Planetizen Interchange

More evidence that walkability is marketable

Michael Lewyn — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:50:59 -0700

A few days ago, I was in a Chicago neighborhood called Lincoln Square, on Lincoln Avenue just south of Lawrence Avenue. Lincoln Avenue looks like many posh urban neighborhoods- narrow, walkable streets inhabited by gelato-eating, prosperous-looking people. Even on a weeknight, the shops and streets of Lincoln Square betrayed no evidence of a recession.*

Canadian Urbanists weigh in on Census Controversy

Brent Toderian — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:46:24 -0700

Canadian city planners and urbanists have been active in the discussion and debate over the last few weeks, regarding the Federal government's decision to change the mandatory long form census to a voluntary approach. As un-sexy as the census might seem to many (I myself never thought I'd be writing a post about the census), the national media has been all over this, giving extensive coverage to the numerous experts and professional organizations who have been unanimously critical of this move, and the effects it will have on the planning and management of cities and communities.

Reflexive Congestion Self-Management?

Ian Sacs — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:23:26 -0700

I frequently drive to an uncle’s house near the beach via the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. For years, that drive required a very late Friday evening departure and a similarly late Sunday evening return trip to avoid the wicked stop-and-go that always mires t

The Busiest Street In Town

Mike Lydon — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:27:31 -0700

Few children’s books skillfully cover the subject of urban planning. Chicago's Wacker Manual for the Plan of Chicago (1911), David Macaulay’s lavishly illustrated City:A Story of Roman Planning and Construction (1974), and most recently, Planetizen's Where Things Are, From Near to Far (2008) are standouts.

Planning History: A Few of the City and Metropolitan Plans You Should Know

Ann Forsyth — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:29:26 -0700

Last month I highlighted some important places in the history of planning. Responding to student requests, this month I turn to plans.

LA Planning Department's First Public Participation Webinar

Chris Steins — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:39:07 -0700

The City of Los Angeles Department of Planning and Department of Transportation held a first-ever public online participation webinar Thursday, July 20, 2010. The city used the opportunity to experiment with web conferencing technology, and will survey participants after the event to evaluate the success of the experiment.

A webinar is a web conference, where participants can access a virtual meeting using a computer, and Internet connection. Participants access a website to see the presenter's computer screen, and also listen to the presenter through the computer's speakers, or using a telephone.

Are You For/Against Closing Street Segments?

Ian Sacs — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:47:57 -0700

There's a lot of babbling on in this blog about how streets are public space, that they are for people, and that they should be designed equitably for everyone.

And The Winner Is…

Todd Litman — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:27:49 -0700

Spanish football fans are celebrating in the streets, while in The Netherlands they are drowning their sorrows, but the real winners of the 2010 World Cup are the people of South Africa. Long after the last vuvuzela is sounded, residents and visitors will enjoy the legacy of new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems build in South Africa’s four major cities.

Roads, Oil Spills, and Externalities

Samuel Staley — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:43:17 -0700

Planners are quick to criticize roads and highway investments for the vast sums spent to build, operate and maintain them, often questioning the value of these subsidies. Recently, on a planning list-serve, these subsidies were labeled an “external cost” of automobiles, but they are not.

Planning History: A Few of the Late 19th and 20th Century Places you Should Know

Ann Forsyth — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:42:57 -0700

Earlier blogs have explored books and journals for finding out about the basics of planning history. In this blog I add to this by listing a just few of the places it is important to recognize as a planner. It is of course difficult to make such lists but students ask for them with some frequency. Of course, places are one thing and planning processes quite another--and in planning process is very important. Upcoming blogs will deal with plans and processes.

Externalities, Meet Externalities

Michael Lewyn — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:59:40 -0700

(NOTE TO READERS: An expanded, footnote-filled version of this article is online at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632935 )

Externalities are costs (or benefits) imposed on third parties by another individual’s voluntary action. Government regulations exist at least partially to protect us from externalities created by others.

Sacrificing Pelicans To Petroleum Gods: Deep Water Horizon Spill Forces Energy Policy Rethink

Todd Litman — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:40:57 -0700

Many ancient religions required animal sacrifice to satisfy their gods’ desires. We now sacrifice pelicans, marine mammals and sea turtles to satisfy our desire for cheap oil.

Do You Read These Planning Magazines?

Chris Steins — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:42:29 -0700

I'm frequently asked for recommendations for good planning magazines. As editors of Planetizen, we come across a staggeringly impressive and diverse array of web-based content. But sometimes there is nothing quite like browsing a good magazine in your hands as you commute home on the subway. Here's my quick rundown of a variety of printed planning magazines you might consider reading.

(If I've missed your favorite, please add it the comments, and mention why you like it.)

Enjoyable voice recognition, is it FINALLY here?

Ken Snyder — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:04:28 -0700

Given today it the release date of the new iPhone, I want to talk about something else at Apple the really caught my attention -- their automated customer care. Last week I had to call Apple to find out how to get the sales tax removed from a purchase given our 501(c)3 status. It was a complicated set of questions I needed to ask -- and yet the conversation was as smooth as talking to a live person. It struck me I was getting a sneak preview of something that is going to radically transform how we use technology on a daily basis -- FINALLY.

It’s About Data Baby

Melissa Hege — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:38:45 -0700

Don't Let Time Dilute Outrage Over BP Gulf Spill

Ian Sacs — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:20:34 -0700

Just because our media-ravenous culture inundates us with more news than we can stomach doesn't mean we should give up on the long term prospects of the BP catastrophe. As the poorly secured well beneath the exploded BP rig Deepwater Horizon continues its high-pressure torrent of not-yet-quantified-but-something-in-the-order-of-tens-to-hundreds-of-thousand-of-gallons-per-day of oil into the gorgeous waters of the Gulf of Mexico, we must not let the drone of time allow us lose sight of the result of horrendous and unforgivable destruction, weak industrial controls, and even weaker environmental morals. We must also not ignore that efforts to “contain” the spill were devised simultaneously with an effort to spare the well.

What a bus rider wants

Michael Lewyn — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:01:49 -0700

As I began to type this, I was on a Greyhound bus somewhere in southern Ontario, on the first leg of my return from Toronto (where I have spent the past year getting an extra degree) to the United States. As I type, it occurs to me to ask myself: what are the interests of the long-distance bus rider? Are they the same as users of other forms of public transit, or closer to those of drivers and truckers? My short answer to these questions is: a little of both.

Parking Garages Are So Last Century

Ian Sacs — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:53:05 -0700

The parking “epidemic” in Hoboken is so bad that no parking garage conceivable by man can contain our demand. So this week, Hoboken ventures where no city has gone before; we are rolling out the nation’s first city-wide on-street car-sharing program as a public-private partnership between Hoboken and Connect by Hertz.

Valuing The Precious Hours Of Our Lives

Todd Litman — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:15:30 -0700

Time is a limited and valuable resource. As much as possible, people should spend the precious hours of their lives in the most satisfying and productive possible ways. This has important implications for transportation planning, since most people spend a significant amount of time in transport, and travel time savings are often the greatest projected benefits of transport projects such as roadway and transit service improvements.

In Memoriam: William Mitchell

Anthony Townsend — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 11:34:24 -0700

I learned with great sadness about the loss of William Mitchell, 65, this past friday after a long battle with cancer. Bill was the chair of my Ph.D. committee, a mentor and a friend.