Christian Madera

Christian Madera was managing editor of Planetizen from 2006 to 2008.

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Full Bio

Christian Madera was managing editor of Planetizen from 2006 to 2008. He currently lives and works in Hong Kong.

Christian has written about urban planning, policy and technology issues for the Los Angeles Times, Planning Magazine, The Southern Sierran, and Next City Magazine, where he was a 2010 Urban Leaders Fellow. His past experience includes working as a community planner and the web and new media manager for the National Capital Planning Commission in Washington, DC, as well as a policy analyst for a non-profit housing developer in Los Angeles.

Prior to joining Planetizen, Christian worked as a program manager for the China Planning and Development Institute in Shanghai and Beijing. Christian also spent three years as a web developer at Urban Insight, the internet consulting firm that supports Planetizen, and contributed significantly to the development of Planetizen from 2000-2003. He has interned and consulted with a number of governments and non-profit organizations, including the Port Authority of NY/NJ, the Rockefeller Foundation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy, New Jersey Future, the City of Newark, NJ, and the CUNY Building Performance Lab in New York City.

Christian holds a BS in urban planning and development from the University of Southern California's School of Policy Planning and Development, and an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs at Princeton University.

Rewriting Philadelphia's Zoning Code

With the oldest zoning laws of any major city in the U.S., it's time to retool the rules that govern Philadelphia's growth, argues a recent editorial.

The Debate Over City Planning In Toronto

With the city's planning and zoning rules outdated and elected officials often catering to the interests of developers or NIMBYs, many decry Toronto's "let's-make-a-deal" planning.

New York Is Getting Too Big

The city's strained infrastructure can't handle the forecasted growth, say experts. To remain globally competitive, the city is faced with the challenge of major upgrades.

Designing The City For The 22nd Century

A design competition asks planners and architects in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to reimagine their cities for the future.

Boutique Cities Aren't The Problem

Responding to Joel Kotkin's critique of cities who woo "creative class" over the middle class, Jerold Kayden, director of urban planning at Harvard Graduate School of Design, argues that revitalizing cities isn't as simple as copying sunbelt cities.