Infrastructure

Kansas City Light Rail Plans Fail

A sales tax plan to fund light rail in Kansas City has failed.

November 5, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

News Summary: Urban Policy and the Obama Presidency

The balloons have fallen, and the yard signs have been yanked up. The people have chosen, and in a historic win, Senator Barack Obama will soon be our next president. Now the hopes and promises of the campaign must harden into reality. Managing Editor Tim Halbur summarize what we can expect from an Obama presidency in regards to urban issues.

November 5, 2008 - Tim Halbur

NYT Columnist Urges Two Infrastructure Stimulus Packages

David Brooks is dismayed at all the failed 'stimulus packages' and those yet to come. Instead, he points to short and long term infrastructure plans, mostly in transportation, that will help the country in addition to any stimulus to the economy.

November 3, 2008 - The New York Times

Mobility Infrastructure: A Better Stimulus Package

Stimulus packages are nothing more than an "economic sugar rush", according to columnist David Brooks. He argues that the country needs to create a larger-scale transportation-based infrastructure project to really bail out the economy.

November 3, 2008 - International Herald Tribune

Freeway Freefall

Next American City takes a look at freeways and sees the end coming -- for some, anyway.

November 2, 2008 - Next American City

Barack Obama on Energy Policy

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow interviews presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama about his plans for electrical and industrial infrastructure, including plug-in hybrids [Video].

November 1, 2008 - The Rachel Maddow Show

Tolls On the Way for New 18-Laner in Texas

After speeding construction by using county toll revenues, a 23-mile long, 18-lane freeway has opened in Texas.

October 31, 2008 - The Houston Chronicle

The Miserable State of California's Roads

Sacramento Bee political columnist took three road trips through 17 states and has a few comments to make, along with some facts, about the condition of the Golden State's roads - in comparison to those he toured, and where the responsibility lies.

October 29, 2008 - The Sacramento Bee

Pointing the Finger at Planners

In allowing places to be designed for cars before people, city planners are primarily to blame for creating an "autocentric" America, according to this article.

October 29, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Obama, the 'Tin-Cup Urbanist'

If history is any indicator, Senator Obama's presidential plans to pump more federal money into fixing cities' problems are futile and wasteful, according to Steven Malanga.

October 29, 2008 - City Journal

Boston's Other Big Dig

For the last ten years, the Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the bottom of Boston Harbor in an effort to make more room for larger cargo ships. Dredging is almost complete on the project.

October 27, 2008 - The Boston Globe

Distribution of Waste

Dow Jones Architects of London are proposing to create "waste towers", designed to compress waste locally before transporting to landfills outside the city.

October 25, 2008 - BLDBLOG

Fix America's Infrastructure, Fix the Economy

The next president must commit to fixing our infrastructure, says Dave Demerjian of Wired. Such an investment will create jobs, strengthen our economy and make America more competitive.

October 24, 2008 - Wired.com

Curing Urbanitis – the Metropolitan Disease

The problems of today's inner cities and the problems of the suburbs are inextricably linked, says William E. Finley, author of Curing Urbanitis.

October 23, 2008 - William E. Finley

California's $10 Billion High Speed Gamble

Sacramento Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub evaluates the pros and cons of California's $10 billion High Speed Rail Proposition 1A. With state revenues are already expected to be over $10 billion short than projected, he thinks it is a risky measure.

October 21, 2008 - The Sacramento Bee

Have Bike Lanes, Cyclists Will Travel

Cyclists are much more likely to use bike lanes when they're available -- even if it means going out of their way and taking longer routes, according to a recent study from Portland State University.

October 17, 2008 - Nate Berg

Amazon Dam Project Moves Ahead

As construction begins on two large dams in the Amazon, thousands of indigenous people grapple with the prospect of the coming flood and the loss of their land, while environmentalists continue to oppose the construction.

October 17, 2008 - The Washington Post

Corps Requests Removal or Levee Encroachments

New Orleans homeowners have begun receiving letters from the Army Corps of Engineers demanding that they remove objects that obstruct nearby levees' rights of way, including fences and trees. If history repeats itself, this may get messy.

October 16, 2008 - The Times-Picayune

Urban Planners, Butt Out!

The authors of one study assert that vibrant cities can't be engineered by the application of "nuanced criteria"; however, this has very much become the paradigm of urban planning.

October 15, 2008 - Toronto Star

Navigating Shared-Space Streets in the US

At a time when motorists have a smorgasbord of distractions to contend with, select US streets take a taste of a Scandinavian recipe for street design, where pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists, and even trees are blended together intuitively.

October 15, 2008 - New Urban News

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.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

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.