Planetizen - Urban Planning, Design and Development Network

Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time

Judy Chang — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

In this video, host Richard Quest takes us underground to view the work firsthand, where two explosions occur daily right underneath dense city blocks.

Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?

Jonathan Nettler — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800

San Francisco will launch a pioneering electric bike share program this year, with the hope that pricing will help nudge consumers towards more efficient decisions, writes Sarah Laskow.

The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit

Alesia Hsiao — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0800

Over the past 100 years, women-only train cars have come and gone in Japan. Daniel Krieger reports on why these subway cars have endured amongst women’s concerns for safety.

Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl

Jonathan Nettler — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0800

An Urban Land Institute panel of experts has delivered a vision for how to revitalize the historic Rose Bowl and its environs.

Friday Funny: Smellvertising, Coming to a Bus Stop Near You

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 -0800

John Metcalfe reports on an advertising campaign appearing at bus stops across the UK featuring a fiberglass potato sculpture and a mysterious odor emitting button.

Senate Yeas While House Nays on Transportation

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:00 -0800

Ben Goldman follows the recent developments as the Senate and House Transportation bills make their way through the Capitol.

Seeing a Bright Side to the Architecture Meltdown

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0800

Frances Anderton pens a response to recent hand wringing about the future of the architecture profession, opining on the cyclical nature of the profession and her reasons for optimism.

Super Slim Me?

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Kaid Benfield looks at recent trends in the housing sector and asks whether America's infatuation with the McMansion is over.

Why NASA's Spectacular Image of the Earth is So Disturbing

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0800

NASA's amazing high definition update of its infamous "Blue Marble" photograph of Earth is disturbing not for what can be seen, but for what cannot.

The Secrets Behind the High Line

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800

In a lengthy interview with ASLA's blog, The Dirt, Robert Hammond, Co-Founder of the High Line, details the birth, life, and lessons of the phenomenally successful park.

One of Britain's Most Important Architectural Treasures Gets Rescued

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Robin Stummer reports on the fate of Britain's greatest surviving historic wooden building, a huge medieval barn that had suffered from years of neglect.

Green Sponge Will Clean Contaminants Entering NYC Waterway

Jonathan Nettler — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0800

Matt Sledge profiles the work of a landscape architect who has designed an attractive and innovative system for keeping contaminants out of one of New York's most polluted waterways.

NYT Editorial Blasts House Transportation Bill

Irvin Dawid — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Calling it "uniquely terrible", the Times questions whether it will even survive a full floor vote in the House. The editorial lists three major problems with the bill, but notes there are many more.

The Staying Power of Green Jobs

Alesia Hsiao — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0800

Sarah Laskow reports on new findings that show California’s green economy fared much better in the economic downturn than the economy as a whole, demonstrating the overall staying power of green jobs.

Silicon Valley Primed for Facebook Real Estate Boom

Judy Chang — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:00 -0800

Silicon Valley real estate agents and residents are primed for the potential rush of "newly minted Facebook millionaires," now that the company is on its way to becoming publicly traded.

Data Sharing Seen as Crucial to the Future of Public Transit

Jonathan Nettler — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:00 -0800

When civic leaders from around the world gathered for Vancouver's 2012 Cities Summit last week, urban transport was on everyone's lips, and information sharing was seen as the key to unlocking future successes.

Toronto City Council Defeats Mayor, Resurrects Transit City

Michael Dudley — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0800

In a stunning blow to Mayor Rob Ford -- who, on his first day in office in 2010 scrubbed the "Transit City" plan in favor of an ill-thought out and unfunded subway scheme -- the Toronto City Council has quashed his plans and resurrected the old one.

Getting Bullish on Housing

Jonathan Nettler — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Peter Coy and Prashant Gopal report on recent developments in the housing market that may signal a solution to the four-year-old crisis.

How to Survive An Earthquake in the Bay Area

Jonathan Nettler — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0800

When the Big One strikes the Bay Area you'll want to be on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, set to open next year. Its flexibility will allow it to ride the earthquake.

Paris Authorizes Cyclists To Run Red Lights

George Haugh — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0800

In most cases, traffic signals are used to stop vehicles succumbing to Newton's law of motion, but a new decree in Paris will change that. Eighteen intersections are now subject to newly relaxed rules that allow cyclists to continue at red lights.