United States, California
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.
The Fall of Victorville
Victorville, CA is a textbook case of the housing bubble gone wrong. Moving forward, Warren Karlenzig argues that places like Victorville show the need to consider a new paradigm of density and efficiency moving forward.
Green Flow blog
Walkscore to Get Bus Points
Transit stops are now included on Walkscore, the map-mashup website that scores neighborhoods based on their accessibility and walkability.
NRDC Switchboard
Isn't This How We Got Into This Mess in the First Place?
In the name of economic stimulus, the government has invested deeply in the very business (real estate) that was driving the economy down. Does that make sense? Streetsblog's Ryan Avent reports.
Streetsblog
Talking 'Bout a RailVolution
The Urbanophile reports from RailVolution in Boston, including a video interview with John Robert Smith, CEO of Reconnecting America.
The Urbanophile
The Solution for Homelessness? Homes.
Neal Peirce says that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel in the debate over homelessness, and a consensus that stopgaps don't work. The real answer is to, duh, give them homes.
Citiwire.net
The History of the Parking Lot
An exhibit currently at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. explains how the architecture and design of parking lots evolved, and why. Meanwhile, the Parking Show of Shows conference takes place nearby with a different take.
The Washington Post
The Most Polluted Metro Areas in America
Atlanta tops a list of the most polluted cities in the country, according to an analysis of EPA data by Forbes.
Forbes
'No Credits, Just Prerequisites'
The Living Building Challenge is a new environmental rating system that focuses on required environmental design elements, diverging dramatically from the credit-based approach of the built environment's dominant rating system, LEED.
Metropolis Magazine
Driverless Cars are the Solution, Says Randal O'Toole
Promoting his upcoming book on transportation planning, Randal O'Toole says his central argument is that rail is a dead end and driverless car technologies are the answer to our congestion problems.
The Antiplanner
New $6500 Tax Credit for Homebuyers
The U.S. Senate has approved an extension of the tax credit for 1st time homebuyers, which is set to expire in November. The House could vote on Thursday.
Builder Magazine
Smaller May Be Better in Developer Biz
While a number of mega retail developers crashed and burned during the recession, some smaller developers have thrived.
Retail Traffic Magazine
The True Cost of Commuting from the Exurbs
A new study from ULI details the transportation costs for households around the San Francisco Bay Area, and finds that SFers spend on average $500 less each month than suburban dwellers in the area.
The San Francisco Chronicle
National Trust for Historic Preservation Head to Retire
Richard Moe, longtime president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has announced his retirement. His tenure brought about a major change in the way the group interacts with the federal government to preserve the nation's historic sites.
The Washington Post
California Election Results Reverse Trend on Growth
It's no surprise when voters in the college town of Davis, California, say no to a housing development. But it is a surprise when Modesto says "whoa" to growth, and when development-averse Santa Barbara and Ventura reject new controls.
California Planning & Development Report
Car-Free Sundays Coming to L.A.?
A group of cyclists in Los Angeles is hoping to move forward in talks with the city to establish car-free days, based on the ciclovia street closures originated in Colombia.
Los Angeles Times
Bus Becomes Bus Stop
Sculptor and designer Christopher Fennell takes scrapped school buses and repurposes them into bus shelters.
The Design Blog
Changes Ahead for Rails and Air
Changes to a 75-year old rule, which says nonvotes must count as 'no' votes in labor elections, could make it easier for workers to organize in the railroad and airline industries.
The Wall Street Journal
Kunstler: Rebuild the Passenger Rail System
In his forward to James McCommons' new book, Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, James Howard Kunstler lays out the case for investing in a revival of passenger rail.
AlterNet
A Greener Shade of Golf?
Golf courses use dangerous pesticides and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to maintain their manicured look. Many people would like to change that. But some golf courses says you can have your cake and tee off, too.
Good
Contribute
- Alternative Vehicles Evolve, Infrastructure Still Lags
- On Remaking Shrinking Cities
- The Fall of Victorville
- Brain Gain in Eastern Germany
- Walkscore to Get Bus Points
- Finding A Sustainabe Path for Jakarta
- Isn't This How We Got Into This Mess in the First Place?
- Simulating Mount Rushmore
- Talking 'Bout a RailVolution
- The Solution for Homelessness? Homes.
Fleeting Design -- Scott Page
Public Options in Transit and Health Care -- Michael Lewyn
Let Me Clear My Throat -- Ian Sacs
Don't Bogart That Joint, My Friend -- Dwight Merriam
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Transportation Policy -- Todd Litman
D.C. Area Professional Development Courses Offered in Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability– Last Chance to Register!
Planning Academy at Virginia Tech, VT National Capital Region campus in Alexandria, VA
Nov 05, 2009
Managing Growth With Priority Funding Areas: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Yet to Come
Routledge
Nov 04, 2009
Step Up Your Site Analysis with Planetizen's Advanced Google Earth Webinar
Planetizen
Nov 04, 2009
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