Infrastructure

New Transit Lines Open Early, Under Budget

New TRAX light rail lines in Salt Lake City opened a year early and 20% under budget.

August 4, 2011 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Parking Becomes Park in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is opening its first "parklet" -- a small public park space built on street parking spaces.

August 4, 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

On Spending for High Speed Rail

This post from The Infrastructurist looks at recent arguments for and against high speed rail projects in the U.S. through the lens of spending.

August 4, 2011 - Infrastructurist

Why Did the U.S. Allow Its Cities to Decline?

Frank Gruber asks, "why, not how." Many of the explanations for decline are clear; why it was allowed to happen, less so. Gruber highlights "suspects" of what might have led to cities' destruction.

August 3, 2011 - The Huffington Post

Transportation Debate Awaits Congress Next

A post at ASLA's The Dirt predicts that the next "crisis" to be debated in Congress will be that of the need for a comprehensive transportation bill to repair this country's "vulnerable infrastructure."

August 3, 2011 - THE DIRT

Detroit Unveils Plan for Shrinkage

Last week, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing released the much anticipated Detroit Works Project for "shrinking" the city. Reporter Nancy Kaffer says it isn't quite what everyone was expecting.

August 2, 2011 - Crain's Detroit Business

The Fields' Efficiency: How Innovation Outshines the Sun

At a two-acre site located 80 miles west of Ann Arbor, an engineering major at the Univ. of Michigan installed the state's largest solar farm with movable trackers that increase the amount of energy captured by almost 10%.

August 2, 2011 - Ars Technica

Testing the Smart Grid

South Korea is making perhaps the biggest moves towards creating a vast "smart" electricity grid with a test grid of homes equipped with new meters and applications that communicate with each other and the grid.

August 1, 2011 - The New York Times

Dam Removal Proposed to Save Salmon

Lawmakers are likely to consider a controversial plan this summer to remove a series of dams on the Klamath River to help restore endangered salmon populations.

August 1, 2011 - National Geographic

Landscape Impacts Spur Major Repairs to Three Gorges Dam

After years of denial, the Chinese government has admitted that its massive Three Gorges Dam project is destabilizing the land around the reservoir.

August 1, 2011 - The Christian Science Monitor

Our River, Ourselves

The moribund state of the Los Angeles River reflects the zeitgeist of the city that it runs through, says The Economist. A mile wide but an inch deep, revitalization proposals are too conceptual at best and too feeble at worst.

August 1, 2011 - The Economist

Bicycle Usage Jumps 14% in NYC

According to Mayor Bloomberg's latest press release, nearly 19,000 cyclists populate the streets of NYC on a daily basis - that's 2,300 more than last spring. The growing popularity makes the soon to be unveiled bike-sharing system looks promising.

July 31, 2011 - Transportation Nation

Singapore's Green Plant Revolution

As Singapore's population booms, officials are working through plans to help the city absorb its people but also provide them with adequate green space.

July 31, 2011 - The New York Times

Architectural Fiction and a Variety of Imagined Futures

This essay from Places looks at the history of "architectural fiction", and how imagined spaces and uses of land enrich understanding of the built environment.

July 30, 2011 - Places

Boston's Transit Achieves New Balance with Bike-Sharing Program

Mayor Thomas Menino declared that "the car is no longer king in Boston" as the Hubway bike-sharing system made its debut this week, putting the city abreast with Washington D.C.

July 30, 2011 - WBUR

The $94 Billion Annual Funding Gap in Transportation

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released a report this week that offers a bleak outlook at the nation's surface transportation infrastructure - just in time for the imminent Aug. 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling.

July 29, 2011 - WOWK-TV

Fruitful Legal Battles Over Water Supply

In Kern County, Calif., trendy fruits like pomegranate are at the center of a number of contentious lawsuits over water resource management.

July 29, 2011 - The New York Times

Shifting the U.S. to a Production Economy

Economic recovery depends on shifting the U.S. from a consumption economy to a production economy, according to this article. A good way to do it: build infrastructure.

July 28, 2011 - The Atlantic

Subway Drill to Remain Under New York City

The immense drill that's burrowing a subway tunnel beneath New York City will remain underground after its work is through, a move to cut the expensive costs of removing it.

July 26, 2011 - The New York Times

Empty Stadia and Some Regret in South Africa

One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.

July 26, 2011 - The New York Times Magazine

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.

Senior Planner

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Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

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.