Infrastructure

Britain To Try Road Tolling By Mileage

Transportation officials in Britain have announced plans for a road pricing system that tracks drivers' mileage to determine charges.

November 9, 2008 - The Times

Seattle Area Voters: Yes To Transit; No To Road Measure

Puget Sound voters strongly supported Sound Transit's sales tax measure to expand public transit while Washington state voters overwhelmingly rejected an Eyeman initiative to allow solo motorists to use carpool lanes during off-peak hours.

November 7, 2008 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Planning: The Solution America Needs

As part of a series in Harper's on how to save capitalism, James K. Galbraith argues that America can fix many of its economic troubles with better planning -- urban planning, infrastructure planning, and financial planning.

November 6, 2008 - Harper's

Shipping Methods Shift From Truck to Canal Barge

The Erie Canal has been long forgotten as a passage for transportation, but the affordability of shipping goods by canal barge is making it a more attarctive option than doing so by trucking.

November 6, 2008 - The New York Times

Honolulu Approves Light Rail System

Voters in Honolulu have approved a 20-mile light rail system for the Hawaiian city -- the largest public works project in the state's history.

November 5, 2008 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

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

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.