Metropolitan Planning + Design

American communities are changing fast: ethnic minority populations are growing, home ownership is falling, the number of people per household is going up, and salaries are going down. According to Marc Brenman and Thomas W. Sanchez, the planning field is largely unprepared for these fundamental shifts. If planners are going to adequately serve residents of diverse ages, races, and income levels, they need to address basic issues of equity. Planning as if People Matter offers practical solutions to make our communities more livable and more equitable for all residents. While there are many books on environmental justice, relatively few go beyond theory to give real-world examples of how better planning can level inequities. In contrast, Planning as if People Matter is written expressly for planning practitioners, public administrators, policy-makers, activists, and students who must directly confront these challenges. It provides new insights about familiar topics such as stakeholder participation and civil rights. And it addresses emerging issues, including disaster response, new technologies, and equity metrics. Far from an academic treatment, Planning as if People Matter is rooted in hard data, on-the-ground experience, and current policy analysis. In this tumultuous period of economic change, there has never been a better time to reform the planning process. Brenman and Sanchez point the way toward a more just social landscape. "[...] this book is a challenge to the planning profession and a call for much needed examination of the underlying purpose of urban planning." "The authors nicely frame the book around key questions about how ethics, information, and equity shape everyday human lives. Readers, particularly practitioners, students, and faculty in professional programs, will appreciate the book's engaging tone and style." "a compelling and accessible volume" "Brenman and Sanchez tackle the issues of social equity head on and continually remind the reader of the centrality of social issues in planning....The subjects covered in this book are unwieldy, complicated, fuzzy and controversial, but the authors manage to establish the right balance without the discussion becoming too ethereal....I would definitely recommend it for practicing planners, urbanists, within and outside of academia, and to be used in classes on urban planning, urban politics or public administration." "Social justice is one of those topics that are more honored in theory than in practice. Planning as if People Matter is an attempt to change that....They take up a wide range of topics-demographics, ethics, diversity, public participation, communications technologies-and conclude by suggesting a number of 'interventions' for social justice." "This is a direct and accessible guide for present and future planners and policymakers who are deeply concerned about social equity. It is an ethical compass for those who face the complexities and dilemmas that arise when working within and confronting a system defined by deep racial and class divides."---Tom Angotti, Professor of Urban Affairs & Planning at Hunter College/CUNY "Brenman and Sanchez present equity as both a critical social need and a complex intellectual puzzle when applied to policy. Their book is a clear treatment of equity in emerging policy settings like the internet, land use, gender and age politics and more."---Martin Wachs, RAND Corporation, and former Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies "A clarion call to the planning profession to place social justice and equity at the center of our work. Rife with concrete recommendations regarding governance, public participation, technology and the promise represented by the nation's demographic shifts-all within the context of a changing global context."---Chester Hartman, Director of Research, Poverty & Race Research Action Council "An incisive analysis of the most urgent issue facing America: how to build a nati

Nearly half the buildings that will be standing in 2030 do not exist today. That means we have a tremendous opportunity to reinvent our urban areas, making them more sustainable and livable for future generations. But for this vision to become reality, the planning community needs reliable data about emerging trends and smart projections about how they will play out. Arthur C. Nelson delivers that resource in Reshaping Metropolitan America. This unprecedented reference provides statistics about changes in population, jobs, housing, nonresidential space, and other key factors that are shaping the built environment, but its value goes beyond facts and figures. Nelson expertly analyzes contemporary development trends and identifies shifts that will affect metropolitan areas in the coming years. He shows how redevelopment can meet new and emerging market demands by creating more compact, walkable, and enjoyable communities. Most importantly, Nelson outlines a policy agenda for reshaping America that meets the new market demand for sustainable places. "Nelson paints a vivid picture of an America physically transformed in the next twenty years. Denser in form, more diverse in demographics, richer in transport and living options, the changing shape of our cities and metros will have profound implications for our economy, our environment and our health."---Bruce Katz, VP and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program, the Brookings Institution "Reshaping Metropolitan America is a useful, readable, and provocative book that should interest a diverse set of audiences." "Chris Nelson invented the big picture understanding of how we are building metropolitan America. In Reshaping Metropolitan America, he has once again shown why urbanists throughout the country turn to him to see the future of the built environment."---Christopher B. Leinberger, Professor, GWU Business School, author of The Option of Urbanism "What if all new development from 2010-2030 infilled or retrofitted suburban corridors and centers? The extensive research and compelling demographic and statistical evidence compiled here projects the myriad benefits of just such a bold-and needed-scenario. This is a must-read for planners and policymakers."---Ellen Dunham-Jones, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, coauthor of Retrofitting Suburbia "Finally we have a comprehensive view of how the American Dream is changing and why. We are a market driven culture and this important book lays out the new market forces; demographics, costs, environmental impacts, and quality of life. The good news is that they all lean in the same direction-Smart Growth will dominate the next generation of development."---Peter Calthorpe, Principal, Calthorpe Associates, author of Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change

