The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Can The U.S. Cut Its Energy Consumption?
<p>A Canadian economist says the U.S. is heading for a major collision between rising energy prices and its lifestyle of excess.</p>
The Suburbs Keep On Growing
<p>Even with increased awareness of global warning and more focus on urban living, the process of outward development continues in cities across America -- driven by homebuyers' continuing desire to own a piece of the American Dream.</p>
BLOG POST
Finding Planning Scholarship for Free: Articles with Open Access or Partly-Open Access
<style> <!-- ul li {margin-bottom: 10px;} --> </style> <p>Online versions of journals have made quick inroads at universities. However, subscriptions are expensive and those outside universities seldom have access. A new generation of open access journals is making planning research accessible beyond the campus. </p> <p>Some examples illustrate the range of material now available. Some are fully accessible and some are partially open to non-subscribers:</p>
Where The Affordable Housing Is...And Isn't
<p>California is home to the least affordable housing markets, while Michigan and Ohio are the places with the lowest home prices.</p>
Sydney To Dedicate Parking For Car Sharing
<p>Officials hope the new trial program will help increase the number of residents who join car sharing schemes.</p>
How To Quench Atlanta's Growing Thirst
<p>A severe water shortage is threatening Atlanta, and critics blame the region's unchecked growth as a primary cause for the its current predicament.</p>
'Green' Cities Are Great Cities
<p>A recent editorial argues that creating cities that consume less energy and emit less pollution will also help us create attractive and healthy places to live.</p>
Maryland Gives Home Buyers Cash To Live Near Work
<p>The state has launched a revamped home buyer assistance program that provide grants to employees who buy a home within 10 miles from their work.</p>
Getting Farms And Cities To Co-Exist
<p>Agricultural land around Boise, Idaho is facing increasing development pressure, but some farmers hope that a growing city can boost the demand for locally grown produce.</p>
Which Cities Are Set To Make A Comeback?
<p>History tells us that cities ebb and flow. This first of a three part series looks at a number of U.S. cities that have been in decline, and begins to explore which cities are poised to return to prosperity.</p>
Bringing Back Planning In Philadelphia
<p>With the city undertaking several major planning efforts -- including a complete revision of its zoning code -- Philadelphia is entering a new shining era of city planning. But there's still more work to be done, argues a recent editorial.</p>
Giving Regionalism A Chance
<p>A non-profit group is trying to convince Nashville-area cities and counties to engage in regional planning and cooperation to halt the region's fast-expanding sprawl.</p>
Managing Florida's Ongoing Growth Saga
<p>More than 20 years after he helped the Florida Growth Management Act, Tom Pelham is back at the helm of the state's Department of Community Affairs trying to find a middle ground between residents and developers.</p>
The World's Most Desirable Country
<p>Iceland slips past Norway to rank first in the latest United Nations Development Index. The U.S. slips four places to 12th place.</p>
World's Largest 'Toilet To Tap' Plant Debuts In Southern California
<p>With the opening of the new facility, water officials in Orange County, California are launching a large scale program to recycle sewage for use as drinking water for millions. Other water scarce areas are watching closely.</p>
D.C. Area Seeks Streetcar Rebirth
<p>Business people join with transportation planners in calling for streetcar systems in the Washington D.C. area. Several are in the works.</p>
'Solar City' Planned For Arizona
<p>Plans are bubbling for a "solar city" in the Arizona desert -- a new town for more than 300,000 people that will be largely powered by solar panels.</p>
BLOG POST
Safety Through Singing Streets
A bit of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2209957,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=technology" target="_blank" title="Guardian: Japan's melody roads play music as you drive">bizarre news</a> caught my attention recently and it got me thinking. It was about these roads in Japan that had been designed to play music as cars drive over them. The engineers behind this idea cut thousands of grooves into the roadway, separated them by certain specific intervals, and then drove their cars. What resulted is a weird humming melody that reverberates in the cars as they drive. The video linked below showing the roads and their songs is awesome, but so much more could be done.<br />
California's Infrastructure May Go Private
<p>Public-private partnerships are the most viable option for building and maintaining California's infrastructure according to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently announced a plan to explore possible partnerships with private firms.</p>
Architecture's Role In Berlin's Revival
<p>Big-name and big-idea architecture is leading the revival of Berlin into one of the world's cultural capitals.</p>
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
