The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Governor Backs Rail For Metro Atlanta

<p>Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has surprised many in the state by reversing his position and pledging full support for commuter rail in metropolitan Atlanta.</p>

June 20 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Art Deco Capitals: South Beach, New York City...Tulsa?

<p>Preservationists are working to save numerous art deco architectural landmarks in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A boom began at the height of the oil boom and returned after modernism fell out of style.</p>

June 20 - Preservation

New Lines Approved For Houston Light Rail

<p>A five-line extension of Houston's light rail system was just approved by the city council.</p>

June 20 - The Houston Chronicle

'Alarming' Increases In Shopping Center Vacancies

<p>Empty retail space increased dramatically over the last six months, according to data compiled by commercial real estate brokers and investment advisors.</p>

June 20 - Home Town Advantage Bulletin

An Italian View of U.S. Planning

<p>An Italian city planner visits San Diego to analyze sprawl-fighting techniques first-hand.</p>

June 20 - The San Diego Union-Tribune


Hong Kong's Challenges

<p>Dwell talks with a prolific Hong Kong architect about his city and its development.</p>

June 20 - Dwell

Activists 'Depave' Dead Parking Lot

<p>This film from <em>Streetsblog</em> looks at a community effort in Portland to remove pavement from unused parking lots.</p>

June 20 - Streetsblog L.A.


Top 10 Most Livable Cities

<p>Monocle Magazine looks worldwide for the most livable cities.</p>

June 20 - Monocle Magazine

BLOG POST

Act, React, Repeat

<p> Adaptation is a way of life. But we humans have been building our habitats and cities in pursuit of permanence. This is an unreachable goal. Making our cities and communities and lifestyles adapt to outside influences is typically an afterthought. We do tend to react, and we often react very effectively. But solving problems before they happen has never been a strong suit when it comes to urban development. This is especially true with regard to our impacts on the environment. A recent and bizarre example illustrates this point. </p>

June 19 - Nate Berg

It's Dump the Pump Day

<p>Today is "Dump the Pump" Day, an annual event created by the American Public Transportation Association to bring awareness to the benefits of public transit. Transit agencies across the country are offering free rides, including many in Florida.</p>

June 19 - Tim Halbur

The Flight Back from the Burbs

<p>Bay Area tech companies are increasingly opening offices in downtown San Francisco, a significant change from the development pattern of the last ten years.</p>

June 19 - BusinessWeek

The Incredible Shrinking Home

<p>A new AIA report shows that new homes under construction are getting smaller in response to market forces.</p>

June 19 - AIArchitect

Homeowner's Symbolic Fight Ends

<p>In what is almost a real-life caricature of the battle of the single homeowner against the huge corporation, Edith Macefield refused to sell her home to a developer planning a major retail outlet, who then built around. This week Ms. Macefield died.</p>

June 19 - The Seattle Times

A Train That Never Stops

<p>A Taiwanese inventor is proposing a rail system that never stops for passengers, virtually eliminating delays. Follow the full story link to see the video.</p>

June 19 - boingboing.net

Ground Zero Becomes Boring

<p>Metropolis Magazine visits Ground Zero as building begins, and finds that the bold plans and architectural dreams have fizzled.</p>

June 19 - Metropolis Magazine

Pushing for Adaptive Reuse in Detroit

<p>Urban decay blankets much of downtown Detroit. More and more people are pushing for adaptive reuse of the aging and underused buildings, but some city policies may get in the way.</p>

June 19 - The Next American City

Eroding Beach Sparks Property Rights Battle

<p>As a Texas beach erodes and the waves come closer to shore, homeowners are scrambling to figure out what to do when the public beach invades their private property.</p>

June 19 - NPR

How Development Makes Flooding Worse

<p>This article from <em>The Christian Science Monitor</em> looks at how development, farm practices, and population growth have increased the risk of flooding.</p>

June 19 - The Christian Science Monitor

On the Verge of Replacement, 'Geographical Community' Survives

<p>The rise in virtual connections and Internet-based communities had many worried that traditional community interaction was dying out. <em>Governing</em>'s Alan Ehrenhalt argues it hasn't yet, and probably won't.</p>

June 19 - Governing

Soccer Fans Join Together for Street 'Carnivals'

<p>"Football Carnivals" are on the rise in Germany, where the community viewing buzz from the 2006 World Cup has hung around and revived itself for the current European Championship.</p>

June 18 - Der Spiegel

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.