British Columbia
Back-and-Forth on Downtown Vancouver
The Tyee presents a conversation between two Vancouver urban thinkers about the city's downtown and how some efforts to improve the city's core have worked while others have fallen short.
Olympic Boost to Vancouver Transit Ridership, Then a Drop
Transit ridership boomed during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but the numbers have since fallen.
Vancouver Students May Get New Gondola
The city of Burnaby, near Vancouver, may soon approve a proposed gondola line connecting university students to rest of city.
Prioritizing Pedestrians
Daily pedestrian trips in Vancouver, Canada are at 318,000, while bike trips are at 60,000. So why do bikes have a committee and pedestrians don't? City planners are rectifying that situation now, with a new focus on walkers.
How Vancouver's Waterfront Went Public
This piece from The Globe and Mail takes a look at the history of Vancouver's waterfront, and how it gradually became public land.
Olympic Village Blasted for Missing Affordable Housing Targets
Housing activists in Vancouver are criticizing the city for only offering a small portion of the Olympic Village built for the 2010 Winter Olympics as affordable housing.
Protecting Views of Natural Landscapes
With new skyscrapers planned for Vancouver, some citizens are getting worried about preserving the mountain views. Not to worry, says planning director Brent Toderian.
Vancouver Considers Higher Skyline
The city of Vancouver is considering a plan to increase maximum building height restrictions in certain parts of town by 100 feet and more.
The Larger Importance of Small Parks
A new book shows that even small parks have the potential to engage social and ecological issues through thoughtful design.
The Best Laid Plans
Planning students at the University of British Columbia unveiled bold new plans for Vancouver for the next 40 years, but as planning director Brent Toderian put it, the plans are "the easy part."
Smaller Homes Coming to Smaller Towns
The small town of Tofino, British Columbia is looking to the Vancouver model of "micro homes" and laneway housing to increase its stock of affordable housing.
Growing Density Worries B&B Owner
Vancouver's Cambie Street corridor is targeted for increased density by the city's planning department, with buildings up to 12 stories. A bed-and-breakfast owner who has run her business in the neighborhood since 1972 says enough is enough.
Buses of Tomorrow
The largest bus and transit expo in North America happened this week in Vancouver, and manufacturers showed off the latest in transit technology.
Vancouver's Transit Options, With Pricetag
Mayors in metropolitan Vancouver are facing two options for expanding transit service in the region -- and a hard decision about how to generate the funding to make it happen.
Little House on the Laneway
Vancouver's liberalized laneway housing zoning is seen as a cost-effective and easy way to densify, make housing more affordable and reduce the city's carbon footprint. But not everyone is on board.
Vancouver Urbanism in the Suburbs
In suburban Vancouver, a small development near a university is trying to replicate the successes of Vancouver's urbanism with dense building clusters and walkable neighborhoods.
B.C. and Washington Seek High Speed Rail to California
Officials in the Pacific Northwest are calling for a high speed rail line that connects British Columbia with California.
Operational Issues Keeping Residents Out of Olympic Housing in Vancouver
Housing created for the Olympic Village in Vancouver was intended to be reused after the 2010 event as affordable housing. But the province hasn't been able to find an operator. Now the city wants to move ahead without the province's help.
Paying for Roads: Drivers Versus Cyclists
This piece from The Vancouver Sun asks who pays their fair share for roads and transportation infrastructure costs: car drivers or cyclists?
Are One-Way Streets Really Necessary?
One-way streets are a relatively new phemenon and encourage drivers to drive faster, says John Calimente. He argues it's time to convert Vancouver's one-ways back to their two-way pasts.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
