Infrastructure

Millennial Fever: Taking Stock of Denver Placemaking
Denver's investments in placemaking—guided by the city's great appeal to Millennials—are a mixed bag of hits, misses, and open questions.

Baltimore Bus Stop Design Leaves No Doubt
Part street furniture, part advertisement for public transit, part public art—the designers of a new bus stop installation in Baltimore call it "an obvious bus stop."
The Sunny Places that Prohibit Solar Power
An examination of the challenges facing the solar industry in Southeastern states, like Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, where utilities and governments have largely blocked residents and businesses from tapping their solar resources.
What's Next for Missouri After Voters Reject Sales Tax Measure?
In the wake of the decisive rejection of a ballot measure on August 5 to raise the state sales tax by .75% for a package of transportation improvements, how will the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) meet the state's transportation needs?
The Role Infrastructure Employment Plays Throughout The United States
Brookings illuminates which states rely heaviest on infrastructure for employment as local policymakers are struggling with reliable federal funding throughout the peak of construction season.

Revisiting the Common Sense Elements of City Life
Chuck Wolfe revisits five instances of how we can learn from the urbanism we already have.

Place-Based Development and Streetcar Transforming Downtown Tucson
Restaurants, retail, offices, and adobe homes pop-up in and around the long-suffering downtown damaged by urban renewal.
Exercise in Futility: Pressing the Button to Cross the Street
An article in the Dallas News find the devil is in the details: namely, the difficulty in maintaining the little things that make a multi-modal street work—like the little push buttons (some call them "beg buttons") at crosswalks.
Two Transportation Measures Soundly Rejected in Missouri
With 100% of precincts reporting on Tuesday evening, Amendment 7, a .75 percent statewide sales tax measure funding a package of transportation improvements, was rejected by 59% of voters. Kansas City voters snubbed a measure to expand the streetcar.
New Applications for 3D Printing: Sanitation and Shelter
Called by some the "third industrial revolution," what are some of the opportunities and costs of applying 3D printing to issues facing the developing world, and more importantly, emergency housing?
Pedestrian Safety Suffers in Low-Income Areas
Focusing on street safety conditions in Miami as a case study of larger findings, a Governing magazine analysis finds that pedestrians are much more likely to be killed by cars in impoverished neighborhoods.
New York City's Crowdsourced Street Safety Map
As part of the Vision Zero initiative for traffic safety, the city has hosted a map system that allowed citizens to report safety issues encountered on the street. With the reporting period now over, you can still peruse the findings of the exercise.

California High Speed Rail: Federal Aid Not Required
That was the message from Gov. Jerry Brown after a state appeals court unlocked a lower court's hold on $9.95 billion of state bond funds for the $68 billion project. He exchanged words with HSR opponent House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
A Call for New York City to Put Skin in the Bike Share Game
Despite the recent deal that will bring a large capital infusion and expansion of the Citi Bike system in New York City, Sarah Goodyear sees a program on the brink. Can the city help ensure its success?
The Uneven Successes of Minnesota's 60-Mile Root River Bike Trail
The Root River Trail has fallen short of the "economic savior" status some were hoping from it, but it has also exceeded expectations in some towns along the route.
Construction Blocking Sidewalks in Booming Downtown Los Angeles
The construction boom in Downtown Los Angeles has had the unintended, and largely unregulated, consequence of closing access to sidewalks. The practice might be illegal under federal law.
San Antonio Streetcar Plans at Risk
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor is calling for a "pause" on the city's proposed streetcar. Meanwhile a charter amendment from project opponents could be headed to the ballot and a county judge has called for the project to be put on hold.

Does the Aspen Ideas Festival Offer Compelling Ideas for Improving City Life?
The Aspen Ideas Festival didn't offer much that was particularly compelling, but it had its moments.
The New Era of 'Cities 3.0': Just Add Infrastructure
Any vision for a "City 3.0"—or an untethered, technology-enabled city—is dependent on next generation infrastructure for Internet, energy, water, and more.
Senate Passes House Transportation Funding Bill; On to Obama
After the House rejected the Senate's amendments to their Highway Trust Fund extension bill, the Senate passed the bill 81-13 on July 31. Payments to states will continue unchanged through May 2015 when the next hurdle awaits
Pagination
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions