The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BRT Boom in U.S.
A new study says that Los Angeles, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Eugene and Pittsburgh are leading the surge with the best bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in the nation.
A Broader Look at Creativity in the World's Top Cities
Top livable cities may be be good for families or corporations, but they don't often fuel or enable creativity the way their listers think they do, according to this piece.
Friday Funny: How to Pick Up an Urban Planner
Cartoonist Emily says that urban planners are "some of the sexiest, smartest, wittiest individuals you'll ever meet," and offers these tips for sly pickup lines that can't miss with the planning crowd.
Mayor to Wal-Mart: Build More or Else
Washington, DC Mayor Vincent Gray isn't fighting the megaretailer like other cities have. In fact, he's demanding Wal-Mart build <em>more</em> stores than they have planned, or he's threatening to pull their permits.
Preparing for the Next Housing Boom
Richard Reep explains how developers, contractors, and even home-buyers in Florida contributed to the growth for growth's sake attitude which has left the Florida landscape littered with poorly built condos and plenty of lessons to be learned.
Britons are Driving Less
British cities report 9% fewer car trips per person and a 5% decline in distance traveled by car. That's because fewer young people are deciding to learn how to drive, says Prof. Phil Goodwin of the University of West of England.
D.C. Councilman Urges Higher Parking Permit Fees
Generally speaking, elected officials don't campaign for higher fees. However, in this op-ed, D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells draws a connections between higher residential parking fees, improved public transit, and better access to street paking.
Qatar Plans to Avoid White Elephants from 2022 World Cup
With plans to greatly reduce seating capacities and export an entire stadium, Qatar is hoping to reduce the negative long-term impact of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
New Zealand's Hillside Sign Idea Irks Hollywood
The city of Wellington, an emerging center for filmmaking in New Zealand, is considering a plans to build a hillside sign with the word "Wellywood" -- an homage to the famous "Hollywood" sign. Hollywood is not flattered.
City of Crows
Crows are seemingly everywhere, including cities. A new book looks at the relationship between people and crows in urban areas and what it says about modern cities.
The Bus and The Train Are Friends
Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.
Beautiful, But Not So Vibrant
The city of Vancouver is beautiful, but according to this op-ed, it hasn't yet been able to create a truly vibrant city life.
Report Exposes Wisconsin Governor's "Highway Boondoggles"
Since rejecting $800 million in federal funds for HSR, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed four new highway projects (estimated at a potential cost of $2 billion).
Lighting Up the Public Realm
This video from <em>Public Architecture</em> looks at three outdoor lighting displays and their impact on the public realm in San Francisco.
Main Street Revitalization Efforts Turn a Corner
Having lured its first major retailer on Main Street, revitalization efforts in Columbia, South Carolina's urban corridor seem to be finally paying off.
Light Rail Among Cuts in Proposed North Carolina Budget
A new budget proposal in North Carolina could pull all funding for a long-planned extension of Charlotte's light rail system.
FEATURE
REVIEW: Ken Greenberg's Walking Home
Urban designer and architect Ken Greenberg writes "an eloquent, personal, compelling and persuasive argument for more enlightened city-building," says Michael Dudley in this review of Greenberg's new book [...]
Not a High Speed Train to Nowhere
California's high speed rail project has been criticized for starting its first section in the state's central valley and connecting to small towns. But this piece argues that's exactly the right way to do it.
Density, Resources and Greatness
Density reduces costs and helps make places more sustainable, according to this post in a series on "great places".
Citizens Create Temporary Park in Philadelphia
Community members in Philadelphia have taken over a languishing site and put it back into use as a temporary park space.
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.
