The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Health Problems Can Be as Unique as the City
A first-of-its-kind study measures the unique health problems of individual cities in the European Union, revealing interesting, and sometimes mysterious, results.
Friday Funny: St. Louis Shoots the Moon
The satirical newspaper <em>The Onion</em> lampoons long shot economic development strategies and overly ambitious city leaders with a post on "St. Louis 2.0" - a "sad little plan" for turning the city into a technology hub.
Pick a Spot to Enjoy Park(ing) Day
First appearing in San Francisco in 2005, Park(ing) Day aims to call attention to the need for more urban open space by taking over parking spots and re-purposing them as temporary public spaces. Today it is being celebrated across the world.
Group Commuting Continues Upward Trend
New Census data out this week shows the share of Americans commuting by alternatives to the automobile continues to rise. In two-thirds of 342 metropolitan areas for which data was provided, public transit use was up, while solo driving dropped.
High-Rise Living Becoming More Popular in Canada's Big Cities
Statistics Canada has released more data from the 2011 Census, this time focusing on household composition and type of dwelling. The data finds that growth in housing stock in Canada's larger cities is tied to high-rise living.
Which Metro Area Boasts 7 of the 10 Most Affluent Counties in America?
New rankings from the 2011 American Community Survey released Thursday show that the residents of the D.C. area have benefited from an economy built on "the federal government, its legions of contractors and a flourishing high-tech sector."
Solving Our Urban Challenges Requires Speaking Openly About Density
With cities such as Vancouver struggling with housing affordability, limited developable land, and residents resistant to change, Bob Ransford suggests we need open and honest debate about density and the big picture of development.
Feds to CA HSR Authority: Let The Track-Laying Begin!
The High Speed Rail Authority received a key approval from the Federal Railroad Administration to begin construction in California's Central Valley, specifically the 60-mile Merced to Fresno stretch. The remaining hurdles are several lawsuits.
On the Importance of Light, Air and Connectivity Above the Street Level
As we increasingly relearn the lessons of city-building, just getting the ground floor right is no longer good enough.
How to Keep a City Running During a Blackout
Dr. Jay Apt offers four cost-effective steps for cities to maintain essential services when the next big blackout hits.
America's Top Hipster Hoods
In what may prove to be the counter-argument for why it's the "best hipster neighborhood" in America, the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles has come out on top of Forbes' quasi-scientific rankings.
FEATURE
Open Transit Design: Why Stations Designed for Non-Transit Users Are Most Successful
How many people go to Grand Central Terminal just for the experience? Peter David Cavaluzzi, FAIA describes a new approach to transit station design that, in its desired appeal to non-transit users, is indebted to the great stations of the past.
NYC Traffic Safety Campaign Takes to the Feets
In an effort to make the city's streets safer for the legions of distracted pedestrians gazing downwards at guidebooks and phone screens, NYC is taking a page from its compatriots in London and installing exhortations to “LOOK!” in its crosswalks.
Can D.C.'s Mies Masterpiece Be Saved Without Being Sullied?
Philip Kennicott reviews plans to modernize Washington D.C.'s aging Martin Luther King Memorial Library, the city's only building designed by famed architect Mies van der Rohe, and his only library ever constructed.
10 Principles for Productive Public Spaces
Mackenzie Keast surveys the ten fundamental principles for placemaking identified by New York-based Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in their newly released handbook <em>Placemaking and the Future of Cities</em>.
How Much Will a 'Fill-up' Cost for an Electric Car?
With only 50,000 electric cars on the road now, many charging stations are free - but what happens when the number multiplies? Electric car charging companies are counting on the number increasing and are determining "how to charge for the charge."
Art Project Creates a Cozy Oasis in any Urban Room
A provocative art project dubbed the Urban Living Room has appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, its first stop on a worldwide journey to "support dialogue and connection in public realm."
What Makes a City Smart?
Does a smart city have to pursue sustainability goals? Does it have to utilize the internet to involve citizens? Boyd Cohen tries to put some parameters around the discussion of smart cities - a nebulous term that means many things to many people.
Bike-Share Creates Friendly Communities
The Christian Science Monitor argues why the growing popularity of bike-sharing programs across America will result in more cohesive communities and more livable places.
Seattle's Clashing, Confusing, and Disjointed Grid
Seattle is a city of grids (plural). Downtown, alone, contains three, making for some pretty interesting transportation challenges. Some argue it's simply part of what makes the city livable.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
