Urban Development
The Internet vs. the City
Will digital communications make cities obsolete, or can online connections actually complement the face-to-face interactions and the cities that support them?
The Contradictions of Regulating Temporary Spaces
As popularity of "temporary urbanism" initiatives rises, there are increasingly efforts to regulate these sites. Jonna McKone of TheCityFix analyzes the trend.
Filmmakers Say Planning Process is Broken
The Domino Effect is a new documentary film that explores the process of real estate development in New York City to uncover the complex networks of banks, developers, politicians, and non-profit organizations that shape our cities.
Mass Transit on Track in Tehran
Over the past 30 years, the overgrown Iranian capital has arrived at unhealthy levels of air pollution and traffic congestion, but with the installation of a metro, BRT system, and bike rental program seems to be heading in a new direction.
Frederick Law Olmsted's Other Career
A new essay by Thomas Fisher details Frederick Law Olmsted's lesser known work in the realm of public health and sanitation.
Shanghai Expo Closes With Focus On "Development through Development"
The Expo’s stated theme was “Better City, Better Life,” and organizers boasted it was the first World’s Fair devoted to the contemplation of cities.
Planning Disputes Loom Large Over Upcoming Australian Election
A variety of controversial planning policies and high-profile development projects in Melbourne have led to widespread resident frustration, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. Could planning issues change the city's larger political equation?
A New Ethic for Urban Reinvention
In a unique collaboration, an American lawyer and a Venezuelan architect merge thinking on holistic design, planning and regulation
A Chinese Bubble to Burst
Some economists are warning that China's building boom is actually a bubble that is soon to burst.
China's Cities: All Show, No Substance?
Chinese urban sprawl has the potential to be transformed into urban sustainability.
For Lack of a Better Term
Chuck Wolfe discusses the challenge of finding a more marketable term to encompass all of the prevailing theories of "transit-oriented development", "walkability", and "liveability." His suggestion? Urbandwidth.
Retrofitting a "Planned" City in Mumbai
Navi Mumbai was a planned community built in the 1960s to reduce congestion in the city. The design catered only to the rich, with a golf course and upscale residential development. With a mandate to get more diverse, Navi Mumbai is at a loss.
Five Observations from Three Years in China
I’ve spent much of the last three years working on transportation finance and planning issues in China, and Reason Foundation now has transportation policy projects up and running in the cities of Chongqing, Xi’an, and Beijing.
The Failure of the Public Process, San Francisco-Style
David Prowler, a former San Francisco planning commissioner, says that the public process of the city fails to engage the people of the community.
Fort Worth Streetcar Project In Jeopardy
In this editorial, blogger Kevin Buchanan argues that a Fort Worth streetcar is being delayed by political forces and should move forward for the benefit of the community.
Making Planning More Accessible
Planners in Cary, North Carolina were tasked by the mayor to make their complex planning process more accessible.
Banks Swing Hammers to Finish Homes
Builders can't get credit but they may get jobs from banks, who, because of foreclosures, have unfinished homes that they need help completing.
The Mormon Church Backs Mixed-Use Project
City Creek Center is a $1 billion mixed-use development project that some say is a godsend for downtown Salt Lake City, creating jobs during a tough economy. Others wonder how the church's influence will play out in the culture of the project.
Habitat for Humanity Embraces Density
Instead of building its signature single family homes in dense New York neighborhoods, Habitat is expanding its model to include LEED-certified apartment buildings.
Hurry Up and Wait
NYC's Mayor Bloomberg oversaw the rezoning of thousands of blocks, yet many of the development projects he envisioned as the key to the city's future success are now stalled or in jeopardy.
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