"Transfer of Development Rights" (TDR) programs allow local governments to put economic principles to work in encouraging good land use planning. TDR programs most often permit landowners to forfeit development rights in areas targeted for preservation and then sell those development rights to buyers who want to increase the density of development in areas designated as growth areas by local authorities. Although TDR programs must conform to zoning laws, they provide market incentives that make them more equitable (and often more lucrative) for sellers and frequently benefit buyers by allowing them to receive prior approval for their high-density development plans. Since the 1970s when modern TDR applications were first conceived, more than 200 communities in 33 states across the U.S. have implemented TDR-based programs. The most common uses of TDR to date involve protecting farmland, environmentally sensitive land, historic sites, and "rural character," and urban revitalization. Until now, however, there has never been a clearly written, one-volume book on the subject. At last, The TDR Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to every aspect of TDR programs, from the thinking behind them to the nuts and bolts of implementation-including statutory guidance, model ordinances, suggestions for program administration, and comparisons with other types of preservation programs. In addition, six of its twenty chapters are devoted to case studies of all major uses to which TDR programs have been utilized to date, including recent urban revitalization projects that utilize TDR principles. "The Handbook is thoroughly comprehensive, addressing virtually every conceivable issue about TDR. It provides copious examples and explanations of when to use TDR in short, readable chapters, particularly for urban redevelopment which few sources have previously explained. It should be on the shelf of every public official, attorney and planner dealing with preservation of open space, natural resources, and the built environment."---David L. Callies, FAICP, author of Regulating Paradise: Land Use Controls in Hawaii "The TDR Handbook will be the primary source on the topic for years to come. The authors provide detailed explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of transfer of development programs, illuminated by useful, insightful case studies with a range of applications from urban design and historic preservation to farmland protection and environmental management."---Frederick Steiner, FASLA, Dean, University of Texas School of Architecture "The authors have succeeded in making the tricky concepts of TDR understandable and accessible to readers ranging from the casual interested citizen, to experienced planners and practitioners of TDR, to elected policy makers. Especially worthwhile is the thorough review and analysis of the demand and supply dynamics of TDR economics- a most important ingredient to creating effective markets in transferable development rights."---Darren Greve, manager of King County, Washington's TDR program

