Urban planning is one of those things people don't realize they can relate to. Everybody understands cities, so why can't they understand how they are planned? Well, there's really no reason. Urban planners -- steeped in the inner workings of the urban world -- probably aren't the best to try to communicate this idea. So bring in the artists.
Public Participation
The Challenge (and Importance) of Engaging the Public
David Villano takes an in-depth survey of the state of public engagement practices in the U.S., and the positive effects of the processes that work.
Miller-McCune
Andrés Duany Visits Sacramento
Paul Shigley reports that Duany spoke to planners at an event in Sacramento, and has a new issue: the broken process for getting things built.
California Planning & Development Report
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
Developing the Open City
New communication and interaction technologies are dramatically changing the way the public understands and participates in government. The emerging openness of data and information at the city level is broadening the urban policy conversation, but challenges and questions lie ahead as the open city develops.
Jakartans Demand Public Space
Residents of the city of Penjaringan in North Jakarta brought a proposal to the government to convert the area underneath a toll road into a public space.
The Jakarta Post
Kids Tackling Planning Issues
The Municipal Art Society of New York talks with four young people who are actively involved in addressing the planning challenges facing their communities.
Municipal Art Society
Third-Grader Brings Bike Lane to Montana
A third-grader in Missoula, Montana has successfully rallied her city to build a new bike lane near her busy street.
The Missoulian
Moving Beyond "Town Brawls"
The health care reform town halls are just the latest evidence that traditional forms of public engagement are no longer effective and in fact can be counterproductive, writes Sandy Heierbacher.
Yes! Magazine
Chicago Looks to Public For Guidance on Future Transportation
Transportation officials in Chicago are enlisting the ideas of area residents as they attempt to draft a plan that will guide development and transportation in the region through 2040.
Chicago Tribune
Building Communities With Legos and Plastic Bottles
GOOD Magazine follows planner James Rojas as he engages a community in the act of planning in his own particular fashion, using everyday objects and building blocks.
GOOD Magazine
Entering a Strange New World of Public Participation
Changing technologies and erratic political schedules are altering the way the public interacts with elected officials. For some politicians, the new form of public participation can get them into trouble.
The New York Times
Nuisance Reporting Via iPhone
A new application for iPhones seeks to make it easier for Boston residents to report minor nuisances like potholes and busted street lights.
The Boston Globe
Top 10 Free Web Applications for Planning
Wed, 05/27/2009 - 11:00
I had the opportuntity, at the 2009 national planning conference in Minneapolis, to present (together with my colleague Christian Peralta Madera) ten free web applications that can be used to support planning.
Approximately 350 participants attended the session. Since the presentation, I've received over 100 emails congratulating us on the practical nature of the presentation, and requesting links to the websites we presented. Since our presentation was a hands-on demonstration, this blog entry outlines the ten technologies, and provides links to examples of the technology in practice and resources so you can experiment with the technologies.
Immigrant Outreach Goes Door-to-Door
Neal Peirce looks at a broad citizen outreach program in Montgomery County, Maryland, engages its growing immigrant population by actually interacting with them face-to-face.
Citiwire
The Noise of Online Collaboration
Beth Noveck, deputy director for Open Government in the Obama Administration, talks about dealing with the noise of online collaboration and how to make social networks functional for civic participation.
Government Techonlogy
Architects and Planners Collaborate in Second Life
Linden Labs, creator of Second Life, has awarded a Linden Prize to Studio Wikitecture for their WikiTree project. The online collaboration uses the virtual world "to harness a groups collective intelligence in designing architecture."
Linden Lab
The Next 30 Years of Portland Transit
Portland's Metro authority is mapping out the region's transit plans for the next 30 years, and the public is getting involved.
The Oregonian
City Asks Citizens Where Cuts Should Fall
With severe budget shortfalls, Philadelphia has turned to its citizens to see where the city should make cuts and what citizens are willing to pay to save.
Reuters
Open Source for Planners
Mark Gorton, creator of Limewire started developing his GeoServer software in 1999. Recently Portland adopted the software to plan bus routes. Gorton wants to foster a new revolution in participatory planning.
Wired Blogs
