The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Are Churches Causing Sprawl?

<p>By moving out to areas where planning approvals are faster, rapidly-expanding churches are creating suburban sprawl, according to a recent study from researchers at Ryerson University.</p>

June 27 - The Toronto Star

Bucky's Sustainable Planet

<p>Inventor, visionary, and architect Buckminster Fuller used design to tackle problems including homelessness and environmental degradation.</p>

June 26 - Democracy Now!

Bahamians Face Gentrification in Miami

<p>Gentrification along Grand Avenue, the heart of Coconut's Grove Black and Bahamian community, has many residents fearing displacement and pushing for affordable housing inclusion.</p>

June 26 - The Miami Herald

Is Brutalism Ready for a Comeback?

<p>Steve Rose argues that the time may be ripe for a new respect for brutalism, the mid-century architectural movement that planners love to hate.</p>

June 26 - Art and Architecture

Transit Ridership Creates New Problem -- Clogged Parking Lots

<p>Maryland's transit parking lots are overflowing into nearby neighborhoods, as buses, park-and-rides, and even their long-derided light rail, fill up.</p>

June 26 - The Baltimore Sun


Open Source Architecture

<p>Architects are coming together to create innovative designs aimed at solving the world's tough humanitarian problems.</p>

June 26 - PBS: Frontline

BLOG POST

A Journalistic View of Cities

<p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana">I was reading the New York Times Magazine special architecture issue a few weeks ago when something jumped out at me.<span> </span>On the intro page to the issue of the “Mega-Megalopolis” one of the by-line says “How does an architect plan for a city with no history?<span> </span>Or a city that just keeps growing?”<span> </span>Interesting questions particularly given the fact that to charge architects with the task of planning our cities is affording too much power to a profession that simply doesn’t have it.<span> </span></span> </p>

June 26 - Scott Page


U.S. Cities Going off the Bottle

<p>The U.S. Conference of Mayors has resolved to phase out purchasing bottled water, not only for environmental reasons, but as a way of encouraging more financial support for municipal water systems.</p>

June 26 - AlterNet

BLOG POST

Suburbia During the Crash

<p> Maybe it's the rain in New York today, but I'm gloomy. So while<a href="http://www.iftf.org/node/2068"> China collapses</a>, it looks like the mobility-land use solution embodied in many of America's newer suburbs seems to be unravelling due to high oil prices. </p><p> The IHT reports: </p>

June 26 - Anthony Townsend

Ending the Ideology of Homeownership

<p>Paul Krugman writes that we need to stop conflating owing a home with citizenship.</p>

June 26 - The New York Times

Suburbia Running Out of Gas

<p>The economics of long commutes are forcing many to the conclusion that suburban living is no longer viable, and suburban housing prices are falling accordingly.</p>

June 26 - The New York Times

Reviving the Lowly Clothesline

<p>A grassroots group is working to remove barriers to erecting clotheslines, which are commonly banned by apartments buildings as a blight. The group is pitching their work as an energy conservation effort.</p>

June 26 - Rutland Herald

Will Free Rides Make Firm Believers In Transit?

<p>Transit agencies around the U.S. offered free rides on a single day, and large crowds follow. But observers aren't sure they'll stick around when they have to pay again.</p>

June 26 - San Jose Mercury News

Florida To Buy Large Swath of Sugar Land Near Everglades

<p>In a deal with a large sugar farming operation, the state of Florida will buy up 187,000 acres of land near the Everglades -- a move environmentalists are applauding.</p>

June 25 - The New York Times

Bored With Your View? Rotate Your Apartment

<p>The world's first moving building, a 80-storey tower with revolving floors giving an shifting shape, will be built in Dubai, its architect says.</p>

June 25 - BBC

Can Planning Happen More Quickly?

<p>Members of the British Parliament attempt to speed up the process for planning major projects. But some advocates and observers fear the public's voice will be muted.</p>

June 25 - BBC

The Rebirth of the Electric Car

<p>In a bold move likened in this article to the Apollo program, General Motors is throwing everything it has into the development of the Volt, a revolutionary plug-in electric hybrid.</p>

June 25 - Atlantic Monthly

BLOG POST

Why Transit is an 'Inferior Good'

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">In my last post, I suggested that transit’s “resurgence” is, ultimately, much ado about nothing. Transit’s increased ridership, while important for transit managers, will do little to change fundamental travel patterns of US urban areas. </span> </p>

June 25 - Samuel Staley

Evicted Residents Want Their History Portrayed Accurately

<p>Kentucky and Tennessee residents who were evicted in the 1960s to make way for a nature preserve are fighting to make sure their history is accurately represented in historical markers and visitor centers at the site.</p>

June 25 - Knoxville News Sentinel

Foreclose This!

<p>A homeowner on the verge of foreclosure in Las Vegas is not going down without a fight. He is literally destroying his home from the inside out.</p>

June 25 - CBS 8 Las Vegas

Post News

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.

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.