Government / Politics

Cisneros: Not the Government's Fault

Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros says the housing crisis is the fault of brought unscrupulous business people, not the government.

June 17, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Strife in the City of the Future

Joel Kotkin describes the plight of a Los Angeles economy that has lost "one-fifth of all its employment since 2004." Once a hopeful generator of new jobs and technology, the area has suffered the most of all the Sunbelt metros.

June 16, 2010 - New Geography

L.A.'s Bold Transit Moves

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to cram 30 years of transit projects into one decade is gathering steam in Washington -- and other cities are watching closely.

June 15, 2010 - Next American City

Bruce Sterling on Cities

Boing Boing interviews author and futurist Bruce Sterling about global cities and how vastly expanding urban scale is not necessarily a problem.

June 15, 2010 - Boing Boing

Reusing Stalled Construction Sites in Seattle

Officials in Seattle are trying to pass legislation that would allow stalled construction sites to be reused as parking lots and temporary vending areas.

June 15, 2010 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

How Cities Can Take Advantange of Their Data

Public data can be more than information for cities. Some have even used it to help generate revenue.

June 14, 2010 - Next American City

Roadblocks Hinder Infrastructure in Russia's Olympic Host City

The relatively tropical seaside resort of Sochi, Russia will play host to the 2014 Winter Olympics. But building the infrastructure to support those games has become a major challenge for officials.

June 14, 2010 - The Vancouver Sun

Four Cool World Cup Stadia and Their Uncertain Futures

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa has caused the creation or redesign of ten stadia. The Architect's Newspaper offers this list of four of the most interesting stadia and what future these expensive buildings may have.

June 14, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Transit Aid: The Operating Vs. Capital Dilemma

Transit advocates are used to battling the 'road lobby', but this article reports on a clash between small and mid-sized transit agencies (who want more flexibility) against the larger ones, as well as the main transit lobbying organization, APTA.

June 14, 2010 - The Washington Post

Privatize the Ocean?

With the devastating spill of oil in the Gulf, this post from The National Review suggests taking control over off-shore drilling out of the hands of government and putting it into the hands of private interests.

June 14, 2010 - The National Review

Designing Embassies in an Era of Terror

Embassies are a critical diplomatic tool, but their original emphasis on representing a state has given way to defending the diplomats inside.

June 12, 2010 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Will Social Media Revolutionize the Planning System?

Joe Peach understands "that online technologies and the city are becoming increasingly integrated," and argues that social media should have a democratizing effect on the planning process.

June 12, 2010 - thisbigcity.net

New Urbanist Ideas Can Improve Public Health

"A once radical idea - that health and urbanism are so deeply entwined that investing in the latter may improve the former -- is beginning to find broad adoption," concludes Fast Company. Greg Lindsay charts the realization of this relationship.

June 12, 2010 - Fast Company

States Fighting For Films

As states elbow each other to lure movie makers to their markets with increasingly attractive tax incentives, some say the competition has gone too far.

June 11, 2010 - Governing

Traffic Planning for Rock and Roll

Traffic congestion marred the early year's of the annual music festival Bonnaroo in Tennessee. But now, advanced traffic planning has made the gridlock only a memory.

June 10, 2010 - The New York Times

L.A.'s '30/10' Plan Moves Ahead

At first considered a long-shot, the idea being pushed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to fast-track 30 years worth of transit projects into 10 is gaining support at the highest levels.

June 10, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Removing Cars to Revive Downtown Cairo

In an effort to regain its stature as a center of culture, Cairo is looking at plans to re-integrate the pedestrian into its now car-dominated downtown.

June 10, 2010 - Egypt Today

Why New York Needs Smart Growth Laws

New York State Assembly Member Sam Hoyt is sponsoring new legislation to bring state spending in line with smart growth planning principles.

June 10, 2010 - Streetsblog

The Potato (Oh Wait, Planning) Famine Rises Again

With a new rural planning policy, thousands of backlogged development applications, and severe job cuts, Northern Ireland's planning industry could be facing a grim future ahead.

June 10, 2010 - Inside Housing

Santa Clara Residents Back Stadium Spending

Residents in Santa Clara, California have approved a measure that would direct $937 million in funding towards the creation of a stadium intended to lure the San Francisco 49ers football team.

June 9, 2010 - Sa Francisco Chronicle

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.