Government / Politics

High Speed Rail for Wisconsin, Like it or Not

Despite what either of the state's two Republican gubernatorial candidates want, high speed rail is on its way to Wisconsin, according to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

August 1, 2010 - BizTimes

Variable Pricing Parking Meters Unveiled in San Francisco

San Francisco has begun a two-year test of variably-priced parking meters in an effort to see how pricing affects driving and parking decisions in parts of the city.

July 31, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Small-Town Seafood Shack Creates Big Traffic Problem

A popular seafood shack in small-town Maine is causing huge traffic problems. Officials are considering a $100 million solution.

July 31, 2010 - The New York Times

Towns Across The Country Let Their Paved Roads Return To Nature

"When counties had lots of money, they paved a lot of the roads and tried to make life easier for the people who lived out here," said Stutsman County Highway Superintendent Mike Zimmerman, "Now, it's catching up to them."

July 31, 2010 - Wall Street Journal

Miami Approves 50-story Electronic Signs

The Miami City Commission has controversially approved a pair of 50-story electronic signs to be built atop a parking garage next to the City's Arsht Performing Arts Center.

July 30, 2010 - Miami Herald

The Government Greens Its Real Estate

The Public Buildings Service, which is responsible for charging and collecting rent on 9,600 public buildings across the 50 states, has been asked to go green by retrofitting and smartening its aging buildings.

July 29, 2010 - Fast Company

San Francisco Pins Utopian Hopes on Treasure Island

San Francisco has always been home to utopian dreamers. With a clean slate to work on in the middle of the bay, the city has drafted plans for a sustainable utopia. With politics and money kicking in, will the dream be dashed?

July 28, 2010 - Shareable

Bike Advocacy Rule #1: Show Up!

Bike Blogger Richard Masoner offers some tips on how to successfully advocate for effective bicycle facilities, covering the gamut from bike parking to placement of bike sharrows.

July 28, 2010 - Cyclelicious (bicycle blog)

Senate Abandons Climate Bill...Now What?

On July 22, the congressional attempt to pass comprehensive climate change legislation officially ended for the year. That day the World Resources Institute unveiled a report assessing carbon reductions possible under existing federal and state law.

July 27, 2010 - The New York Times - Environment - Green (Blog)

L.A.'s New Planning Director

It's been nearly three weeks since Los Angeles Planning Director Gail Goldberg resigned. Now, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has nominated a new director: Michael LoGrande.

July 27, 2010 - California Planning and Development Report

Battling Over the Nile's Water, Forgetting About its Ecosystem

Despite flowing through ten different nations, the Nile's water is only technically the property of Egypt and Sudan. The other eight nations are trying to change that. But as the debate heats up, the river's ecosystem may be caught in the cross-fire.

July 27, 2010 - Yale Environment 360

Facing the 'Generational Mismatch'

Two age groups are rapidly growing in the U.S.: baby boomers and minors under 18. The difference is that one group is primarily white, while the other is overwhelmingly not.

July 26, 2010 - National Journal

Homesteading 2010

A small town in Nebraska is reviving the Homestead Act, offering plots of land to people in order to cash in on property taxes down the line. Other places are following suit.

July 26, 2010 - The New York Times

London's Suburbs Attempt to Assert Their Independence

"London's councils seem set on continuing the imbalance between the city center and outer suburbs, where the former supplies most of the jobs, and the latter most of the residents." Joe Peach reports on economic potential of suburban independence.

July 24, 2010 - The Global Urbanist

Does Architecture Increase Educational Attainment?

As the British Government shelves the project to build and rebuild schools across the nation, Rowan Moore, architecture critic at The Observer and Rick Jones, teacher and journalist consider the effect building design has on learning.

July 24, 2010 - The Guardian

Dispelling the Myths Surrounding China's Growth

Adam Meyer, an architects practicing in Chengdu, scrutinizes some of the myths and projections surrounding China's rapid economic growth which have become so popular in the last half decade.

July 23, 2010 - New Geography

Census Chaos Looms as Stats Canada Chief Resigns in Protest

Canada's chief statistician has quit in a very public protest over the Harper government's announced plan to replace the Canadian Census "long form" with a voluntary census.

July 23, 2010 - The Globe and Mail

How Accurate Are California's HSR Ridership Figures?

When she read over the ridership estimates behind California's HSR plans, Elizabeth Alexis was expecting to have "obscure arguments over the standard deviations," but instead found glaringly obvious "math" mistakes.

July 23, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Not Enough T in the DOT?

The federal government is paying more attention to the land use impacts of the transportation projects it's funding. Next American City's Yonah Freemark worries they may be paying too much attention.

July 22, 2010 - Next American City

Good Capitalists and the Meltdown

Suburbia has brainwashed Americans into being good capitalists, which brought about the economic crisis, according to neo-Marxist economic geographer David Harvey.

July 22, 2010 - Fast Company

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.