History / Preservation

Watershed States

This post from GOOD points to an old map of the Western U.S. in which state lines are redrawn based on the locations of watersheds.

November 21, 2010 - Good

High Speed Rail Versus Historic Tree

A historic tree near the campus of Stanford University is the centerpiece of a fight to redirect California's planned high speed rail project.

November 21, 2010 - Peninsula Press

World Heritage Status for Canadian "Utopia"?

A master-planned town in Quebec built by an American industrialist as a "workingman's utopia" is being touted as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site.

November 19, 2010 - The Globe and Mail

Historic Barns Disappearing

A 2007 agricultural census found 33,762 barns in Ohio, but commentator Alan Miller says that those barns are quickly disappearing, ravaged by neglect or picked apart for salvage. Miller says something must be done to save this heritage.

November 16, 2010 - The Columbus Dispatch

Rough Tracks Ahead For High Speed Rail In Congress

Transportation consultant Ken Orski looks at post-election results in OH, WI, and FL as consistent with Newsweek's Robert J. Samuelson's pre-election column calling for an end to what he sees as wasteful and inappropriate high speed rail investment.

November 15, 2010 - Innovation NewsBriefs via InfrastructureUSA

Five Materials Improving Sustainability In Construction

Joe Peach explains the technology behind five materials that will dramatically increase sustainability in the building industry. Among the list are wool bricks which are stronger, greater insulators and don't require firing to set.

November 15, 2010 - This Big City

The Cultural Reshaping of Los Angeles

In this reflection on the new book "Los Angeles in Maps", James Rojas wonders what shape the city will take in the near and far future.

November 13, 2010 - KCET

Invasion of the Chain Stores

As chain stores move into a Brooklyn neighborhood, some locals worry about the loss of local character and small businesses.

November 13, 2010 - The New York Times

19th Century Chicago History Goes Hollywood

Hollywood producers are planning a film version of the Chicago-focused book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America.

November 13, 2010 - Deadline New York

The Plan That Changed Urban Planning

A tour shows off the results of a plan that "completely changed the direction of urban planning for much of the last century."

November 10, 2010 - New Urban Network

Is Moving A House the Same As Preserving It?

Brad Vogel of the National Trust for Historic Preservation marvels at the number of house movings that have happened recently, and asks if it is a viable approach for preservation -- or not.

November 8, 2010 - National Trust For Historic Preservation

Turning A Brutal Regime into a Tourist Attraction

Officials in Cambodia are hoping to capitalize on tourists' interest in the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge regime with a proposed theme park.

November 3, 2010 - The Atlantic

Taking Over a Ghost Town

This piece from The New York Times offers a first hand look at life in a modern day mining ghost town from someone who is steadily buying up empty buildings.

November 2, 2010 - The New York Times

Urban Homestead Sectors, Naturescapes, and Green Venture Zones

A group called The Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) released a report this week that breaks the city down into 11 different district types, each with their own character and policy recommendations.

October 27, 2010 - New Urban News Network

Developers Vs. Architectural History

In Samara, a Russian city on the Volga, a rich architecture of wooden buildings is quickly disappearing, thanks to corrupt government and thoughtless devleopers.

October 25, 2010 - The Guardian U.K.

The Downfall of 'the Paris of the Middle East'

Historic architecture is rapidly being replaced by cookie-cutter high-rises in Cairo, much to the displeasure of local architects and historians.

October 20, 2010 - BBC

A Developer in the Park

Sitting in a controversial niche in the development market, Thomas Chapman develops plans for parcels within national parks, only to take buyouts from environmental groups or the government. He's got a bold new proposal on the way.

October 19, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Ghost Town Swallowed by Desert

A town built in the Namibian desert has been abandoned for decades. The sand has taken over.

October 15, 2010 - Environmental Graffiti

'Inchvesting' in the Future of Detroit

A group in Detroit has begun an effort to sell of one-inch parcels of land in the city for $1.

October 13, 2010 - Boing Boing

Fearing a 'Middle Class Ghetto'

As London redevelops its troubled East End ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers are warning against the post-event developments turning into ghettos of the middle class.

October 12, 2010 - Building Design

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.