The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Can One Dogged Enthusiast Polish Olmsted's Tarnished Chicago Jewel?
On Chicago's South Side, Jackson Park once inspired million of visitors to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, including a young Frank Lloyd Wright. After years of neglect, Robert Karr Jr. wants to revitalize the park along a Japanese theme.
Greek Financial Crisis Inspires Inexpensive Urbanism
Vivian Doumpa looks at three examples of bottom-up urban interventions completed in Greece, which show that a font of citizen spirit and ingenuity can help overcome the most draconian austerity measures.
Highway Trust Fund in Need of Multi-Billion Dollar Bailout
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office concludes that drastic reductions in transportation spending and/or increases in the federal gas tax will be needed unless another multi-billion dollar bailout is provided for the Highway Trust Fund.
BP's Gulf Oil Spill Was Much Worse Than You Were Led to Believe
Mark Hertsgaard examines the effort undertaken by BP to cover up the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The focus of his story is the company's use of Corexit, a dangerous 'dispersant' that sickened many and helped conceal the true extent of the spill.
Children of the Past Envision the City of Tomorrow
How did childhood visions of future cities differ for kids growing up in the 1980s when compared to the 1960s or today? Matt Novak shares a short film from 1983 that captures the prescient urban visions of students.
9 Ways to Explore Europe on Foot
In case you need yet another reason to traverse the Atlantic Ocean, the Times has published several articles on the pleasures of walking through Europe.
Massive Chicago Master Plan Bridges Downtown Chasm
A speculative master plan for Chicago's West Loop would add a new layer to downtown's complex multi-level weaving of street strata and infrastructure with a highway cap park.
What Impending Issue is Most Critical to Designers?
A session at the recent APA National Conference in Chicago gathered together the heads of the major built-environment professional organizations to discuss their unique and shared challenges. One subject was on each head's mind: Water.
A Canadian Rendezvous for California Cap-and-Trade
California's cap-and-trade program is barely five months old, and already it's expanding its horizons. Officials announced last week that the program is merging with one operated in the Canadian province of Quebec.
The Right Mix of Skills is Key to Effective Community Design
According to Arianna McBride, the recipe for good community design must effectively balance community wisdom with expert knowledge. She shares three ways that planners can facilitate the type of participation that leads to great places.
Once a Paragon of Pollution, Mexico City's Residents Breathe Easier
While the news has been full of warnings about the rapidly deteriorating air quality of cities in the developing world, David Agren examines how one megacity has managed to drastically clean its polluted air over the past twenty years.
Competition Yields Radically Different Visions for Prime D.C. Site
The General Services Administration, which is looking for ways to fund a new FBI campus, has more ideas at its fingertips with three tantalizing proposals for redeveloping the Hoover Building in downtown Washington, D.C., writes Jonathan O'Connell.
New York City: More Affordable Than You'd Think, for Some
For professional-class workers with annual household incomes in the top income quintile, New York is a comparatively affordable place. A recent study attributes lower costs to competition between businesses that cater to upper-income people.
L.A. Opens its Streets and Residents Take Advantage
Sunday saw the sixth incarnation of L.A.'s popular CicLAvia event, which closes long stretches of city streets to automobile traffic, and opens them to bikes and pedestrians. The latest route, from downtown to the sea, attracted 150,000 people.
Are Nefarious Forces Behind the Transformation of Downtown Brooklyn?
Doug Henwood explains how "elite bodies", rather than pure "market forces", guide the growth of New York City. He begins his story with the Regional Plan Association's influential 1929 plan and focuses on the transformation of Downtown Brooklyn.
In England, Politics Pervade New Community Planning Initiative
When the Localism Act was adopted in 2011, local communities gained broad new planning powers across the UK. But as recent events in one London suburb demonstrate, politics and ideological conflict have found a home in the participatory process.
2013: A Banner Year for Bike Share
No less than eighteen U.S. cities are expected to launch bike-share systems this year, a fifty percent increase over the number currently in operation. An infographic from bike sharing consultancy BikeShare.com details the new programs.
World Bank: Carbon Pricing Key to Tackling Climate Change and Poverty
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim explains why climate change is a poverty issue - and why we must tackle it today to ensure that carbon emissions do not continue rising after 2016. Establishing a world price on carbon will be difficult to achieve.
What It's Like to be a Child in China's Polluted Cities
Chronic coughs, stuffy noses, and face masks whenever you venture outside. Edward Wong looks at the "hell" that is childhood in China's polluted cities, which is forcing some affluent families to leave, and giving foreigners pause before entering.
Ways to Fail at Form-Based Codes 02: Make it Mandatory Citywide
Ambition is good, but don't bite off more than you can chew. Hazel Borys applies this valuable lesson to form-based codes.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
