Exclusives

BLOG POST

iPads for Planning?

<p><img src="/files/u10085/ipad.jpg" alt="iPad" title="undefined" width="300" height="186" align="right" onmouseover="undefined" onmouseout="undefined" />Earlier this week I read a <a href="http://mitatlawrence.net/projects/classes/dusp-lawrence-practicum-2004/">report about creating a geographic data system</a> for a community group in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The document contained detailed technical documentation for how to use iPAQ handheld computers to collect geocoded data. Since the data was collected and managed in geographic information system (GIS) software, it required pages of technical instructions. This case seemed a prime example of how GIS tools missed the mark for planners who need to work with geographic data, but in a different way than technical analysts. The purpose of the project was to empower community youth to collect basic data, a task ill suited to software designed for data management by experts using hundreds of attributes and a fine degree of precision.<br /><br />One day later, I found myself reading Newsweek&#39;s <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/235565">cover story</a> about the iPad, which reported that Apple expects to sell hundreds of thousands of the sturdy, easy-to-use devices in the coming months. Could the iPad be used for planning? I have <a href="/node/40512">previously written</a> about the potential for the iPhone to augment city life. Since then the types of apps I described have only grown in popularity: navigation apps that use transit data, apps to report potholes or other issues to city officials, augmented reality apps providing information about your surroundings, and geographic networking and gaming like <a href="http://foursquare.com/">FourSquare</a>.<br />

April 2 - Robert Goodspeed

FEATURE

Five Things You Need To Know About High-Speed Rail

To inaugurate the launch of our new website with exclusive coverage of high-speed rail, we asked David J. Carol, Market Leader of High-Speed Rail at Parsons Brinkerhoff to tell us what we need to know about the U.S.'s exciting new endeavor.

April 1 - David J. Carol

BLOG POST

Connecting to Internet in Remote Areas to Bring High Tech Tools to Town Meetings

<strong>Even when the circuitry is beyond us mere mortals, DIY comes to the rescue</strong>  <p class="MsoNormal"> In town meetings we use the Internet for a wide variety of uses, from photo walls to display images collected during our <a href="http://vimeo.com/9719936" title="Walkshop Tours">WalkShop tours</a>, to brainstorming and voting with our <a href="http://vimeo.com/9719829" title="AnyWare Suite of Tools">AnyWare suite of tools</a>, to collecting ideas using Google Docs or Google MyMaps at round tables.<span>  </span>The latest WiFi cards are making connecting to the Internet possible in places where the Internet normally is not available.

March 30 - Ken Snyder

BLOG POST

The Use and Abuse of Multipliers

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://www.planning.org/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Planning</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> magazine recently (December 2009) published a story on the benefits of economic impact studies for planners. Most professional planners have run across them at one point or another: they are used to evaluate economic impact and the effectives of various types of programs on job creation. Unfortunately, the article did little to also illuminate the pitfalls and weaknesses of these studies.</span> </p>

March 29 - Samuel Staley

FEATURE

Making Planning More Accessible

Planners in Cary, North Carolina were tasked by the mayor to make their complex planning process more accessible.

March 29 - Tim Halbur


BLOG POST

How Much Does Congestion Matter?

When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s suggested that bicyclists’ needs should be accommodated in federally-funded road projects, the road lobby responded with something approaching hysteria.

March 28 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

Intermodal Instant Gratification

<p> The beauty of street paint is that it costs next to nothing and it can have a huge effect in a very short period of time.  Anyone watching how New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan transforms public streets into public spaces with paint, planters, seating, and signs knows how the installation of these materials overnight works like magic. </p>

March 27 - Ian Sacs


BLOG POST

Crowdsourcing Plans

<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Many thanks to Wired’s Jeff Howe who’s 2006 article “The Rise of Crowdsourcing” put an effective label at what the internet was doing to business.<span>  </span>Building from Web 2.0 applications focused on social media like Facebook and on-line communities, it’s become a popular and controversial term in tech circles.<span>  </span>For those not as familiar with the idea, let’s consult the most often used example of crowdsourcing – Wikipedia.<span>  </span><span> </span>“Crowdsourcing is a distributed problem-solving and production model. Problems are broadcast to an unknown group of solvers in the form of an open call for solutions.

