Legos, trains, blocks and books -- I'm certain my interest in urban planning was spurred by playing with toys like these that involved building and understanding how things work. With twin 5-year old boys at home, I'm intimately acquainted with the latest in toy trucks, games and DVDs for budding urban planners. I've gathered some of the best here, properly field tested by my boys, to help you with your holiday shopping list.
Bruder MB Garbage Truck ($55)
Movies
"Urbanized" Seeks To Chart The Future Of Planning
Friday Funny - Top Ten Cities That Need Statues from 80's Movies
Urban Favorites
Historic Preservation with the Muppets

Urban Planning Gift Ideas For Children (Your Budding Planner)
Inception Portrays Architecture As Fantasy
'Twilight' Tourism Changes Small Town of Forks
Abu Dhabi Uneasy About its Role in New Movie
Can Sc-Fi Movie Change the Fortunes of Soweto Slum?
Films a Blessing and a Curse for Small New Mexico Towns

Ninth Ward, The Movie: How To Really Rebuild New Orleans
New Orleans is still struggling, especially its hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward. The economic recession has been bad news for development all over the world, and it's really not helping things down in New Orleans. The federal government's broke, states are cutting costs, and local government is practically bankrupt. But even in tough times, there is one place where business always seems to be good and money's always flowing: the movie industry. Maybe New Orleans should look to Hollywood as a means to recovery. It has the money, it has the incentive, and it's proven that it actually has the power to make it happen.
Theaters Catalyze Downtown Development

Planning Juno
Many viewers may not fully appreciate movies as a visual story-telling medium, but that fact came home to me dramatically the other night while watching “Juno,” the off beat, smart and funny film that just snagged a best screenplay Oscar. The deliberate use of architecture and public spaces, in particular, was quite effective although you probably won’t find these references in plot summaries or synopses.





















