The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Farmland Sale Sparks Protests in China
Since Wednesday, Chinese farmers have been protesting the sale of over 800 acres of farmland to developers. The scene, writes Andrew Jacobs, is not entirely uncommon lately as concerns over environmental justice build.
Free Plug-Ins for Electric Vehicles Likely Won't Last
Free charging stations for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in Colorado likely won't last due to the high cost of construction of the facilities.
Around D.C., Metro Essential for Regional Growth
Reporting on a topic of discussion at the Greening Greater Washington Conference, Neal Peirce expounds on how public transit choices has bolstered regionalism around the nation's capital.
Funds Scarce for Texas' Water Conservation Plans
Texas is getting dryer and dryer--and the costs to implement water delivery projects only go up as localities and regions scramble to secure the bulk of the funds necessary to build them. Ramit Plushnick-Masti reports.
Breaking News: Urbanists Turn the Tide in Toronto
Waterfront Toronto is a public advocacy group formed in 2001 to plan the city's extensive waterfront revitalization. In early Sept., Mayor Rob Ford announced he was taking over and turning the land into a giant mall park. Urbanists to the rescue!
Senate Appropriations Committee Restores HSR Funding - Somewhat
It's only $100 million - the President wants $8 billion - but it acts as a 'placeholder'. In any case, 4 Senators: Feinstein (CA), Durbin (IL), Lautenberg (NJ) and Landrieu (LA), all Dems', restored the funding after the sub-committee zeroed it.
Getting the Scale Right
Architect Galina Tachieva, author of the Sprawl RepIr Manual, talks about the errors of scale that have been committed for decades, and how to return to a human scale in architecture and planning.
"Making More Space for People"
That's what Janette Sadik-Khan said New York is striving to do on their streets, speaking last week at a two-day conference at Harvard.
Westside Mayors to California: Leave Redevelopment Alone!
The Mayors of West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Culver City, and the Vice Mayor of Beverly Hills discuss local redevelopment and planning in the face of state intervention. The conversation centers on politics, projects, transportation, and parking.
Feature Doc on Urban Design Out Soon (Trailer)
Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
Building a Realistic Transit System
Tallahassee, Florida planners came to a realization - while their transit system was set up to efficiently get commuters downtown, only 14% of them actually worked downtown. So they actually changed where the buses go.
New Report: Latinos Disproportionately Impacted By Air Pollution
One out of every two Latino's live in the nation's top 25 most ozone-polluted cities according to a new report. KQED's California Report interviews one of the co-authors, the Director of Latino Outreach for NRDC, in this radio report.
Getting Around Underground Could be Easier
Part of this week's Urban Design Week in New York City, design duo Original Champions of Design present three solutions to a weak wayfinding system currently in place in the city's subways.
Building the Crowdsourced City
Peter Sigrist takes us through three other tools for open sourced, democratic governance processes conducive to mobilization, collaboration, and funding--each integral for the crowdsourced city.
Architecture, Urbanism and Human Evolution
Christopher Alexander has said that there is a "timeless way of building" common to all vernacular and traditional architecture and urbanism. This essay looks at how our preference for this way of building evolved among the earliest humans.
Infill Development Becoming Mainstream
Renaissance Homes, a Portland builder, is attempting to revitalize its business by transitioning from suburban, large-scale development to multiple infill projects.
Bicycle-Oriented Development in, Predictably, Portland
They're calling it 'bicycle-supported development', but it amounts to the same thing: new projects are springing up in Portland, OR that cater to the bicycle crowd with extensive bike racks and near popular bikeways.
Hey, Watch Where You're Rightsizing!
As city leaders look at ways to shrink Lansing, Michigan to a more sustainable size, historic preservationists say "Stop, Look and Listen" before you go clearing out neighborhoods of historic residences.
Senate Sub-Committee Eliminates High Speed Rail Funding
A key Senate subcommittee has appeared to have eliminated funding for high speed rail while preserving funding for Amtrak, highway, and transit. However, the full committee may not adopt these mark-ups. And then there are the changes the House makes.
Ambitious Transit Village Back On, City Says
A waterfront development in Hercules, California which includes a multimodal bus/train/ferry facility, will be built, say city officials and the developer. This despite the fact that where half the cash is coming from has yet to be determined.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul 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.
