Urban Design
Placemaking vs. Placeshaking: Planning & Politics
Are you a Place-Maker or a Place-Shaker? Check out Scott Doyon's post for a look at where to draw the line. Spoiler alert: It's all about the politics.
China's Cities Hold the Key to the World's Future
In a globalized world, China's economic, environmental and urban development has implications for us all, posits Henry M. Paulson Jr. The problems the country faces, and any potential solutions, revolve around its approach to urbanization.
Can Science Save Planning from Extinction?
In a recent paper, urban theorist Stephen Marshall rehashes Jane Jacobs's criticism of city planning as a pseudoscience built "on a foundation of nonsense." Can science and design be reconciled to provide planning a more stable foundation?
Embedding Design in City Making
Robin Finn profiles Alexandros E. Washburn, head of the urban design division of the New York City Department of City Planning, and the work of his team, which has been responsible for "turning projects into places that people want to be."
Replacing Billboards with Trees...Sort Of
Artist Stephen Glassman and a team of engineers and planners have developed a plan for transforming L.A.'s ubiquitous billboards into floating, globally connected urban forests. All that's needed for the first prototype are a few generous strangers.
Urban Planning Trends are Bad Medicine
In a provocative essay, Mitchell Sutika Sipus examines the dangers of subscribing to conventions such as style or planning trends, and argues why planners must forgo ideologies to create better solutions for community problems.
Cincinnati Experiences a Renaissance Based on Preservation
Associate professor of design Karen Monzel Hughes, in moving from Cincinnati's much-acclaimed Mariemont to the once-struggling Over-the-Rhine, discovers that rebuilding and preserving are both critical facets of preservation.
The New Breed of Public-Interest Designers
An emerging field of public interest design embeds architects and designers in communities that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford good design.
Asserting Landscape Architecture's Role in Urban Design
At the ASLA 2012 Annual Meeting, a panel of distinguished design critics discussed the need for landscape architecture to take on a greater leadership role in the planning and design of cities.
Together, Urban Design and Planning Can Brighten the Future of Indian Cities
Rapid urbanization in India will create unplanned cities with poor quality of life unless steps are taken to integrate urban design and planning with governance structures, and primitive planning methods are revamped with the latest technology.
Why Can't Urban Designers and Transit Planners Just Get Along?
Reflecting on his experiences at CNU's recent Transportation Summit, Jarrett Walker examines "the mutual incomprehension that plagues the relationship between urban designers and transit planners."
The Science of Cities
Unprecedented urbanization calls for unprecedented planning, argues writer Tim De Chant. His proposal: a scientific model for responsive urban design.
Hong Kong's Pedestrian Networks Redefine Civic Space
Nate Berg looks at how Hong Kong's unique pedestrian infrastructure of elevated walkways and underground tunnels has affected the city's use of public and private spaces, and shifted urban behaviors.
New Zoning Code Debuts in Philly
This week, Philadelphia officially enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code. City leaders hope the simplified and modernized code will encourage development.
What Montreal Has to Teach us About Great Urbanism
Old urbanism holds countless lessons on satisfying livability. Montréal shares some of its insights in this photo blog by Hazel Borys.
A Fractal View of Urban Design
Benjamin Wellington reviews a new book by Mark C. Childs, which paints a picture of the city as the product of a complex and highly detailed design hierarchy, from regional topography all the way down to the arrangement of indoor spaces.
Emily Talen on Better Ways to Govern Land Use
Matt Bevilacqua talks shop with Emily Talen, whose new book explores the way land use regulation has shaped American cities and how it's all about to change.
Octagenarian Artist Bequeaths Plans for 'City of Tomorrow'
Futurist Orville Simpson envisioned a hyper-efficient city housed in a single, interconnected mega-complex. Lauren Boettcher explores plans by the University of Cincinnati to take on Simpson's legacy.
Generation X Author Pitches Futuristic Utility Pole
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.
The "Perfect Storm" that Caused the U.S. Public Housing Fiasco
Architect Ray Gindroz says that a perfect storm of factors - economic change, crushing policy decisions, and over-reaching ambition - brought about the disaster of public housing in the U.S. like Pruitt-Igoe.
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
