Urban Development

Elevating the ‘Small Stuff’ in Urban Design
Chuck Wolfe recaps arguments in favor of increased attention to incidentals — from benches to bollards — in urban development practices.

Rural Communities See Population Growth Two Years Running
Once bleeding population, rural areas gained population once again in 2023.

Shifting the Male Perspective on City Planning
Urban spaces and transportation system are largely designed and managed by men, but cities are starting to recognize the unique challenges women and children face.

Is the City Moving to the Suburbs?
Is the recent trend to build more walkable suburbs a sign of sustainable change?

Report: One-Third of Vacant Lots in Chicago Near Transit
Vacant lots pose challenges for the city’s goals of promoting transit-oriented development.

Opinion: Cities Must Take Action on Blighted Downtown Parking Lots
Surface parking lots take up as much as a third of downtown land in some cities, dragging down tax revenue and redevelopment prospects.

Study: How to Revitalize Downtown Minneapolis
A proposal calls for a reevaluation of the city’s skyways, a focus on street-facing businesses, and an improved public realm.

Lawsuit Aims to Stop Dodger Stadium Gondola
A proposed aerial tram project that would shuttle visitors to L.A.’s Dodger Stadium faces backlash from environmental and community groups.

Draft Plan Takes Aim at Downtown DC Revitalization
The plan calls for policies that support adaptive reuse, new housing construction, and improved public parks and facilities.

Expanding LA's Urban Forest
The County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office is leading the effort to prepare the county's first Urban Forest Management Plan.

Promoting Infill Development for a Denser Houston
An advocacy group is calling for ‘sustainable, vertical’ mixed-use urbanism in the famously sprawling city.

Milwaukee Considers Zoning Reform
The city is looking for ways to boost housing production, anticipating a growing population.

Resilience Matters: Building Sustainable Futures
A new e-book highlights the work of people and organizations planning more resilient cities.

Federal Government Awards Reconnecting Communities Grants
States and cities received over $3 billion in grant funding aimed at redressing the damage caused by freeways.

A Better Understanding of Smart Growth Benefits
Smart Growth creates compact, multimodal communities where residents consume less land, drive less, and rely more on non-auto modes. Planners have important stories to tell about the benefits of Smart Growth.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

Celebrating Women Urbanists
This International Women’s Month, we look back on our list of Most Influential Urbanists to highlight the contributions of women in urban planning and urban design.

Carson to Host California Land Recycling Conference
In September 2024, the Center for Creative Land Recycling will hold its annual conference in Carson, California, offerings opportunities to learn about the reuse of underutilized and contaminated properties.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Pagination
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland