The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
South Korea Rises
South Korea is emerging as a new center of Asian mega development. With a variety of large-scale and small-scale projects, the country is taking a specific interest in sustainable development.
FEATURE
Laurie Olin: A Student of People
Landscape architect Laurie Olin says that to design well you have to be interested in how people behave. Johanna Hoffman gets in-depth with Olin about his design process.
Urban Exploration Misinterpreted
Urban explorer and urban ethnographer Bradley L. Garrett argues that the act of urban exploration has become increasingly misunderstood, and misinterpreted through the lens of a recent popular fascination with ruin fetishism.
The Campsite as Place
This piece from <em>Places</em> delves into the history of the campsite, their use of space, and their role in modern culture.
Understanding the Freeways of L.A.
In the latest installment of a year-long series about Los Angeles-focused books, <em>Los Angeles Times</em> architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne reads the 1981 book "L.A. Freeway: An Appreciative Essay," by David Brodsly.
Proposed Mega Project Would Curtain Iconic Hollywood Building
Revived plans to build a large mixed-use development in Hollywood next to an iconic building are awakening some concerns about the potential loss of historic character.
Mobility Lacking in Toronto
Toronto's lack of focus on transportation planning and the absence of a national strategy for mobility is turning the city into a messy gridlock, according to this column.
New Jersey Gov. Scraps Rail, Invests in Mega-Mall Instead
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defunded the construction of the ARC Tunnel (connecting NJ to NY via increased rail service), claiming that it was fiscally irresponsible. Now, Christie is using state funds to finance the construction of a mega-mall.
Building Roads to Cure Congestion Is an Exercise in Futility
University of Toronto professors say that building more roads just encourages more driving. Building transit doesn't help reduce congestion either, though it still maximizes the value of the transportation system.
D.C. Bikeshare Suffers From Popularity
NPR reporter Jacob Fenston hits D.C. streets to interview folks about the nation's largest bikesharing program, with 12,000 members.
BLOG POST
Are Championship runs good for a city's urbanism?
<p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">As I heard a national reporter put it recently, it’s not often that an entire city is focused on one thing. In Vancouver it happened during the 2010 Winter Olympics. A year and a half later here, it’s happening again.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> </span> </p>
New York City Brownfields Program Clean But Flawed
A citywide brownfields recovery program in New York City has been cleaning up polluted sites, allowing new developments to move in on formerly vacant areas. But some worry the program is fueling gentrification.
The Challenges of Legitimizing Informal Settlements
Informal settlements like slums and favelas have been perplexing governments in Latin America for decades. A new report looks at two of the ways governments are addressing these areas, and the challenges that remain.
L.A. Metro Tracks Buses With New Tool
Los Angeles' public transit authority has joined those of other major U.S. cities in providing a real-time tool for checking to see how soon buses will arrive at specific stops.
The Secret City that Helped the U.S. Build the Bomb
A city built secretly by the U.S. government to be a center for the design and development of the atomic bomb still stands today as an interestingly urban piece of U.S. history.
Designing the 'Cycle Space'
Architectural historian and urban planner Steven Fleming is expanding the study of cities and mobility by looking at how designers are reacting to bicycling and how bicycles are set to transform the way cities work.
Transit-Oriented Tax Credits Nudge Company to Relocate
By relocating to a transit-adjacent building in New Jersey, electronics maker Panasonic has qualified for more than $100 million in tax credits from the state.
The New Redevelopment
As redevelopment agencies face the chopping block in California, new legislation could allow tax increment financing districts to essentially replace them.
Density Can Drive Prosperity
David Roberts at Grist argues that density doesn't just have those hippie benefits like improving the environment or creating communities - it also can create engines of prosperity and economic growth.
Evidence That Smart Growth Strategies Curb Emissions
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute says that new evidence shows that smart growth policies can have a significant effect on vehicle miles traveled and thus reduce emissions.
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.
