The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Architecture Projects with a Regional Mindframe
An increasing amount of architecture projects in the U.S. are taking regional concerns like water and energy production into consideration.
Overflow Plant Aims to Reduce Sewage Contamination
A new sewage plant has opened in New York that hopes to reduce the amount of sewage overflow when storms overwhelm the city's combined sewage and stormwater system.
Floating Walkway Planned for London Olympics
Officials in London are considering a plan to build a 1-kilometer floating walkway on the Thames River in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
NYC Streets Transformation a Cause for Celebration
A number of articles have recently been written criticizing New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for dramatically changing the city's mobility. This column from <em>Metropolis</em> says that criticism is misdirected.
Touring Smallness in Hong Kong Housing
A recent tour through housing developments in Hong Kong shows that the large spaces Americans treasure in homes are not necessarily the best method for urbanizing areas, according to this post.
Planning Slips From San Diego's Org Chart
Last month, the planning department of the City of San Diego was folded into the Development Services Department. Locals worry the shift in perspective will endanger plans being developed in a dozen different neighborhoods.
The Best and Worst Cities for Transit
The Brookings Institution recently analyzed the top 100 metropolitan areas in the U.S. to see how easy it is to use transit. <em>Time</em> presents the best and worst from the list, which includes some surprises.
Trying To Reclaim and Reuse Abandoned Land in Philadelphia
Community groups in Philadelphia are trying to remake blighted vacant properties into community gardens and neighborhood amenities.
Cities at Risk from Political Budget Cuts
Mary Newsom comes away from a conference on cities concerned that the gains of the past decades in cities - improved transit, downtown revitalization - could be destroyed by budget cuts.
Iceland's Comeback is Based in Place
An extensive profile of the recovering Iceland paints a picture of a place that is overthrowing its boom-time banker's persona and rebuilding on the unique strengths of its culture.
Chilean Dam Project Approved Amid Controversy
A plan approved to build a $7 billion dam in Chile has some worried about the loss of land, but others excited about looming economic opportunities.
Isolation and Dissatisfaction in the Suburbs
A new study looking at neighborhood satisfaction finds that people living in the suburbs are less satisfied than urban dwellers.
Reflecting on Daley's Mixed Design Legacy in Chicago
After 22 years in office, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is leaving office. This piece looks back on his mixed impact on the urban design of the city.
Sea Levels Rise Along Pacific Coast
Climatic shifts and periodic weather patterns are bringing sea levels up along the Pacific coast, which is causing many scientists concern about how coastal regions will be able to react.
Supermarkets Designed to Make You Fat
Access to healthy food is a major issue in public health. But just because there's a grocery store nearby doesn't mean health will improve. One entrepreneur looking at supermarket design says the way stores are laid out negatively affects health.
Reasons That the Home Building Biz is Still Busted
Witold Rybczynski writes the epitaph for the McMansion. With the housing market in the toilet, Rybczynski says new homebuyers are going to be seeking something smaller, more affordable and possibly not a single-family home.
Mega-Events Take Toll on Brazil's Slum Dwellers
This op-ed from <em>Al Jazeera</em> looks at some of the negative ways preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are affecting the poor in Brazil.
Following Up on Dire Predictions About Water in the West
25 years after the publication of Cadillac Desert, scientists have scrutinized the predictions of the hallmark history of water in the Western U.S. and find that its dire warnings are not far off.
Do You Approve or Disapprove of Public Art?
An independent group is seeking to "ignite essential discussions about art in Los Angeles" by getting locals to put APPROVE or DISAPPROVE stickers on public art around the city.
FEATURE
Charles Moore's Los Angeles
Architect Charles Moore was an intellect and practitioner that loved Los Angeles, pushing the envelope of the city's nostalgia and utopianism while simultaneously embracing them, says urban designer Vinayak Bharne.
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.
