We all know there's a lot of planning going on around the world. Much of it is poor, short-sighted and generally just no good. But there are also some really great ideas being developed and adopted, and they should be considered by cities and communities all over the world as instructive examples of good planning. Here are what I think are some of the best ideas in urban planning from the last week.
Florida
How Planning is Like Growing Tomatoes
An organic system is rarely the sum of its parts. Nothing demonstrates this as clearly as sinking your teeth into a store-bought tomato, writes Ben Brown.
PlaceShakers
Tea Party Candidate Nixes Transit Center
They mayor of Troy, Mich. chooses ideology over investment, The Atlantic's says Eric Jaffe.
The Atlantic
New Report: Measuring Pedestrian Safety in the U.S.
Transportation for America (TfA), a campaign to strengthen the nation’s transportation network, released an update to its “Dangerous by Design” report, an analysis of pedestrian safety in the design and use of American streets.
TheCityFix.com
Controlling Growth in SunBelt Cities
Cities in California, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada that were "sunburnt" by the economic recession need to smartly manage their future growth.
USA Today
A Region-by-Region Look at "Shovel-Readiness"
NPR looks at a few of the areas that have submitted proposals for high-speed rail funding.
National Public Radio
Un-Developing Abandoned Housing Developments
A stalled and abandoned development along the Florida coast is being scouted by the Trust for Public Land as a possible site for "un-development" -- a return to its natural state as open space.
Los Angeles Times






















