Infrastructure
This California Jail is Off the Grid
The Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California isn’t your average prison complex. Its independent power system, or microgrid, sets it apart from its peers—and saves an estimated $100,000 a year.
Climate Change Threatens Global Food Supply
The leaked draft of a new report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns of the disturbing affect a warming planet will have on food production. The panel's last report had been more sanguine about the impacts.
Cities and Businesses Aim to Wipe Out Demolition Waste
Cities and businesses are looking to reduce waste from demolition sites and increase the amount of recycled material used in new developments.
Public-Private Partnerships: Trick or Treat?
As localities increasingly pursue public-private partnerships to fund much-needed infrastructure projects, Ryan Holeywell explores the promise and pitfalls of this popular financing arrangement. Are dissenting voices being stifled?
A Monstrous Price Tag for the World's Most Expensive Hallway
One of the first portions of the World Trade Center PATH station has opened beneath West Street in Manhattan. The 100-foot-long pedestrian passageway provides a taste of Santiago Calatrava's design and what a seemingly unlimited budget can buy you.
Congress Contemplates Cooperating on Infrastructure Spending
Might a recent agreement to fund water projects pave the way for more transportation spending? That's what positive signals out of Washington seem to indicate. Just one small obstacle stands in the way: how to finance road and bridge projects.
Shrinking Cities Seek to Shrink Streets
In Rust Belt cities like Flint, Michigan, a loss of population translates to less cars on oversized streets. Angie Schmitt examines how Flint, and other cities like it, are trying to right-size their transportation infrastructure.
New Rail Tunnel is First to Join Two Continents
On the 90th anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey, officials realized a vision dreamt by an Ottoman sultan by inaugurating a rail tunnel beneath the Bosporus to connect Asia and Europe. Critics have questioned the tunnel's safety.
“There It Is — Take It”: The Story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct
The controversial construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct provided grist for famous books and movies, and conflicts that continue to this day. In a multimedia feature, Louis Sahagun explores the history of the project that helped birth modern L.A.
Want a Happier Healthier City? Bikes are a Bargain
Not only are car-oriented environments ugly, they're costly from an environmental, health, and public investment standpoint. Elly Blue finds that for comparative pennies, bike-friendly cities get happier, healthier, and less broke residents.
Cyber Attack Causes Eight-Hour Traffic Jam
Last month, hackers were able to shut down Haifa's Carmel Tunnels toll road, a major thoroughfare in Israel's third-largest city, in two days of cyber attacks. The attacks should come as a warning for our increasingly automated infrastructure.
The Most Scenic Commute in the U.S.
Take a ride with NPR's Jane Greenhalgh on one of "the most scenic rides in America", according to host, Steve Inskeep. Patients, staff, and visitors to Ore. Health and Science University enjoy the free, aerial tram ride to the top of a Portland hill.
How "Train Nerds" Saved NYC's Subway from Sandy
It took an effort that was both well-planned and ad-hoc to save NYC's backbone from Hurricane Sandy, and have the city's transit system back up and running again soon after the storm. Robert Sullivan examines that effort and what happens next time.
Mumbai's Airport City: Catalyst for Development
Roger Duffy, design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, discusses the firm's forthcoming airport and airport city in Mumbai, and how this new development differs from 20th century airports.
What Will it Take to Better Balance Bike Share Systems?
As we've noted here, some of the most popular bike share systems have been victims of their own success, with high use docking stations often full or empty - depending on the time of day. Henry Grabar examines efforts to automate the rebalancing act.
Seattle's Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Street Parking Program
For an effective, low-cost alternative to San Francisco’s bank-breaking street parking program, look no further than Seattle.
With Vote by City Council, Sacramento to Become Healthier and More Bike Friendly
More bike corrals, bike sharing, and parklets are on the way to the Golden State's capital thanks to the city council's unanimous vote on Oct. 22 with support from cyclists, pedestrians, businesses, and the regional air district.
D.C. HOT Lanes Still Struggling to Attract Customers
A year after $2 billion high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes opened along the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia, traffic volume remains below projections.
A Year Later, Sandy Recovery Shows That Building Resilience Takes Time
Despite warnings of the threats posed by rising seas and more extreme storms in the years leading up to Hurricane Sandy, the New York region's preparations lagged behind where experts thought they should be. Has anything changed since Sandy?
What's in the Water? House Overwhelmingly Approves Infrastructure Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives has nearly unanimously passed a new bill! While that's news in itself, the bill facilitates infrastructure improvements (water-oriented in this case), an often divisive issue.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
