How have cities grown over time? Answers to this important question are provided in visual form via the Lincoln Land Institute's Atlas of Urban Expansion. This resource "provides the geographic and quantitative dimensions of urban expansion and its key attributes in cities the world over." Visitors to the site should start their own exploration by looking at "Making Room for a Planet of Cities," a...

Most major conurbations in the developed world pride themselves on continually updating their built environment, whether it is through urban renewal programs or through the process of creative destruction, which reinvents certain areas (such as the demolition of old factories for a new planned residential development). In this process, individuals may forget about these seemingly obsolete...

Given the heated discussion and debate surrounding the future redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, it is no surprise that there is a great deal of interest in public places, along with much dissent about what makes an effective and meaningful public place. Drawing on the work of the late William H. Whyte (whose seminal book, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is still read today), the...

Ever since the rise in importance of the automobile, many public intellectuals, academics, urban planners, and sociologists have lamented the decline of traditional downtowns across America. In this report from The Brookings Institution, Christopher B. Leinberger explores the key facets that are necessary to effectively revitalize downtown areas. In the report, Leinberger comments on the...

Launched in 1999 by the UN-HABITAT group, the Global Campaign on Urban Governance was designed to support the implementation of the Habitat Agenda goal of "sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world." Specifically, the Campaign is dedicated to increasing the capacity of local governments around the world to practice good urban governance, with specific attention paid to the...

Started in 1978, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme is designed to prevent and ameliorate problems that stem from the massive growth of conurbations throughout the world, with a special focus on those major urban locales in the developing world. For persons interested in this broad set of topics and the multilateral responses to such conditions, this site is invaluable. The site...