Buildings
Designers and architects in Charlotte, North Carolina are asking the city to raise the bar when approving new apartment buildings to prevent more of the repetitive wood-frame design that has swept the city.
Demand for Walkable Neighborhoods Outstripping Supply
Millennials and an aging Baby Boomer population have put a premium on "the hottest trend in real estate": walkability.
Ten Key 2016 Conferences for Urban Design Professionals
Ten key conferences in 2016 for planners, architects, and urban design professionals, summarized by Clement Lau, a Los Angeles County planner.
A Perfect Circle: Can the Shape of a City Affect Its Success?
Research into the various shapes of cities in India may be able to predict the economic success of the city's residents.
New Urbanism Earning New Fans in One Chicago Neighborhood
With statistics showing that fewer than half of Americans know their neighbors, bringing neighborliness to neighborhoods remains a challenge for urban planners.
10 Keys to Making A Great City Plan
Too many city plans represent business-as-usual, sit on a shelf collecting dust, or miss the chance to reflect a truly game-changing moment in the direction of a city. Want your new city plan process to result in a great plan? Consider these 10 keys.
The Popsicle Test: What Makes a City Good for Children?
Low crime rates and affordable property preoccupy adults, but kids need something more: the ability to walk the streets and play out on their own. In The Guardian, Viv Groskop explores the "popsicle test" and other elements of child-friendly cities.
Innovating the Planning Process Through Community-Centered Design
Sean O'Malley and Andrew Watkins, of the landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm SWA, describe the benefits of a design process that empowers people and communities to participate.
7 Principles for Designing Safe Cities
A World Research Institute report offers seven prescriptions for designing safer cities. At the top of the list: avoid sprawl.
Master Planned Neighborhood Focuses on Materials to Avoid Blandness
Could something as simple of the material selected for a residential tower prove the "antidote to suburban blandness"? A Parisian suburb thinks so.
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
