The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Skyscrapers of the Future
The 2011 eVolo Skyscraper Competition turned up some unusual and futuristic designs for future skyscrapers and other structures, from a reimagined Hoover Dam to a Ferris Wheel-shaped wind turbine.
Making Cities 'Age-Friendly'
Americans are getting older. But are cities responding to the needs of their older residents?
Sharing Ideas for the New City
A new series of posters connected to a conference on "the New City" presents ideas for improving our urban areas. <em>Urban Omnibus</em> presents some of the posters.
Parking and Prices
This video from <em>Streetfilms</em> looks into parking and explores why underpriced parking can be bad for cities.
Building a Temporary Retail Center on Vacant Land
A new project is opening in San Francisco that utilizes a vacant piece of land for a temporary retail installation using shipping containers.
Planning Sidewalks in an Age of Climate Change
A new report on sidewalks and climate change in Seattle prompts a call to urban planners and municipal officials to take greater care in installing sidewalks in neighborhoods.
Better Resource Management Helps Cities Go Sustainable
"Integrated resource management" practices could help cities operate more sustainably, according to this piece from <em>Miller-McCune</em>.
'SkyTran': Personal Rapid Transit for Detroit?
A personal rapid transit proposal called "SkyTran" might be a smart choice for Detroit, according to this article.
Crowds Could Overstrain London Transit During Olympics
As London prepares to host next summer's Olympic Games, officials worry that the city's transit system will not be able to meet increased demand.
Google Invests in Wind Power
Internet search giant Google has announced plans for the long-term purchase of power produced by a 100 megawatt wind power plant being built in Oklahoma.
Photographing the Exclusion Zone in Nuclear Japan
This video from <em>VBS</em> follows photographer Donald Weber into the exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, where he documents the aftermath of the evacuation.
Beauty and the City
Architects and urbanists gathered in the city Jane Jacobs made her home to ask, "What makes a beautiful city?"
BLOG POST
The City/Suburb Income Gap- Bigger or Smaller?
<p> The Brookings Institution's "State of Metropolitan America" database (at <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/metro/StateOfMetroAmerica/Map.aspx#/?subject=7&ind=70&dist=0&data=Number&year=2009&geo=metro&zoom=0&x=0&y=0">http://www.brookings.edu/metro/StateOfMetroAmerica/Map.aspx#/?subject=7&ind=70&dist=0&data=Number&year=2009&geo=metro&zoom=0&x=0&y=0</a> ) contains a wealth of information both on central cities and their metropolitan areas. One issue I was curious about was the economic gap (or lack thereof) between cities and their suburbs.
Sprawl, European Style
The U.S. often gets a bad rap for its sprawling suburbs and unplanned development, but Robert Kwolek notes that many European cities and other parts of the world aren't far behind.
Will New Development Make it Better, or Worse?
Development, or no development? Nathan Norris writes that untouched landscapes always rate highly in comparison to development proposals, so it is important to use visual tools that can help quantify the tradeoff and find ways to compensate.
Building A Healthier Environment
The built environment plays a big role in public health, and the professions involved in creating the built environment need to pay more attention to building healthy places, argues Clark Manus, president of the American Institute of Architects.
Looking at Olmsted and His Legacy
A new television documentary on Frederick Law Olmsted looks at the legacy of his Central Park and the sometimes serendipitous way he was able to leave an impact on the urban landscape of the U.S.
Sharing Water in an Age of Shortages
As water resources become increasingly important in the American West, new tactics for sharing among farmers, environmentalists and urban officials are showing how arid areas can withstand shortages.
Kazakhstan's Shiny and Empty New Capital
Kazakhstan built a new capital city in 1997 in far-off Astana. This piece from <em>The New Yorker</em> takes a tour of the city, and finds a unique architectural development underway, but a city still in its early years of formation.
Football Team's Cleveland Plans Could Learn from the Past and Public
The Cleveland Browns football team has announced plans to revitalize a lakefront part of the city. Those plans could benefit from more public input and could learn from previous success, according to this article.
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.
