The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Car Culture Challenged by "Pedal Power"
This Canadian documentary explores the emerging revolution in human powered transportation [Video].
BLOG POST
Open Data: Coming to a City Near You?
<p> City data catalogs are fast moving from the exception to the norm for large U.S. cities.<br /> <br /> Washington, DC's <a href="http://data.octo.dc.gov/">Data Catalog</a>, spearheaded by former CTO Vivek Kundra, was an early leader. The site combines hundreds of static government-created datasets from across DC government with administrative feeds like the city's 311 system. Their site emphasizes providing data in multiple formats, including where possible formats that don't require proprietary software. Kundra's selection as the nation's first Chief Information Officer, and launch of the federal government's <a href="http://www.Data.gov">Data.gov</a> has elevated the principle among the federal government's vast datasets. DC's two "apps" contests sought to encourage creative uses of the data made available, and some of which are available at the <a href="http://apps.dc.gov/">DC App Store</a>.<br /> <br /> Beyond DC, many big cities have recently launched or are planning open data catalogs of their own.<br />
An Ecotopia in Colombia
A small village founded in Colombia in the 1960s as an experiment in sustainable agriculture is still thriving. Experts like Amory Lovins are paying Gaviotas a visit to learn their secrets.
Commercial Crash Maybe Not So Bad
The commercial real estate crash is coming and isn't pretty, but ULI senior fellow Stephen Blank and others say it won't be nearly as bad as the collapse of the residential housing market.
Do Bikes Need to Stop?
Cities are struggling with the right way to control bicycle traffic in a system built for cars. Should bicycles act like cars? Or should roads change to meet the special needs of bicycles?
BLOG POST
How to drive traffic away
<p> A few days ago, I was trying to take a streetcar in Toronto- and the streetcar was just as congested as any suburban arterial. The lines in front of streetcars were so long that I couldn't get into the first streetcar. Or the second. Or the third. Instead, I had to wait a few minutes (horrors!) for the fourth streetcar. </p> <p> I asked myself: what if streetcars only ran every hour, instead of every few minutes? Would the streetcars be equally crowded? Of course not. People would abandon the streetcars and start to use cars (if they owned them) and buy them (if they did not yet own them). </p>
Japan Seeks to End Wasteful Spending on Projects, Meets Local Opposition
Japan wants to end its spending on wasteful construction projects, which are the cause of the country's massive debt. But for one small town on the verge of losing a dam, the "wasteful" project is the center of the local economy.
More Jane Jacobs, Less Marc Jacobs
That's the slogan seen on t-shirts around Jane Jacobs beloved Greenwich Village, where some locals feel high-end chains are ruining the neighborhood.
Odenseification
The City of Odense, Denmark has submitted a new master plan that guides development to make the city carbon-neutral by 2025.
Testing Grounds
Housing development, architecture and community building have found a new learning lab in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
Department of Energy Funds Trikes
Three-wheeled, alternative energy vehicles like the Aptera may soon qualify for funding from the Dept. of Energy.
Turning Infrastructure into Amenity
Jeffersonville, Indiana is proposing to turn a district with a bad flooding problem into a beautiful canal with a pedestrian promenade.
Green Apple?
Tara Lohan reviews David Owen's new book, Green Metropolis, which extols the ecological virtues of Manhattan. In her opinion, Owen doesn't ask the right questions and ignores some inconvenient facts.
LEED-ND Is Go
LEED for Neighborhood Design (LEED-ND) is approved to become a permanent certification program.
Connecting New York City's Immigrants With Parks
This piece from <em>Urban Omnibus</em> looks at a collaborative effort in New York City to get immigrant populations better engaged in the city's public parks.
Toronto Street Furniture Program Blasted
The city of Toronto is rolling out a new street furniture program. Lisa Rochon calls the new additions to the city's sidewalks an "assault on civic life".
Sustainable Streets in St. Louis
The city of St. Louis has been testing out a new sustainable streetscape design that calms traffic and helps absorb stormwater. The test run has been so well-received, the city is thinking about rolling out the design permanently.
From Memories to Master Plans
Maine mill town asks citizens to record their memories at downtown "Heart Spots" as part of the master planning process.
Let's Try Cap-and-Trade on Babies
Not having babies is, arguably, the most effective way of limiting one's carbon footprint. Experts discuss ways to approach this touchy subject.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
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.
