The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Car-Crazy in Canada

A mere 4% of rush hour commuters in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan use public transit, and car-pooling is "non-existent", according to reporter David Hutton. But with traffic at a standstill, transportation planners are changing tack.

November 1 - The Star Phoenix

World Series Cast Shadow On Parking Lots Behind AT&T Stadium

Just beyond McCovey Cove, where kayakers await home run balls hit from AT&T Park, sit vast parking lots that Giants bigwigs are proposing could be a great location for a Golden State Warriors stadium.

November 1 - The San Francisco Chronicle With Bloomberg

Little House on the Laneway

Vancouver's liberalized laneway housing zoning is seen as a cost-effective and easy way to densify, make housing more affordable and reduce the city's carbon footprint. But not everyone is on board.

November 1 - The Globe and Mail

Aging Water Infrastructure Carries Huge Costs

With America's water infrastructure graded as a D-minus by the American Society of Civil Engineers, officials are recognizing the need to upgrade the system. A $6 billion infusion by the federal government, though, is just a drop in the bucket.

November 1 - Infrastructurist

Metros Across The Country Seek Financial Help From Embattled States

Across the country, a growing number of towns, cities and other local governments are seeking refuge in havens that many states provide as alternatives to federal bankruptcy court.

October 31 - New York Times


BLOG POST

Planning Processes: Some Resources

<span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Over the last six months some of my blog entries have highlighted plans and places. This month I turn to processes that are important in planning. This is a bit trickier than plans and places as the web presence of processes tends to be dominated by project examples and how-to instructions. It’s also hard from the web to get a sense of how processes have developed over time—for example what passes as rational comprehensive planning today, complete with numerous participatory processes and evaluation strategies, is quite different from the much criticized technical model of the 1950s and 1960s. Of course that’s a good reason to go to planning school.

October 31 - Ann Forsyth

Political Cleavage Intensifies Debate On A More Connected LA

Christopher Hawthorne, the architecture critic at the LA Times the contradictory evidence surrounding LA's machinations toward becomming a post-suburban city. He finds public opinion fractured as the MTA finalizes plans for two Westside subway lines.

October 31 - Los Angeles Times


India's Economic Growth Is Reflected In Smaller Cities

Economists and government officials have long acclaimed India’s so-called second-tier cities as new founts of prosperity and incubators of India’s growing middle class. Now even smaller cities in India’s most prosperous states are booming too.

October 31 - New York Times

Israel's Only Subway is a Mountain Climber

TheCityFix's Jonna McKone profiles one of the most interesting subways in the world — Haifa's Carmelit funicular — and the city's BRT system.

October 31 - TheCityFix

San Francisco to Launch Bike Sharing Program

The city's bike sharing program is expected to launch with a 1,000 bikes next year. But it won't be limited to the city.

October 31 - San Francisco Chronicle

Delhi Looks at Major BRT Expansion

Officials in Delhi are proposing a major expansion of the city's new bus rapid transit system, suggesting an additional 345 kilometers.

October 30 - Times of India

The Not-So-Good Impact of Goods Movement

A group of researchers and activists met recently to discuss the role of goods movement and logistics in and around ports, and how the industry contributes to local pollution problems and skews highway spending.

October 30 - Streetsblog

The Polarity of Moses and Jacobs

There are two magnetic poles in the realm of urban planning: Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs. But do we have to always be stuck in this tug-of-war?

October 30 - Urban Omnibus

Vancouver Urbanism in the Suburbs

In suburban Vancouver, a small development near a university is trying to replicate the successes of Vancouver's urbanism with dense building clusters and walkable neighborhoods.

October 30 - Grist

Environmental Problems Plague Dubai

After decades of rapid urbanization, the emirate is now contending with a wide range of challenges to its environment and infrastructure.

October 30 - The New York Times

Rating Cities on the Trick-or-Treater Index

What makes a city a great place to go trick-or-treating? Richard Florida takes the question seriously, ranking cities on walkability, the number of kids in the population, and a certain Halloween spirit.

October 29 - The Daily Beast

L.A.'s 'Subway to the Sea' Gets Close

The L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has selected a route for its long planned Westside extension of the city's subway system. It falls a little short of hopes for a "Subway to the Sea".

October 29 - Los Angeles Times

The Blossoming of Barcelona

Jay Walljasper says that Barcelona, once looked upon as a dirty, second-rate city now is a must-see like Paris or Rome. How did the Spanish turn Barcelona around?

October 29 - Citiwire.net

Can Cities Make Us Happier?

PlaceMaker Hazel Borys explores what might be the most important metric of sustainable places.

October 29 - PlaceShakers

The Ruins of Las Vegas

Photographers Spencer Platt and Ethan Miller document the fall of Las Vegas -- from abandoned McMansions to stalled, half-completed hotels [Slideshow].

October 29 - Huffington Post

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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.