Infrastructure
BRT Takes Babysteps in South Africa
This post from The City Fix discusses the new bus rapid transit system that just opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, and why the system was sorely needed.
Not a Drop to Drink
Lima's poorest residents are using nets to capture the moisture from the fog that shrouds the city. They don't have access to running water and often pay a high price to get it.
Japan Seeks to End Wasteful Spending on Projects, Meets Local Opposition
Japan wants to end its spending on wasteful construction projects, which are the cause of the country's massive debt. But for one small town on the verge of losing a dam, the "wasteful" project is the center of the local economy.
Odenseification
The City of Odense, Denmark has submitted a new master plan that guides development to make the city carbon-neutral by 2025.
Turning Infrastructure into Amenity
Jeffersonville, Indiana is proposing to turn a district with a bad flooding problem into a beautiful canal with a pedestrian promenade.
Toronto Street Furniture Program Blasted
The city of Toronto is rolling out a new street furniture program. Lisa Rochon calls the new additions to the city's sidewalks an "assault on civic life".
Sustainable Streets in St. Louis
The city of St. Louis has been testing out a new sustainable streetscape design that calms traffic and helps absorb stormwater. The test run has been so well-received, the city is thinking about rolling out the design permanently.
Is Bright Right or Blight?
A proposal to create a new outdoor advertising district in San Francisco has some locals anticipating a retail revival, while others dread the possible billboard blight.
California Legislators Pushing For Resolution to Water Crisis
Legislators in California are forming a special session to try to tackle the state's crippling water woes. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is hoping they can hammer out a deal within the week.
Food and Urban Form
Carolyn Steel gives a talk inspired by her new book "Hungry Cities," about the history of feeding urban areas, and the ways in which food might reach increasingly urban populations in the future.
Citizen-Activated Adaptive Urban Spaces
The availability of information in the city is creating a new opportunity for adaptive and interactive urban spaces. As Carlo Ratti of MIT's SENSEable City Lab discusses, the key is people.
Reclaiming Alleyways
Office workers in Seattle's Pioneer Square area are claiming their network of alleyways as social spaces.
APA Picks 10 Great American Streets for 2009
The American Planning Association has released its picks for Great Places in America for 2009, including their choices for Streets, Public Spaces and Neighborhoods. Skagway, Alaska's Broadway tops the list.
Asian Disasters Exacerbated by Inadequate Infrastructure
Many of the deaths of the past few rounds of storms and earthquakes are due to inadequate drainage systems, poor building regulation enforcement, and lack of emergency planning.
The Frustration Behind Miami's Push for a Bike Plan
This audio report form WLRN in Florida looks at the frustrated bicycling community that mobilized to create the city's bicycling master plan, up for approval this week.
Anti-Graffiti Coating To Be Required on L.A. Buildings
The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved a measure that will require an anti-graffiti coating on all new buildings in the city.
Intercity Rail Rides Again in Virginia
Intercity rail service has begun operations in Virginia, connecting Lynchburg and Washington D.C.
Drought Policy and Flooding Streets in LA
While residents ration water for lawn-watering, Los Angeles has experienced double the breaks in water mains as in previous years. The breaks have destroyed streets and flooded businesses, leaving many looking for answers.
Third-Grader Brings Bike Lane to Montana
A third-grader in Missoula, Montana has successfully rallied her city to build a new bike lane near her busy street.
How Cities Grow Like Brains
Interconnectedness is just as important to brains as it is to cities, according to researchers who've just released a study about the organizational similarities between cities and brains.
Pagination
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