Exclusives
BLOG POST
Crowdsourcing Plans
<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Many thanks to Wired’s Jeff Howe who’s 2006 article “The Rise of Crowdsourcing” put an effective label at what the internet was doing to business.<span> </span>Building from Web 2.0 applications focused on social media like Facebook and on-line communities, it’s become a popular and controversial term in tech circles.<span> </span>For those not as familiar with the idea, let’s consult the most often used example of crowdsourcing – Wikipedia.<span> </span><span> </span>“Crowdsourcing is a distributed problem-solving and production model. Problems are broadcast to an unknown group of solvers in the form of an open call for solutions.
FEATURE
A Middle Eastern Oasis for Sustainable Transportation
Like the U.S. in the mid-20th Century, much of the growth in Abu Dhabi over the last 35 years has catered primarily to the automobile. But new plans are re-wiring the city to make Abu Dhabi's streets more hospitable to pedestrians.
FEATURE
Freeways Responsible For Emptying Out Cities
A recent study shows that for every significant freeway that gets built in a major city, population declines by about 18%. Nathaniel Baum-Snow, author of the study, talks with Planetizen.
BLOG POST
Conventional Planning May Be Contributing to Cleveland's Decline
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://www.reason.tv/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #800080; font-size: small">Reason.tv</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> has launched a multipart series of videos </span><a href="http://www.reason.tv/video/show/reason-saves-cleveland-with-dr"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #800080; font-size: small">on how the city of Cleveland can turn itself around</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> using free-market approaches and limited government reforms.
BLOG POST
Inside the City of RVs
A million or more recreational vehicle drivers visit Quartzsite, Arizona every year, creating a temporary metropolis on open land provided by the Bureau of Land Management.
BLOG POST
Parking Policy Reform More Important Than LEED Certification
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Local governments are increasingly encouraging or even requiring LEED certification in new development, which is nice, but most continue to require generous minimum parking supply, which contradicts their goals.
FEATURE
The Taming of the Motorcar
BLOG POST
Exploring Web 2.0 in Urban Planning
<p> Last year I had the opportunity to teach a graduate course on "Web 2.0 for Policy and Planning" at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning & Development. </p> <p> Although I am co-teaching a different class this year, I have updated my <a href="http://ppd599.wordpress.com/">course website</a> with a revised course syllabus and extensive <a href="http://ppd599.wordpress.com/reading/">reading list</a> on Web 2.0 and planning, based on what I learned from teaching the course in Spring, 2009. </p>
BLOG POST
Sprawl In Canada and the U.S.: A Comparison
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">I am spending this spring at the University of Toronto working on an advanced law degree (called an L.L.M.), and am writing a thesis comparing sprawl in Canada and the United States.<span> </span>Here are a few preliminary findings:</span> </p>
FEATURE
Engaging Communities, Improving Neighborhoods
Dr. Marc Schlossberg of the University of Oregon developed a series of tools for mobile GIS devices, and set community members loose to use the technology to collect data about their streets and improve their neighborhood livability.
BLOG POST
Looking for Employment: Tips from A Recent Graduate
<p class="MsoNormal"> Students nearing graduation are wondering about employment. Some already have jobs lined but many do not. While it is good to start looking, best advice is to graduate first as finishing up after you have a job almost always creates a lot of stress and bother. Previous blogs have covered <a href="/node/37736" target="_blank">Finding a First Job in Planning</a>, <a href="/node/38516" target="_blank">Tips on Gainful Unemployment for New Planners</a>, and <a href="/node/34807" target="_blank">Defining the Planning Skill Set </a>based on surveys of employers and graduates. <strong>Anna Read</strong>, a recent graduate from Cornell’s MRP program who found employment right away last year, has passed along these tips from her own experience: </p>
BLOG POST
Rise of the Cruisers
<p> A few weeks back, I had a meeting at the University of Southern California's campus. It was a moderately nice day by Los Angeles standards, which in other parts of the country would equate to the best day of the year weather-wise. As I walked among the brick buildings, I was impressed by the number of bicycles parked willy-nilly around the grounds. </p> <p> <img src="/files/u20704/cruisers_at_USC.gif" alt="Cruiser bikes on the USC Campus." title="Cruiser bikes on the USC Campus." width="301" height="226" /> </p>
BLOG POST
The End of Sprawl As We Know It...NOT
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">As the housing market collapsed and gasoline prices spiked in 2007, many planners may have read Cornell University law professor Eduardo Penalver’s essay in the </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Washington Post</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> with more than a little satisfaction.
BLOG POST
Vancouver Olympics a Living Laboratory for Urbanism!
<p> Among the countless stories being written on the successes and challenges of these 2010 Olympic Winter Games, not surprisingly the most interesting stories to me are those that speak to the challenges of great urbanism. As a host city, Vancouver has become a massive urban laboratory, with so many opportunities to learn, and we’re soaking it all up.<br /> <br /> As we are coming to the end of the final week, a few examples of big experiments and learnings come to mind.<br />
FEATURE
Sprawling Madrid
While Madrid's urban core is highly dense, the city has sprawled out over the last two decades much further than its growing population requires, says Madrid resident and planning consultant Marco Adelfio.
BLOG POST
Raise My Taxes, Please! Financing High Quality Public Transit Service Saves Me Money Overall
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Most North American cities offer only basic public transit service, with limited coverage and frequency, modest speeds, unattractive waiting areas, poor land use integration, and few amenities. Such service is used primarily by people who lack alternatives. In such communities, riders tend to abandon public transit as soon as feasible.</span> </p>
FEATURE
The Importance of Being Urban
If we are "urbanists," does that mean we're anti-suburban? Or do choice and economics define our choices? Architect Fanis Grammenos reflects on his own history of shelter and the ideology of urbanism.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
