Government / Politics

Florida's Legislature Torpedos Growth Management in the State

The Senate passed two bills late last week that essentially killed growth management in Florida, eliminating the Dept. of Community Affairs and repealing a law from 1985 that required developers to assess impacts.

May 10, 2011 - The St. Petersburg Times

How Universities Affect their Local Economies

The UK-based Centre for Cities published a short report about the several ways that universities can affect local economic performance.

May 9, 2011 - Center for Cities

U.S. Mayors Get Crash Course in Planning

Tom Wright, Executive Director of the Regional Plan Association, traces the history of the Mayors' Institute on City Design from its creation 25 years ago to last week's conference which was attended by some of the country's most important mayors.

May 9, 2011 - Citiwire

Obama's Transportation Reauthorization Bill Leaks Out - Somewhat

A draft is circulating within the Beltway showing the president's transportation reauthorization bill. High Speed Rail is in, as is a 'Livability Program'. Goodby Highway Trust Fund - Hello Transportation Fund.

May 8, 2011 - D.C. Streetsblog

L.A. tries to Sue Superbank 'Slumlord'

The city of Los Angeles is attempting to sue Deutsche Bank, the owner of thousands of foreclosed and blighted homes in the city. If it works, other cities could follow.

May 7, 2011 - Marketplace

Controlling New York City's Traffic

Urban Omnibus ventures into the New York City Department of Transportation's Traffic Management Center to find out how technology is changing the way the city manages its traffic signals and traffic flows.

May 7, 2011 - Urban Omnibus

Minneapolis Questions Worth of Casino Project

A proposal to build a casino in downtown Minneapolis has locals and lawmakers wondering if it's a good deal for the city. The governor wants more than the suggested 25% take of revenues, but others say even that is not worthwhile.

May 6, 2011 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune

Would You Move to Transit-Oriented Development? How about for $12k?

D.C.'s Office of Planning is launching a pilot program to do just that.

May 6, 2011 - Fast Company

Toronto Tries Bike Sharing Again

After a first attempt fizzled in 2007, Toronto is launching a new bike sharing system.

May 6, 2011 - Urban Toronto

Community-Focused Sustainability Programs Thrive Amid Budget Cuts

Sustainability-focused programs offered at the federal level have received overwhelming support from communities and protection from budget cuts, even in an age of tightened budgets.

May 6, 2011 - Citiwire

The Warhol Community

In comparing the legacies of artist Andy Warhol and urban thinker Jane Jacobs, this essay suggests that the sort of urban community we think of today is more a result of Warhol.

May 6, 2011 - Places

Stadium Renovation Prices out Brazil's Poor from its Most Revered Public Space

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, renovations to the Maracana, an infamous soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, are pricing out the city's poor. Some say the work is killing one of the city's few egalitarian public places.

May 6, 2011 - The New York Times

Can A Failed Mega-Mall Un-Fail?

Officials in New Jersey are planning to revive a stalled megamall project called Xanadu. The New York Times asks a panel of experts whether the plan should move forward.

May 5, 2011 - The New York Times

One Year Down, 3,000 Homes Demolished

Officials in Detroit have demolished 3,000 buildings over the course of the last year, a goal set by Mayor Dave Bing.

May 5, 2011 - Associated Press

Transmission is Key for Wind Energy From the Sea

Building wind farms in the ocean is an ideal way to generate electricity, but it's not so easy to get that energy back to shore efficiently. This article looks as a transmission project that could address that issue.

May 5, 2011 - Popular Science

Addressing Preservation and its Problems in San Francisco

As officials in San Francisco debate the city's historic preservation policies, this column looks back at some of the ways the city has successfully preserved its past and some of the ways the process is broken.

May 5, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

A Transportation Census That Really Counts

New York City has created its own version of the census to track transportation in the city, a job it says the federal government's counting system does poorly.

May 4, 2011 - The New York Times

Art Commission Sends Artists Back to the Drawing Board

The capper to the San Pablo Avenue Streetscape Project is to be a public art project that would line the boulevard. But the art commission in charge has rejected the artists' plans as "poorly done" and wants them to come back with a new concept.

May 4, 2011 - Patch

Does the U.S. Need More Highways?

National Journal asks its panel of experts whether the U.S. needs more highways, and if they should or shouldn't be a major part of transportation funding in the near future.

May 4, 2011 - National Journal

New Haitian President Faces Major Rebuilding Challenges

Michel Martelly is the newly elected president of Haiti. He faces the large challenge of rebuilding much of the country's population center, which was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010.

May 4, 2011 - Architectural Record

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.