The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Eliminating the Booth At The Toll Plaza
NYC would certainly not be the first, but the Henry Hudson Bridge would be one of the most significant bridges to go to all-electronic fare collection. No E-ZPass? No worry - your license will be photographed and you'll get the bill in the mail.
Bringing the Forest Back to the City
This piece from <em>Urban Omnibus</em> looks at ideas to counteract global warming by adding more trees to urban areas.
Don't Call It 'The Bus'
Cities across the country are experimenting with free "shuttles" that circulate people through top destinations and have a unique brand to take away the stigma of riding the bus.
BLOG POST
Report from TRB
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">Last week I attended the </span><a href="http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting2010/Public/AnnualMeeting2010.aspx"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">Transportation Research Boards (TRB)</span></a><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri"> 89th annual meeting, which attracted approximately 10,000 transportation professionals from around the globe to Washington DC. More than 2,000 papers were presented at more than 700 sessions, plus several hundred committee meetings took place. Let me share some highlights.</span> </p>
America's Spanish High Speed Rail Envy
Spain has rapidly developed high speed rail system, leaving many U.S. politicians -- including President Obama -- wondering how the U.S. can catch up. This article and video from <em>PBS</em> looks at the Spanish model.
Turning Sewage Into Heat in Vancouver
Thursday, the switch was flipped on a generator that will serve the heating needs of 16,000 residents of the Olympic Village in Vancouver. The generator transforms sewage into heat.
National Planning for the Next Century
The United States has a long history of planning at the national level. This article from Professor Robert Fishman details that history, and looks at how national planning may play out over the next 100 years.
Feeding 4.5 Million People
A temporary urban garden has been erected in Shenzhen, China by a group of artists. The garden represents the amount of agricultural land is necessary to feed all 4.5 million of the city's residents.
Bring Rail Down to Street Level, Says Honolulu Gov.
Governor Linda Lingle is proposing that the state bring the state's elevated rail project down to the ground to save costs, considering Hawai'i's budget problems.
Why the Waffle House is Ugly
Steven Mouzon reflects on the huge investment a roadside reference like a Waffle House must make in infrastructure versus the relatively low expense for an inner-city restaurant.
Bicycles in the Sky
Inhabitat reports on a Bulgarian designer who has a vision of a bicycle lane suspended in the air, taking bicyclists out of the line of traffic and onto a very precarious-looking track.
Coastal Towns Told to Radically Transform in Face of Sea Level Rise
Cities along the British coast are being warned that sea level rise over the next 100 years will have significant destructive effects. Officials are being cautioned to consider city-altering plans that shift populations away from endangered areas.
Iraq Beyond Baghdad
Basra and Mosul are Iraq's second- and third-largest cities. In this post, Iraqi journalists talk about the two cities, their evolving public realms and the security issues they face.
How The Housing Bubble Affected Demographics
Economist Edward L. Glaeser takes a look at how the housing bubble has affected changing populations in the Sun Belt.
A Suburban Bird's Eye View
<em>Metropolis</em> presents a slideshow of photographs by artist Christoph Gielen, who photographs suburban developments from a helicopter.
A Cultural Revolution in Dallas
Dallas is putting its hopes on architecture and art to spur the city's cultural development.
Friday Funny: Toontown Transect
Planner Sam Gennawey applies the Urban-to-Rural Transect concept to Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland.
The City Without a Planning Department
Petaluma, California, made headlines last year when it got rid of its planning department. <em>The Architect's Newspaper</em> takes a look at how the city is adapting to contract-based planning through hired consultants.
The World's Most Bike-Friendly Cities
<em>AskMen.com</em> has released a list of the world's top ten bike-friendly cities. Portland, Oregon is the one U.S. city to make the list.
Air Pollution Strongly Linked to Heart Ailments
A new report from the Health Effect Institute concludes that there is a strong correlation between exposure to traffic and heart ailments.
Pagination
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
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.