Exclusives
FEATURE
A Back-to-School Reading List of Books About Cities
2016 has produced an eclectic, imitative mix of titles to the urban library.
FEATURE
The Bicyclists' Manifesto for an Autonomous Vehicle Future
"Policy goals" won't be enough to protect bicyclists once the cars start driving themselves. Strong standards will be necessary to govern the interactions between cars and bikes in an autonomous future.
BLOG POST
How Community Engagement Can Restore Trust in Government
Trust between the public and government agencies is low, and democracies are paralyzed without it. How can community engagement help restore trust? This post outlines the challenge and a process for solving it.
BLOG POST
What Kind Of Commute Makes People Happy?
The conventional planning wisdom seems to be that long drives are less beneficial to well-being than a short walk. But what about other commuting options?
FEATURE
Theme Park Urbanism
An op-ed rejects a notion of urbanism that would find a home in Disneyland, for a version of urbanism that deploys the best efficiencies and benefits of the built environment.
BLOG POST
Urban Sanity: Understanding Urban Mental Health Impacts and How to Create Saner, Happier Cities
Some experts claim that city living causes mental illness and unhappiness, but a new study indicates that urban environments provide many mental health benefits. Better planning can help make sane and happy cities.
BLOG POST
A New Financing Tool for California: Enhanced Infrastructure Finance Districts
Enhanced infrastructure finance districts allow regional cooperation on infrastructure investment and economic development.
FEATURE
Why Autonomous Vehicles Probably Won't Induce Sprawl
There are a few good reasons why a worldwide fleet of autonomous vehicles will not necessarily lead to a new era of sprawl.
BLOG POST
Does Urban Planning Require Passion?
Making better places is a core value for many planners, but don’t let a lack of passion stand between you and a strong career in planning.
BLOG POST
Crowdsourcing Clean Drinking Water, Interview with Sean Montgomery
An Interview with Sean Montgomery, the inventor of CitizenSpring, an app that collects and maps data about safe drinking water.
BLOG POST
The Los Angeles Mystery
A blog post exploring why Los Angeles is more car-dependent than some less dense cities.
BLOG POST
Simulating the City
Computer simulations show signs of a coming revolution with wide ranging impacts on many human endeavors, particularly cities and city planning.
FEATURE
Twisting the Truth: The NIMBY Opposition to Second Units in L.A.
An op-ed by Daniel Freedman explains how a legal spat over an 850-square-foot "granny flat" affected hundreds of units around Los Angeles. The city's attempt to rectify the problems with its second unit ordinance has encountered more resistance.
BLOG POST
Does Sprawl Make People Libertarian?
Criticizes the idea that suburbanization has made Americans more libertarian.
BLOG POST
Funding Multi-Modalism
The new Republican Party Platform wants to stop spending federal fuel tax funds on walking, cycling, and public transit. That would be unfair and inefficient.
FEATURE
Airbnb's Listings Expanded in 2015, but Many Don't Last Long
A new statistical analysis of Airbnb listings shows the short-term-rental service is growing worldwide, but suggests that many hosts don't stick with it. Intermittent commercial uses of residences could be seen in the planning context of "mixed use."
BLOG POST
Trump to Cities: You're Dead to Me
Donald Trump invokes the darkest days of urban decay and crime to appeal to his base. The facts speak to an urban triumph that has led to greater national prosperity and higher standards of living for tens of millions of Americans.
BLOG POST
Visualizing Hyperdensity
The most dense neighborhood in Manhattan is surprisingly low-key.
BLOG POST
The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up
Dave Biggs interviews author James Hoggan about his new book, "I'm Right and You're An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up."
FEATURE
Macabre Ethical Dilemmas: Just the Tip of the Iceberg for Robot Cars
The ethical quandaries that will confront self-driving cars as they navigate the world pose a lot of difficult questions. Antonio Loro charts a course for answering these tough questions.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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.
