The Atlantic Cities

New Initiative Brings 3D Planning to the Public

Eric Jaffe writes on a new interactive planning initiative in Louisville, Kentucky, that takes a hands-on approach to public engagement.

September 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Health Problems Can Be as Unique as the City

A first-of-its-kind study measures the unique health problems of individual cities in the European Union, revealing interesting, and sometimes mysterious, results.

September 22, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Seattle's Clashing, Confusing, and Disjointed Grid

Seattle is a city of grids (plural). Downtown, alone, contains three, making for some pretty interesting transportation challenges. Some argue it's simply part of what makes the city livable.

September 20, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Popular Video Game Makes Planners Out of Schoolchildren

Not heard of Minecraft yet? Than you must not have a 10-year-old child in your house. Luckily, Sarah Goodyear does, and for our benefit, she describes the popular children's video game that explores real-world urban planning ideas.

September 19, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Study Calls Into Question Walmart's Economic Development Bona Fides

A study just published in Economic Development Quarterly documents the geographical destruction on local businesses wrought by a new Walmart store, and raises questions about its long-term impact on sales tax revenues, reports Nate Berg.

September 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Is Poverty in America Rising or Falling?

New census data released last week made national headlines for its grim news on America's historically high levels of poverty. However, a new paper reads between the lines, and concludes that the country is making progress in reducing poverty.

September 16, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Britain Seeks to Ease Land Use Regulations to Stimulate the Economy

According to Prime Minister David Cameron, planning regulations are the boogeyman holding back the UK's economy. Thus, in an effort to boost construction, Cameron is proposing to ease the country's rules on which projects require planning approvals.

September 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Cities Get Proactive About Citizen Gripes

Ever wish it didn't take 4 calls, 2 letters, and 1 community meeting to get a pothole fixed in your city? A new software developed by IBM would allow cities to mine social media to get a picture of public sentiment, long before you dial 3-1-1.

September 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Generation Y's Love Affair With Cities Grows, But Will It Last?

As Generation Y-ers (or Millennials) reach maturity, some question the generation's ongoing adoration of the city, and whether it will continue as they begin to marry and raise children.

September 13, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Map Apps Move Indoors

A time when your mobile phone can help you navigate the homogenous corridors of an indoor mall as easily as the route that got you there is, seemingly, not far off, as Seoul unveils an app that can navigate the city both above and below street level.

September 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

What Defines a City?

As anyone who's raised an eyebrow upon hearing that Los Angeles is technically more dense than New York can attest, making city-to-city comparisons can be a confounding endeavor. Nate Berg goes in search of a uniform way to define the city.

September 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Walkable Urbanism Sets the Pace for Real Estate Recovery

As the real estate market comes back to life, walkable urbanism is poised to become the dominant mode of development across America. Emily Badger explains why Washington D.C.'s land use evolution portends the future of cities everywhere.

September 5, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Data Becomes Art in the Hands of this Cartographer

Eric Jaffe profiles the work of "self-proclaimed 'map geek'" Eric Fischer, whose remarkable renderings of urban data seek to uncover a deeper beauty, and truth, in the deluge of information.

September 3, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Anti-Agenda 21 Platform Part of Long Property Rights Tradition

While it might seem like the Agenda 21 conspiracy theorists have arisen quite quickly out of the murky backwaters of the Republican party, Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones traces the lengthy enti-environmentalist roots of the movement.

September 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The Education Gap and its Role in Persistent Unemployment

A new report by the Brookings Institution shows that unemployment in America's cities is being exacerbated by a lack of higher-educated workers.

September 1, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Friday Funny: A Video for the Dog Days of Summer

Man's best friend is taking parkour - the improvised sport that uses the urban environment as an obstacle course - to new levels. Nate Berg looks at some of "barkour's" pooch practitioners.

August 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Dense Re-Vision for D.C.'s Neglected Waterfront Extends onto the Water

A 52-acre development planned for Washington, D.C.'s isolated Southwest Quadrant hopes to create a 21st century waterfront by embracing the elements that have contributed to creating lively urban waterfronts for centuries, reports Kriston Capps.

August 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

DIY Aerial Imaging Now a Reality

Ever get frustrated looking for the right aerial image of your project site on Google Earth? Emily Badger has found the solution - a DIY balloon mapping kit developed by cartographer Stewart Long.

August 30, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Imagining an Alternative History for the Planning Profession

In Amanda Erickson's explanation of the history of urban planning, the profession as conceived at the start of the 20th century confronted a choice between creating beautiful people or beautiful cities. Why couldn't planners have created both?

August 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

San Francisco Looks for the Next Big DIY Thing

With the global success of the city's homegrown "parklets" program firmly established, the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts is hosting a series of "urban prototyping" festivals in S.F. in the hopes of finding the next DIY superstar.

August 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.