The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
June is Public Participation in Urban Planning Month
<p>Urban planning commentator Robert Goodspeed declares June "Public Participation in Urban Planning Month" and offers a four part series examining how technology and public participation might be more closely linked.</p>
'Instant Cities' Are Instant, But Not Cities
<p>In this article from <em>The New York Times Magazine</em> looks at "instant cities" like Dubai and Shenzhen that have developed in hyperspeed in recent years, and discusses why they aren't yet "real" cities.</p>
A Bicycle Strategy for Canada?
<p>Toronto environmental lawyer Albert Koehl believes that Canada's Conservative government should embark on a national bicycle strategy.</p>
Obama and McCain's Energy, Environment Policies Compared
<p>The Wall Street Journal and other publications compare the energy and environmental policies of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, presumptive nominees for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.</p>
FEATURE
Planetizen Turns 8: A Look Back
Finding Ancient Cities Below the Surface
<p>This slideshow form <em>Popular Science</em> takes a step-by-step look at how to detect and uncover ancient buried settlements from satellite imagery.</p>
Killing Culs-de-Sac and Growing Smarter for Seniors
<p>The senior population of Erie County, New York, is rising. A 2006 storm revealed difficulties in providing medical services to these seniors because of the sprawled out and cul-de-sac heavy development model. A bill seeks to make that model smarter.</p>
Now That People Are Using Transit, Improve It
<p>Driving is down, transit ridership is up, but few are serisouly talking about how to improve America's transit system, according to this article from <em>Grist</em>, which wonders why.</p>
Easements in the Spotlight, As Colorado Forests Go Residential
<p>As logging declines in Colorado forests, developers are preparing to build in pockets wedged in-between parkland. The proper use of historic easements is at the center of the debate.</p>
Dreaming of a Superhighway Across Maine
<p>Officials in Maine are considering a plan to build a cross-state superhighway.</p>
BLOG POST
On Bicyclists
<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Garamond">There are three types of bicyclists: Advanced Bicyclists, Intermediate Bicyclists and Beginner Bicyclists. We need to plan and build facilities to accommodate all of them. Those cities that do are experiencing ridership numbers far above the national average.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <img src="/files/u405/Advanced_Bicyclist_2.jpg" width="350" height="233" /> </p>
First Toll on a Surface Road Under Consideration
<p>A suburb of Dallas ponders charging a toll on a surface road, perhaps the first such plan for a surface road in the United States.</p>
Drivers Cling to Their SUVs
<p>Even as SUV sales have dropped 33% this year, some drivers hang on to their gas-guzzlers. "You've got to have that room when you're moving around," says a Georgia man. The cost of switching is another major factor for families.</p>
Transportation Weaknesses Hurting Chicago's Olympic Bid
<p>Chicago has come in second-to-last place in the selection of finalists seeking to host the 2016 Olympics. The city's bid was criticized for not having a strong transportation plan.</p>
Portland Congressman Leading Push for Federal Infrastructure Investment
<p>Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) has been selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead a campaign to 'Renew and Rebuild America.'</p>
Caring For Foreclosed Lawns
<p>A city councilwoman in Galt, south of Sacramento, is cited for violating city code rules on watering. That's despite the fact that the City Council had urged the public to water and care for lawns at foreclosed homes.</p>
The Connection Between Gas Prices and Car Choice, Explained
<p>The cartoon strip 'This Modern World' looks at how gas prices have influenced motorists' selection of motor vehicles in the United States - from the 1970's to 'five minutes from now'.</p>
Barn-Raising For the 21st Century
<p>An old-fashioned community barn-raising in Masonville, Texas could in fact be a glimpse of the future.</p>
Using Cellphone GPS, Researchers Prove We're Homebodies
<p>GPS from cellphones is enabling exciting research into human behavior, but European studies show that our behavior is rarely exciting.</p>
Robert Reich Stumps for Transit
<p>Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich gives his two cents about the need to expand public transit.</p>
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.