March 24 - Scott Page

FEATURE

A Middle Eastern Oasis for Sustainable Transportation

Like the U.S. in the mid-20th Century, much of the growth in Abu Dhabi over the last 35 years has catered primarily to the automobile. But new plans are re-wiring the city to make Abu Dhabi's streets more hospitable to pedestrians.

March 22 - Gary Toth

FEATURE

Freeways Responsible For Emptying Out Cities

A recent study shows that for every significant freeway that gets built in a major city, population declines by about 18%. Nathaniel Baum-Snow, author of the study, talks with Planetizen.

March 18 - Tim Halbur

BLOG POST

Conventional Planning May Be Contributing to Cleveland's Decline

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://www.reason.tv/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #800080; font-size: small">Reason.tv</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> has launched a multipart series of videos </span><a href="http://www.reason.tv/video/show/reason-saves-cleveland-with-dr"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #800080; font-size: small">on how the city of Cleveland can turn itself around</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> using free-market approaches and limited government reforms.

March 16 - Samuel Staley

BLOG POST

Inside the City of RVs

A million or more recreational vehicle drivers visit Quartzsite, Arizona every year, creating a temporary metropolis on open land provided by the Bureau of Land Management.

March 15 - Nate Berg

BLOG POST

Parking Policy Reform More Important Than LEED Certification

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Local governments are increasingly encouraging or even requiring LEED certification in new development, which is nice, but most continue to require generous minimum parking supply, which contradicts their goals.

March 15 - Todd Litman

FEATURE

The Taming of the Motorcar

March 15 - Victor Gruen

BLOG POST

Exploring Web 2.0 in Urban Planning

<p> Last year I had the opportunity to teach a graduate course on &quot;Web 2.0 for Policy and Planning&quot; at the University of Southern California&#39;s School of Policy, Planning &amp; Development. </p> <p> Although I am co-teaching a different class this year, I have updated my <a href="http://ppd599.wordpress.com/">course website</a> with a revised course syllabus and extensive <a href="http://ppd599.wordpress.com/reading/">reading list</a> on Web 2.0 and planning, based on what I learned from teaching the course in Spring, 2009. </p>

March 11 - Chris Steins

FEATURE

How Trying Too Hard Messes Up Main Street

March 11 - Scott Doyon

BLOG POST

Sprawl In Canada and the U.S.: A Comparison

<p class="ecxMsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">I am spending this spring at the University of Toronto working on an advanced law degree (called an L.L.M.), and am writing a thesis comparing sprawl in Canada and the United States.<span>  </span>Here are a few preliminary findings:</span> </p>

March 8 - Michael Lewyn

FEATURE

Engaging Communities, Improving Neighborhoods

Dr. Marc Schlossberg of the University of Oregon developed a series of tools for mobile GIS devices, and set community members loose to use the technology to collect data about their streets and improve their neighborhood livability.

March 8 - Dr. Marc Schlossberg

BLOG POST

Looking for Employment: Tips from A Recent Graduate

<p class="MsoNormal"> Students nearing graduation are wondering about employment. Some already have jobs lined but many do not. While it is good to start looking, best advice is to graduate first as finishing up after you have a job almost always creates a lot of stress and bother. Previous blogs have covered <a href="/node/37736" target="_blank">Finding a First Job in Planning</a>, <a href="/node/38516" target="_blank">Tips on Gainful Unemployment for New Planners</a>, and <a href="/node/34807" target="_blank">Defining the Planning Skill Set </a>based on surveys of employers and graduates. <strong>Anna Read</strong>, a recent graduate from Cornell’s MRP program who found employment right away last year, has passed along these tips from her own experience: </p>

March 7 - Ann Forsyth

FEATURE

Reconsidering Empire Zones for NYC

March 4 - Alison Bates

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.

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