It's almost Halloween, and that means it's time to celebrate America's most important holiday by dressing up in a silly costume. But what's that? Tired of culturally relevant costumes? Don't want the general public to have any idea what you are? Prefer a drawn-out, interest-losing explanation of an obscure and wonky costume concept? Then you're in luck, because I happily present the second edition list of the best urban planning costume ideas.
Land Use
Chicago's Answer to NYC's High Line Will Generate Power & Food
A proposed plan from Gensler and 4240 Architecture would turn an abandoned rail line in Chicago into an energy-generating, food-growing powerhouse. Oh, and a park too.
Fast Company
Transportation Planning In Federal Climate Legislation
In this short radio broadcast, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer welcomes the support of influential land use planner Mike McKeever of Sacramento, who testifies in support of the bill that incorporates smart growth strategies first employed by his MPO.
Capital Public Radio
Modernism's Olmsted
Famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin died this week at the age of 93. Halprin is highly regarded in his field, but in terms of urban planning many of his designs have not stood up to the test of time. Managing Editor Tim Halbur explores his legacy.
Will California Have To Exempt All Stadiums From Environmental Review?
Now that Ed Roski's new stadium in the City of Industry is exempt from CEQA, Bill Fulton wonders whether California can deny the same competitive advantage to others.
California Planning & Development Report
Suburbs Sprouting Corn and Lettuce
Platte River Village, now building in Denver, is a new concept in fusing agriculture and suburbia.
Denver Post
Thirsting in America's Fruit Basket
To protect the endangered Delta Smelt fish, pumping of water from California's Sacramento Delta has been drastically cut back. Add in the state's three-year-long drought, and the result is a major problem for the state's people and farmers.
The Economist
Penalosa Decries Nairobi's Vision of the Future
Nairobi planners are promoting a new vision of the African nation criss-crossed with superhighways. Enrique Penalosa visited Nairobi last week to try to persuade them to reverse course.
Daily Nation
The Barcelona Model of Reviving Industrial Areas
American cities are struggling to figure out how to transition formerly industrial areas to become vibrant and successful parts of the city once again. Neal Peirce says they should look to Barcelona, which accomplished it ten years ago.
Citiwire
What To Do With Unused Phone Booths
This project offers a new idea about how to make use of dead phone booths.
Blade Diary
Las Vegas: A Model of America's Problems
The problems facing urban America can be exemplified by looking at the city of Las Vegas, according to this piece from the Brookings Institution's Mark Muro.
Citiwire
Splicing Planning Students into Community Boards
Planning students from New York-area universities are being integrated into the city's community boards through an innovative new fellowship program.
The Architect's Newspaper
Form-Based Code Approved in Miami
Commissioners in Miami have voted to replace the city's use-based zoning code with a form-based code, dubbed Miami 21, which had been in the works for years.
The Miami Herald
The Real Inconvenient Truth: Global Land Use
Global warming is a problem, says climate scientist Jonathan Foley, but it's not the only one. The other major problem facing the global environment is a pattern of land use for agriculture that is grossly unsustainable.
Yale Environment 360
Miami Adopts Largest Known Form-Based Code
Thu, 10/22/2009 - 19:45
After four years of political wrangling, hundreds of public and internal meetings, several revisions, and one determined planning department, consultant team, and Mayor, the City of Miami made urban planning history tonight by adopting the largest known application of a form-based code. In doing so, Miami has catapulted itself to the forefront of those large American cities serious about implementing smart growth.
Environmental Laws Bypassed for California Stadium Project
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that allows developers of a planned football stadium in Southern California to bypass environmental laws and speed up the planning process.
Los Angeles Times
