Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network

• Land in Conflict: How Planners Can Better Manage an Increasingly Contentious Public Process June 19, 2013
  Summary: Land use disputes are increasingly taking up our time and producing unsatisfying results. A new approach to resolving conflict based on mutual gains may provide a better way to manage the most challenging situations. […]
• With Improvements, Baltimore Seeks to Steal D.C.'s Thunder...and Residents June 19, 2013
  The last decade has brought tremendous growth and prosperity to Washington D.C., but it's neighbor to the north hasn't been so blessed. Planned infrastructure improvements are intended to lure new residents to Baltimore's cheaper cost of living. […]
• Bloomingdale Trail Gets New Name and Final Plan June 19, 2013
  Final plans for what will become the longest elevated park in the world where unveiled this week in Chicago. The 2.7-mile rail-to-trail conversion has been branded as The 606, a nod to the zip code digits shared by the neighborhoods along its route. […]
• Astrodome Among National Trust's List of 11 Most Endangered Places June 19, 2013
  The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released its annual list of America's most endangered historic places, the preservation community's most effective tool for bringing awareness and assistance to the country's threatened resources. […]
• Architect Ego Trip or Necessity for a Modern Metropolis? Paris Debates Skyscrapers June 19, 2013
  Following Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's overturn of a ban on buildings over seven storeys high, Paris is planning a dozen new skyscrapers outside the city centre. Debate over the towers is destined to become an issue in next year's municipal elections. […]
• Should Cities Eliminate Free Parking for the Disabled? June 19, 2013
  Ongoing research from the University of California Transportation Center documents the detrimental effects that free street parking for the disabled has on city coffers and performance pricing systems. Is it time to reconsider such laws. […]
• New Downtown L.A. Park Latest Victory in Mayor's Open Space Initiative June 19, 2013
  At .7 acres, downtown L.A.'s Spring Street Park isn't likely to invite comparison to the world's great urban parks. But for a city, and neighborhood, starved of quality open space, the new park is a significant achievement. […]
• University Housing: Bastion of Communal Learning or Luxury Resort? June 19, 2013
  John Eligon examines the private student housing building boom, and asks whether we are spoiling college students with luxurious off-campus amenities to the detriment of academic and social environments. […]
• How Parking Minimums Beget Ugly Urban Environments June 19, 2013
  In the Pacific Northwest, and elsewhere, excessive parking requirements dictate the form and footprint of buildings, mostly to the detriment of urban environments. In a lavish photo essay, Alyse Nelson explores the damage inflicted by parking laws. […]
• Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Fees are Here to Stay, and Spreading June 19, 2013
  It may seem counter-intuitive to charge extra fees for the cleanest, most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road today - including those that qualify for a federal $7,500 credit. But ten states are doing just that to keep roads well-funded. […]