The value of parks is rising. Luckily, in many cases, costs are declining.

Oct 25, 2023
High construction expenses and budget pressures are pushing developers to be creatively cost-conscious as they expand access to green spaces.
Parks are a resource for mental health and climate resilience, says journalist Patrick Sisson.
Francesco Scatena/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Downtowns plan for a future with far fewer office workers

Dec 15, 2022
In New York City, daily office vacancy rates average about 50%. So it and other cities are trying to attract more visitors by converting office space to housing, improving public transit, and making their streets a destination.
Downtown Crossing, a major shopping area in Boston, on March 26, 2020.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Chicago is turning some of its iconic office buildings into apartments

Oct 4, 2022
But adaptive reuse isn’t as simple as swapping out cubicles for beds. Developers often need to charge a lot to make conversions worthwhile.
Barnard professor Homa Zarghamee says learning about economic inequality is a fundamental part of understanding the modern economy.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Modern parking "meters" give cities the power to reduce congestion

Jun 28, 2022
Parking charges based on timing or vehicle type, for example, can encourage drivers to consider other forms of transit.
A frustrating public parking experience may make drivers reconsider driving in the first place.
Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images

Can supertall buildings help us build more sustainable cities?

Apr 11, 2022
The new book by urban designer Stefan Al explores what the history of skyscrapers can show us about the future.
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images

What would a city "designed with care" look like?

Nov 29, 2021
Writer Alexandra Lange says urban architecture and a “Department of Care” could make residents’ needs and culture a priority.
More benches, public restrooms and services for unhoused people could be part of a care-driven approach to designing cities.
François Walschaerts/AFP via Getty Images

Pandemic flips equation on where people want to live

Jul 21, 2021
According to a new analysis from real estate site Zillow, homebuyers are increasingly seeking out places at the periphery of cities.
Homebuyers are increasingly searching for homes outside of dense urban centers, according to a new analysis from real estate site Zillow.
Jeff Haynes/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The traffic control bible is getting an update. Here's why you should care.

May 25, 2021
Pedestrian and bicycle-safety advocates want to rewrite the federal manual to reduce its bias toward cars.
Some argue the Manual on Traffic Control Devices is too prescriptive when it comes to designing things like crosswalks and bike lanes, and too permissive when it comes to cars.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The pandemic poses challenges and new opportunities for city planning

Nov 27, 2020
New ways of urban living could emerge as the pandemic changes how people gather and move about cities.
On 75th Street in Chicago's Park Manor neighborhood, sidewalk pods were set up to encourage street life amid COVID-19.
Natalie Moore

Downtown Atlanta's growth elusive in its inner core

Oct 15, 2019
While residents continue to flock to the city, downtown Atlanta is still short on basic residential amenities.
A view of downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
Christian Petersen / Getty Images