Exclusives

BLOG POST

<p> I was reading Wendell Cox&#39;s recent attack on the Center for Neighborhood Technology&#39;s affordability calculations, and was struck by one thing he wrote:<em>“transportation costs will be reduced in the future by the far more fuel efficient vehicles being required by Washington.”* </em> </p> <p> In other words, don&#39;t worry about Americans being impoverished by the cost of a car for every man, woman, and 16-year old in the House: the technological miracle of fuel efficiency will save us.  </p>

April 26 - Michael Lewyn

FEATURE

Architect and urban innovator Andrés Duany has a new bone of contention: the usurping of the planning process by the public during the approval stage for new projects. Managing Editor Tim Halbur reports from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

April 26 - Tim Halbur

BLOG POST

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <![endif]-->Does the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) decision to tear down<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/nyregion/06demolish.html"> Prospect Plaza</a>, a high rise development in Brownsville Brooklyn, portend the demise of public housing in New York City as we know it?

April 25 - Lance Freeman

BLOG POST

<p> These days, I have more in common with my nephew Sam than just about anyone else. He just turned 3. </p> <p> Sam is a train fanatic. Sure, he loves the children’s classics—Thomas the Tank Engine, the Polar Express—but he can also tell you about the Eurostar and the Shinkansen. His recent first ride on Amtrak was like his locomotive bar mitzvah: <em>Today, I am a passenger.</em> </p> <p> I’ve spent all semester working on a studio project making the case for true high-speed rail in the Northeast megaregion. I picked the studio because, like Sam, I’m thrilled by trains, but an added perk is that every time I come with some new picture or factoid about the big, fast choo-choos, I move up a notch in the running for Uncle of the Year. </p>

April 24 - Jeffrey Barg

BLOG POST

<p> I&#39;m writing from Cambridge, where the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Harvard Graduate School of Design are hosting their annual shindig for a small crew of journalists crazy enough to have urban issues as their beat. </p>

April 23 - Tim Halbur

FEATURE

April 22 - Brian J. Connolly

BLOG POST

<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal">Let’s face it, we all get into planning ruts. A public meeting gone awry, a discontented client, a community that just doesn’t get it.<span>  </span>I like to call it planning fatigue, and up until a month ago, I was headed down that path. But a meeting of the minds which converged in my hometown, Miami, brought me a little closer to god, the planning god, that is. Joe Riley, the mild mannered and poignant mayor of Charleston brought me to planning euphoria. If you’ve heard him speak, then you know what I mean.<span>  </span>If you haven’t, well let me bring you up to speed.<span> </span></p>

April 20 - Melissa Hege

BLOG POST

April 19 - Michael Dudley

BLOG POST

<p> With the brilliant help of graduates from Hoboken&#39;s <a href="http://www.stevens.edu/">Stevens Institute of Technology</a>, our local community shuttle bus (a.k.a. The Hop, formerly known as The Downtown Crosstown Shuttle) can now be viewed <a href="http://www.hobokennj.org/departments/transportation-parking/the-hop/">live on the city&#39;s website</a> as it cruises along narrow Hoboken city streets from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (EST), Monday through Friday.  If you&#39;re not near the internet, try texting “crosstown” to 41411 to get a return text with the location of the bus&#39; whereabouts whenever it&#39;s running, then run down to the corner before you miss it! </p>

April 19 - Ian Sacs

FEATURE

The theory that shrinking ailing cities is going to cure them is unproven and wrongheaded, says Roberta Brandes Gratz -- and is fueled by the same forces behind the urban renewal practices of the mid-20th century.

April 19 - Roberta Brandes Gratz

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">We live in a wonderful age! Scientists have proven that many simple, affordable, and often enjoyable activities make us healthier and happier: breath fresh air, avoid dangerous driving, be physically active, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, maintain friendships, play games, and avoid excessive stress. Even chocolate, red wine and sex are perscribed, in moderation, for health sake. </span> </p>

April 15 - Todd Litman

FEATURE

The popularity of the agora, or central marketplace, has waxed and waned throughout the centuries. Park designer Richard Light looks back at the history and meaning of the agora from Ancient Greece to today.

April 15 - Richard Light

FEATURE

Could this be the end? Two recent events signal a dramatic shift in American attitudes towards transportation and the proper role of transportation in making American cities, says Norman Garrick.

April 12 - Norman Garrick

BLOG POST

<p class="ecxMsoNormal"> A few weeks ago, Randall O’Toole  (a leading anti-anti-sprawl commentator) and Matthew Yglesias (a Washington-based pundit who primarily writes about politics, but occasionally veers off into planning issues) had an interesting discussion about the extent to which sprawl is a result of land use regulation.(1) </p>

April 11 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

<p> &nbsp; </p> <p> <em>Walkable Los Angeles</em>. Casual visitors may be surprised to learn that this is not an oxymoron. </p>

April 10 - Diana DeRubertis

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> Planning history is often taught in the first semester of planning programs. However, many students find that their interest increases with time and that with more knowledge they have more questions. Below I list some basic books and journals for finding out about planning history. In an upcoming entry I will discuss important plans, places, and programs that the historically literate urban planner should at least recognize. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Two books typically set in planning history introductory courses in the United States are an easy place to start: </p>

April 10 - Ann Forsyth

FEATURE

How many people live in California? The current count could be off by 1.5 million people, and a lot is riding on the results of the 2010 Census. Josh Stephens talks to planners and state leaders about the flaws in the Census and how they'll shape state policy.

April 8 - Josh Stephens

BLOG POST

<p> When I inherited the Hoboken Parking Utility last year, it was hobbling along with all of the forward planning of a Friday night Rock-and-Bowl last call.  With no time to build a new budget from the bottom up, I was left to remold what I found into something a little less status-quo and a little more innovative.  In a scrutinizing political climate and tough economic conditions, the changes had to be both necessary and serve as an example of ways to reduce costs. </p>

April 6 - Ian Sacs

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt">The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics are over now. City Planner <a href="/user/10088"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none">Brent Toderian</span></a> described in a recent Planetizen blog how the event showcased <a href="/node/43096">Vancouver’s Urbanism</a>, including the quality of its neighborhoods, streets and public transit system, and the delight of a shared community experience.</span> </p> <p> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt"><img src="http://www.daily-jeff.com/images/media/20100213/photos/d505f58a8fe6bcfb05fe5c41c92152dd9d647e8b_oly2.jpg" width="358" height="212" /></span> </p>

April 5 - Todd Litman

FEATURE

Jennifer Evans-Cowley, Phd, AICP, spends a couple of hours exploring the phenomenon that is chatroulette.com. Chatroulette sets you up to videochat with a complete stranger. Are there applications for the future of public participation in planning?

April 5 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley