Infrastructure

Bicycle Infrastructure Fail(s)

An op-ed by Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize Design Company.

May 6, 2016 - Cities of the Future

Beer

Friday Happy Hour: A Beer Pipeline in Belgium

What was once a "pipe dream" will soon be reality.

May 6, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Carpool Lane

New Carpool Lanes Under Construction in Los Angeles County

The ongoing build out of carpool lanes in Los Angeles County continues. A five-mile stretch of I-10 in the eastern portion of the county—a commuter corridor and a corridor frequented for getaways from L.A.—will be adding new capacity.

May 5, 2016 - KPCC

Pumping Gas

Gas Delivery Straight to Your Vehicle. What Could Go Wrong?

Cities and fire departments around the country are struggling with the sudden explosion of start-ups promising to make your life easier by delivering gasoline straight to your vehicle.

May 5, 2016 - Bloomberg

Point No Point

Changes to Google Maps Don't Necessarily Equal Good Cartography

Google Maps has changed a lot since its quick rise to ubiquity. An intrepid blogger digs into the nitty gritty of how the mapping platform has changed, and the consequences of Google's cartography for how the public perceives the world.

May 5, 2016 - Justin O'Beirne

Transbay Terminal Construction

As Price Tag Skyrockets, S.F.'s Transbay Terminal Needs a Bailout

Phase 1 of a project described as the "Grand Central Station of the West" has almost doubled in cost since 2008. Now San Francisco County Supervisors are considering a bailout of the project.

May 4, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

No Sidewalks

Sidewalk Additions Prompt Outrage in Suburban Minneapolis

In the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, some residents can't fathom the idea of the city spending $3.1 million to add sidewalks in existing residential neighborhoods.

May 4, 2016 - StarTribune

Bioswale

Unique Public-Private Partnership Tackles Stormwater Infrastructure in Maryland

By combining the resources of the public and private sectors, Prince George County was able to greatly reduce the costs required to retrofit an aging stormwater system.

May 3, 2016 - Bay Journal

Downtown Los Angeles from LADWP

Does Los Angeles Have What It Takes To Be a Leader for 21st Century Metropolises?

Brookings’ Bruce Katz explains how municipalities like Los Angeles can create thousands of jobs in advanced manufacturing through connecting planning, industry, innovation, and infrastructure efforts.

May 3, 2016 - The Planning Report

Naypyidaw

Myanmar's 20-Lane Road to Nowhere

Constructed at great expense over the past decade, Myanmar's planned capital city of Naypyidaw boasts an empty 20-lane stretch of road. The city's real purpose may be to discourage regime change.

May 3, 2016 - Atlas Obscura

Washington D.C. - The White House

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: White House Edition

The security cordon around the country's most famous residence is growing taller and stronger, again.

May 3, 2016 - The Washington Post

Paris Metro Train

8 Lessons from the Paris Metro

Transportation planner Dan Malouff shares eight insights into what makes the Paris Metro one of the world's great subways.

May 3, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Drinking Water

Mayoral Survey Reveals Deep Anxiety Over Infrastructure

The headline from Politico's recent survey of mayors says it all: mayors fear that there will be more public health disasters like Flint to come if the nation doesn't coordinate to prioritize infrastructure.

May 2, 2016 - Politico Magazine

Toll Road Truck

Toll Rates at Center of Controversy in Public-Private Partnership in Virginia

Elizabeth River Tunnels, a complex project involving a new tunnel, rehabilitating two existing tunnels, and extending an expressway, is financed by a public-private partnership that includes tolls that Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) called "exorbitant."

May 2, 2016 - PBS NewsHour

Los Angeles Downtown River

'Economic Development 2.0': California’s Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts

Since the dissolution of California's redevelopment agencies, the state has been fine-tuning a new and improved economic development tool: Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts.

May 2, 2016 - The Planning Report

Seattle Brick Loft

Seattle's Seismic Risk Concentrated in Capitol Hill

Seattle's updated list of masonry structures at risk from earthquake includes many structures in the Capitol Hill district. Property owners are not currently mandated to retrofit the buildings they own.

May 1, 2016 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

High Line park NYC - Manhattan - New York City

Around the World, Cities Imitate the High Line

The High Line's brand of urban reinvention has caught on, sparking a number of similar projects throughout the world. In addition to disused rail, many projects repurpose old road infrastructure.

May 1, 2016 - Citiscope

Rental Cars

Business Travelers Prefer Uber Over Rental Cars—Do Planners?

Change is afoot for transportation around destinations like Southwest Florida. Are cities like Tampa still planning too much for the old rental car model, and not for a future of transportation network companies, carsharing, and self-driving cars?

April 30, 2016 - Tampa Bay Times

Carfree Freeway

Righting Old Wrongs: U.S. DOT Goes from Urban Renewal to Freeway Removal

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx sees rebuilding America's ailing infrastructure as an opportunity to "right past wrongs," particularly with 1950s and 1960s-era freeways that bisected communities. NPR and Streetsblog describe the new initiative.

April 30, 2016 - NPR

Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta

Environmentalist Alarmed Over California-Focused Federal Water Legislation

An op-ed argues that instead of building a more resilient and sustainable water supply infrastructure, two water bills before congress would rollback exiting environmental protections.

April 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

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.