Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network

Development of Driverless Cars Enters the Fast Lane in Nevada

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:00:00 -0800

As Nevada becomes the first state in the country to approve self-driving cars, Robert Bruegmann considers what changes to the built environment driverless cars could have.

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Pop-up Street Libraries Appear in New York

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:00 -0800

John Metcalfe reports on efforts by one New York architect to utilize the city's ubiquitous pay telephone booths as the settings for pop-up libraries.

Rebuilding the Long Forgotten Treasures of L.A.'s Golden Era

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0800

A $1.1 billion renovation of the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim is oriented around the recreation of Los Angeles landmarks of the 1920s and 30s, when the head mouseketeer himself began building his empire.

How Post Office Closings Will Be Harmful to Rural Health

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Cezary Podkul and Emily Stephenson examine the likely economic and social consequences of efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to close thousands of rural post offices this year.

Reconciling Redevelopment With a Salacious Past

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0800

In Kansas City, the historic home of jazz and Prohibition-era excess struggles with a redevelopment effort that attempts to build on that era's history while leaving behind some of its essential characteristics, writes Brandon R. Reynolds.

Guidelines on Privately Owned Public Spaces in S.F. Need Rethinking

Jonathan Nettler — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800

John King authors an article examining the types of privately owned public spaces that have been created in San Francisco under the city's 1985 downtown plan and sees room for improvement.

Mexico City Trash Pickers Fight for Their Livelihood

Ryan Lue — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800

As city officials introduce plans to overhaul waste disposal in the capital of Mexico, a deeply rooted constituency fights back.

Conference Points to Place, Not Race, As Health Determinant

Ryan Lue — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0800

Lecturers call race a "surrogate" for socioeconomic factors that determine health outcomes, reports Beth Fitzgerald.

No Car? No Problem in Washington, D.C.

Ryan Lue — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Drawing on 2010 Census data, the Coalition for Smarter Growth highlights the prevalence of alternative transportation in the nation's capital.

Lessons Learned in Providing On-Site Open Space for Multifamily Developments

byronka — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0800

Bob Bengford, AICP, MAKERS, examines the goals and benefits, notable challenges, and lessons learned in providing on-site open space for multifamily developments, including a comparison of how a few Washington cities regulate this type of open space.

Building Permaculture in Seattle

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:00:00 -0800

Robert Mellinger reports on efforts to build the nation's largest public food forest in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle.

Re-imagining Versus Repairing the Nation's Infrastructure

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 -0800

In an opinion piece for Politico, three Washington insiders propose several principles along which the United States should re-imagine its infrastructure in order to provide the means for future prosperity.

Examining the Impact of Municipal Budget Cuts

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0800

Reporting in The New York Times, Michael Cooper examines the ways in which severe municipal budget cuts are impacting cities across the country through the lens of San Jose, which has lost more than a fifth of its employees over four years.

Transportation Bills Going Nowhere Fast

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

With current federal transportation policy expiring on March 31, House and Senate recesses this week leave only 16 legislative days to craft some sort of transportation deal.

U.S. Population Growth Sags Despite Economic Upturn

Irvin Dawid — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0800

The recession has taken its toll on U.S. population growth - both in babies born and immigration. While the recession officially ended June, 2009, growth rates continue to lag for the second consecutive year at .7%, the lowest since the Depression.

Ranking of Top Cities For Students Unveiled

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), who specialize in education and study abroad, have recently released their first ever ranking of the fifty best student cities in the world.

A Battle Over Grand Canyon Development Nears A Grand Finale

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Ken Belson reports on a massive development planned for a town located five miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and the decades long battle amongst high powered interests and 600 local townspeople over the future of the area.

Bases to Places

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0800

With 235 U.S. military sites around the world set to be realigned or closed over the next ten years, Michael J. Coren asks whether the end of military bases will lead to the start of new public spaces.

As Interest in Biking and Walking Rises, Will Funding Keep Up?

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Claire Thompson reports on new findings presented in the Alliance for Biking and Walking's 2012 Benchmarking Report demonstrating the rise in biking and walking, and the incongruity with recent attempts to defund bipedal infrastructure.

Is Homeownership Liberating or Limiting for Single Women?

Jonathan Nettler — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0800

As single women buy homes in unprecedented quantities, and much more frequently than men, Kate Bolick asks if female homeownership is liberating or limiting.