Infrastructure
Economic Stimulus Needs to be More Than "Big Digs"
The image of tens of thousands of people being put to work on massive public works projects may be a thing of the past, some economists argue.
Heathrow to Get Third Runway
Plans to build a controversial new runway at London's Heathrow International Airport have been approved.
Wind Turbine Bridge Stirs Imaginations
A proposed bridge going over the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area may be able to power itself with wind turbines integrated right onto the design.
Mapped History of Manhattan's Waterways
Interactive maps of Manhattan from 1865 and 2008 are overlayed in this piece from The New York Moon that discusses the history of the island's waterways.
Seeking Sponsors As Infrastructure Dies
This piece from New Geography looks disparagingly at an idea in San Francisco to allow corporate sponsorship of the Golden Gate Bridge in order to raise money for infrastructure projects.
Tunnel Picked for Seattle Viaduct Replacement
Officials in Washington have come to a consensus on plans to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle's damaged inner-city arterial. They've decided on a $4 billion tunnel, but the plans still need approval from the state legislature.
'Green' Governor Fast-Tracks Highway Construction
Environmentalists reject CA Gov. Schwarzenegger's attempt to waive new highway construction projects from environmental review to qualify for Obama's stimulus package, offering 'fix-it-first' construction and public transit projects as alternatives.
First 'Biofuels Corridor' in the U.S.
If you want to drive your biofuel car between Gary, Indiana to Mobile, Alabama, now you can. A collaboration of states with the Dept. of Energy has created a 886-mile corridor of biofueling stations stretching from Lake Michigan to the Mobile Bay.
Stimulus Should Fund New, 'Transformative' Ideas
In this column, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer calls on the Obama Administration to direct its stimulus package towards innovative technologies and "transformative" projects, not just the status quo roads and bridges of the past.
Location, Location, Location: Brought To You By GIS
A new GIS-based service promises to improve on real estate agents by using GIS data to locate promising sites to locate for business.
People Who Live Alone Are Big Energy Wasters
A new study from SMR Research Corporation reveals that people who live alone use 18% more energy than two-person households, and 30% more than three-person homes. McMansions are, or course, cited as big wasters.
Giant Boxes Take Over Philly Streets
'Fridge-sized units' are being installed around Philadelphia to control traffic lights. Why so big? Columnist Inga Saffron investigates the morass of requirements that led to the oversized street furniture.
L.A. Subway Construction Timeline is "Unacceptable"
It will take more than two decades to expand Los Angeles' Subway to the Sea by 10 miles, according to an MTA timeline. The mayor's office and transit activists are pushing for it to get done more quickly.
Living at the Mall - Not Just a Figure of Speech
What comes next for the doomed, enclosed mall across America? This article highlights a number of solutions, including an adaptive reuse model that incorporates housing units inside the mall itself.
Trans-Texas Corridor Plans Dropped
Plans for a broad statewide highway project known as the Trans-Texas Corridor have been abandoned by state officials.
For Amish, Building Code and Religion Don't Jibe
Eleven Amish families have sued their own town for religious discrimination in its building code.
A Second Federal Commission Pushes Fuel Tax Hike
Exactly a year after the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released its report calling for a fuel tax hike, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission calls for much of the same.
Agreement to Increase Freight Train Traffic Roils Suburbs
A new agreement has been made that would divert more freight train traffic through Chicago area suburbs. Local communities upset about the increased traffic are expected to challenge the decision.
Dutch Try to Step Up Flood Protection
This article from Wired looks at new plans to prevent massive flooding in the low-lying Netherlands.
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