We all have a natural nesting instinct-we know what makes a good place. And a consensus has developed among urban planners and designers about the essential components of healthy, prosperous communities. So why aren't these ideals being put into practice? In Good Urbanism, Nan Ellin identifies the obstacles to creating thriving environments, and presents a six-step process to overcome them: prospect, polish, propose, prototype, promote, present. She argues that we need to reach beyond conventional planning to cultivate good ideas and leverage the resources to realize them. Ellin illustrates the process with ten exemplary projects, from Envision Utah to Open Space Seattle. Each case study shows how to pair vision with practicality, drawing on our best natural instincts and new planning tools. For planners, urban designers, community developers, and students of these fields, Ellin's innovative approach offers an inspired, yet concrete path to building good places. "In another tour de force for the urban planning profession, Nan Ellin delivers a 'how-to' book with theoretical muscle. Ellin supplies six creative yet straightforward steps to make good places happen by tapping collective wisdom and mining the 'gemstones' embedded in every community."---Emily Talen, Professor, Arizona State University and author of City Rules "[Good Urbanism] is one of a small set of books that go beyond the problem of determining what is desired in our urban environment and instead sets forth an agenda for how to achieve good urbanism." "Nan Ellin is an eloquent advocate for an urbanism of kindness. This book gracefully bridges the artificial divide between vision and practicality to show how we can co-create cities that produce and fulfill our desires for good lives-for 'prosperity'-by drawing inspiration from the gifts of our neighbors and our planet."---Michael Sorkin, President, Terreform, and Director of the Graduate Program in Urban Design, CUNY "Ellin has provided a much needed roadmap for achieving the kinds of places that urbanists aspire to create. She traces the route in six carefully delineated steps to destinations composed of vibrant, mixed use and well-connected metropolitan regions, cities, neighborhoods and blocks. Good Urbanism shows the way."---Eugenie Birch, Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania "Good Urbanism is a strong addition to any collection focusing on urban planning and policy, much recommended." "Ellin ably bridges the divide between theoretical vision and practical reality that has seen many great ideas for our communities fall short in the past... Experienced urban planners and practitioners and novice urbanists alike will find several new instruments in Good Urbanism to add to their toolkits. These will help enhance the health and well-being of our places and move beyond sustainability to a path towards prosperity." "...the passion and relentlessly up-beat manner in which Ellin makes her case is refreshing, and reading Good Urbanism is undoubtedly a rewarding experience..." "This book is a must read, now more than ever, for city planners, urban designers and architects as they vie to make cities around the world pleasanter habitats for their residents and visitors."---Jon Lang, Emeritus Professor, University of New South Wales, Sydney

What makes strolling down a particular street enjoyable? The authors of Measuring Urban Design argue it's not an idle question. Inviting streets are the centerpiece of thriving, sustainable communities, but it can be difficult to pinpoint the precise design elements that make an area appealing. This accessible guide removes the mystery, providing clear methods to measure urban design. In recent years, many "walking audit instruments" have been developed to measure qualities like building height, block length, and sidewalk width. But while easily quantifiable, these physical features do not fully capture the experience of walking down a street. In contrast, this book addresses broad perceptions of street environments. It provides operational definitions and measurement protocols of five intangible qualities of urban design, specifically imageability, visual enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity. The result is a reliable field survey instrument grounded in constructs from architecture, urban design, and planning. Readers will also find a case study applying the instrument to 588 streets in New York City, which shows that it can be used effectively to measure the built environment's impact on social, psychological, and physical well-being. Finally, readers will find illustrated, step-by-step instructions to use the instrument and a scoring sheet for easy calculation of urban design quality scores. For the first time, researchers, designers, planners, and lay people have an empirically tested tool to measure those elusive qualities that make us want to take a stroll. Urban policymakers and planners as well as students in urban policy, design, and environmental health will find the tools and methods in Measuring Urban Design especially useful. "They provide operational definitions and measurement protocols for five intangible qualities of urban design: imageability, visual enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity" "This timely guide draws upon the best available research to show how contextually rich and robust metrics of urban design, like legibility and imageabilty, are associated with active, livable places. Designers, planners, public health professionals, and anyone else who cares about quality of urban living will gain a lot from this book."---Robert Cervero, Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, UC Berkeley "Everyone has turned to a companion and observed, 'This is a great place, I am really glad to be here.' But few of us have the lexicon, and even fewer have the data, to support our assertion. Good for Ewing and colleagues for bringing both to us, and in such a clear and readable way."---Richard J. Jackson, Professor and Chair, Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health "Developed to assess the mixed-use streets that are key focal points in livable places, this guidebook clearly shows how to measure important urban design concepts. In detailing how they developed the checklist and what it is best at measuring, the authors make a substantial contribution to urban planning and design."---Ann Forsyth, Professor of Urban Planning, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University "Measuring Urban Design promises to open a new field of evidence-informed urban design. This book, which began as an Active Living Research grant, is a big achievement in creating metrics for urban design qualities. It should be used widely to create more liveable and health-promoting urban places."---James F. Sallis, Distinguished Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine UC San Diego "This book will be valuable to those interested in the process-and particularly the pitfalls-of developing numerical measures of urban condition."

