Infrastructure

Running Cities Like A Business

Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez writes that the great success of Mayor Bloomberg's PlanNYC is due in large part to a process that borrowed key principles from the business world.

April 20, 2010 - Environmental Leader

Overhead Wires Cloud Future of D.C. Streetcar and Reputation

Washington D.C. is moving forward with plans to construct streetcars in the city, but a law more than 100 years old banning overhead wires is threatening the progress of those plans.

April 20, 2010 - The Washington Post

On the Mesa, Off the Grid

A mesa in New Mexico is home to nearly 400 people, which makes up one of the largest communities of people in the U.S. living almost completely off the grid.

April 20, 2010 - The New York Times

Urban Farming Going Global

The move towards growing produce locally in urban areas is not just a U.S. phenomenon, says CNN. China, Japan and Cuba have had agriculture in cities for decades.

April 19, 2010 - CNN

Seeking Solutions to Stormwater and Sewage Issues

In many cities, stormwater and sewage water are collected in the same sewer. As a result, good rainwater is combined with dirty sewage water. Overflows can create major problems for cities. But avoiding those problems is not exactly easy.

April 17, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

Friday Funny: The Ultimate SimCity

Behold Magnasanti, the ultimate city built using the SimCity game with no cheats, with a population of 9 million residents.

April 16, 2010 - YouTube

Smart Parking

A comparison of Brainerd, Minnesota's downtown parking and that of the planned town of Celebration, Florida shows what a big difference a parking plan can make.

April 16, 2010 - Strong Towns Blog

Conservation Efforts Straining Water Infrastructure

Water conservation efforts that limited when Los Angeles County residents could water their lawns may have caused a spate of water main bursts last summer and fall.

April 16, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Radical Growth Management

Who should pay for growth? In the crunchy enclave of Bolinas California, newcomers pay a steep entrance fee. Fair or not, it's a good anecdote to share among planners and budget analysts.

April 15, 2010 - New York Times

The Rise of Soft Infrastructure

Infrastructure is undeniably important to our cities and places, but a new kind of infrastructure -- soft infrastructure -- is becoming increasingly important.

April 13, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Roadblocks A'Plenty in Nebraska

Bureaucratic snafus between the Nebraska Department of Roads and the Federal Highway Administration have caused numerous highway, bridge and road projects to be delayed. FHA head Victor Mendez met with local officials to sort out the mess.

April 12, 2010 - The Omaha World-Herald

Detroit Makes Big Investment in Bike Lanes

In the next year, Detroit will be putting in 30 miles of bike lanes throughout the city. But an ambitious new plan imagines up to 400 miles of bicycling infrastructure.

April 12, 2010 - The Detroit Free Press

The Age of Infrastructure

Alex Marshall argues that the previous decade saw a dawning awareness of infrastructure and the importance of investing in it, in the United States and around the world.

April 11, 2010 - Citiwire.net

Cable Cars See Increased Usage As Transit In Developing World

Low-cost, high capacity urban gondolas and cable cars are being successfully used as public transit and tools of urban revitalization in Colombia, Algeria and other parts of the developing world.

April 11, 2010 - www.TheCityFix.com

Completing the Grid to Improve Walkability

Grist's David Roberts maps out why his neighborhood is not walkable and how it could be greatly improved with just a little extra infrastructural connectivity.

April 10, 2010 - Grist

The City's Physical Influence on Skateboarding and Park Design

This piece from Urban Omnibus looks at how underutilized parts of the built environment are embraced by the skateboard community, and how those urban aspects are often co-opted into skatepark design.

April 10, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares

That's the title of a new report from CNU and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) that attempts to right the wrongs of the car-centric street design of the past 75 years.

April 9, 2010 - Streetsblog

DOT Rethinks Selection Process for Funding

When Charlotte's new light rail line opened, it vastly exceeded anticipated ridership figures. As the city plans an extension of the system, the federal government is revising how it distributes funding to avoid making the same mistake again.

April 8, 2010 - The New York Times

Portland Demoted to America's Second Most Bike-Friendly City

The city of Portland is in a state of shock after being de-throned as America's most bike-friendly city.

April 8, 2010 - The Oregonian

Climate Measure Would Raise Gas Tax But Not Fund Transportation

A new senate climate measure is proposing to raise the gas tax, a move many in the transportation field have been suggesting for years. But the measure is meeting criticism for not directing the increased revenue towards transportation projects.

April 8, 2010 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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.