When we think of green building, we tend to picture new construction. But Robert A. Young argues that the greenest building is often the one that has already been built. In Stewardship of the Built Environment, he shows how rehabilitating and reusing existing structures holds untapped potential for achieving sustainable communities. Students and professionals alike will discover the multifaceted benefits of reuse. Young begins by describing how historic preservation in the United States, often overlooked because of the predominant focus on new construction, is actually an important sustainable design strategy. He then examines the social, environmental, and economic benefits of preservation-from the societal value of reusing existing buildings to financial incentives available for rehabilitation. Young concludes with insights into the future of reusing buildings as a sustainability strategy. He also provides several informative appendices, including a glossary of key terms and acronyms and recommendations for further reading. Readers will become familiar with essential terminology; sustainability and historic preservation metrics; government oversight processes; and opportunities for smart growth afforded by rehabilitation. This knowledge is key to preserving the past while building a sustainable future. "For twenty years advocates for so-called 'green buildings' have focused almost exclusively on new construction, ignoring the environmental contributions of the existing building stock. Worse yet, historic buildings were dismissed as energy hogs that should be razed and replaced with green gizmo structures. They were wrong. And Robert Young amply refutes their foolishness in his excellent new book."---Donovan Rypkema, principal, PlaceEconomics "It will be very difficult for anyone to leave historic preservation out of an overall sustainability strategy after reading this book. Stewardship of the Built Environment does a great deal to explain the interconnectedness between old buildings, sustainability, energy use and economics, and underscores the critical role old buildings play in a healthy built environment."---Ronda Wist, Senior VP, Policy and Advocacy, Municipal Arts Society NYC "This book makes an important contribution to the literature about the intersection of historic preservation and sustainability. The stewardship of the built environment is simultaneously an act of preservation and sustainability. Stewardship is the core. Young explores both the warp and woof of the rich tapestry of sustainable stewardship, illustrating both its vertical and horizontal relationships."---Carl Elefante, FAIA, in his foreword "In Stewardship of the Build Environment: Sustainability, Preservation, and Reuse, author Robert A. Youn takes a philosophical look at the role of historic preservation in the ongoing push toward more sustainable buildings and communities. Supported by countless case studies of buildings that got it right, Young's in-depth analysis of the many factors that go into making a building sustainable (everything from location to energy usage) is a must-read for anyone interested in preservation's role in the green movement." "The underlying call for a paradigm of 'stewardship of the build environment' has broad relevance." "It is difficult to imagine that a planner could work effectively in neighborhood redevelopment or real estate as well without the comprehensive knowledge Young presents in the book."

America's landscape is undergoing a profound transformation as demand grows for a different kind of American Dream--smaller homes on smaller lots, multifamily options, and walkable neighborhoods. This trend presents a tremendous opportunity to reinvent our urban and suburban areas. But in a time of fiscal austerity, how do we finance redevelopment needs? In Foundations of Real Estate Development Finance: A Guide for Public-Private Partnerships, urban scholar Arthur C. Nelson argues that efficient redevelopment depends on the ability to leverage resources through partnerships. Public-private partnerships are increasingly important in reducing the complexity and lowering the risk of redevelopment projects. Although planners are an integral part of creating these partnerships, their training does generally not include real-estate financing, which presents challenges and imbalances in public-private partnership. This is the first primer on financing urban redevelopment written for practicing planners and public administrators. In easy-to-understand language, it will inform readers of the natural cycle of urban development, explain how to overcome barriers to efficient redevelopment, what it takes for the private sector to justify its redevelopment investments, and the role of public and nonprofit sectors to leverage private sector redevelopment where the market does not generate sufficient rates of return. This is a must read for practicing planners and planning students, economic development officials, public administrators, and others who need to understand how to leverage public and non-profit resources to leverage private funds for redevelopment. "The book does a fantastic job of making the intricacies of the development financing world easy to understand." "Arthur c. Nelson has written a policy guide and practical workbook."