The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Will We All Become 'Envirogees'?

<p>Climate change, desertification and resource wars are displacing millions of people, and threaten to turn us all into environmental refugees, warns Scott Thill.</p>

June 3 - AlterNet

High Gas Prices Making Rural Life Difficult

<p>Both farmers and the rural poor are hurting because gas prices are not only higher in Canada's rural areas, but the distances required to obtain food and other necessities are so great.</p>

June 3 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

Watch for Desire Paths

<p> My graduate school education left me with a lot of general ideas and a handful of specific ones. One that stuck with me is a concept from landscape architecture: the desire path. Technically, the term means a path where there isn&#39;t supposed to be one, a trail of wear and tear that wasn&#39;t planned. </p>

June 2 - Tim Halbur

Opportunities in Tornadoes

<p>Parkersburg, IA, reeling from a recent tornado that devastated the town, could look to nearby Charles City for a silver lining.</p>

June 2 - Des Moines Register

The Possibilities of 'Spime'

<p>Noah Radford of Space Syntax gave an interesting presentation on the possible future of "spimes", objects like bricks that are given self-awareness in space and time (hence, spime) and what such objects might mean for future planning and design.</p>

June 2 - Resources for Urban Design Information


Ottawans Make Case Against Density

<p>Dimitri Roussopoulos of Urban Ecology and Capital Councillor Clive Doucet make the case that city planning in Ottawa ignores the smart growth plan in place, is driven by economics, and is not in the best interest of communities.</p>

June 2 - The Ottawa Citizen

Goldman Sachs Sees Gold in Humboldt, CA

<p>Humboldt's port shows promise, but would require massive investment. Goldman Sachs expresses an interest, surprising locals.</p>

June 2 - Times-Standard, Northern California


Oil Prices Affecting Asphalt As Well, Creating Opening For Greener Roads

<p>Asphalt is a byproduct of oil production, and so is getting more expensive along with rising oil costs. A $5 million research project is looking for greener solutions.</p>

June 2 - CNET News

Showdown at Valley Forge Over Land Use

<p>History buffs clash over the proper use of Valley Forge site- preserved national park land, or 142,000-square-foot museum and conference center?</p>

June 2 - The New York Times

What IS Mixed-Use, Anyway?

"Mixed-use"? "transit-oriented development"? Development in Farmington, Utah hits a wall while the planning commission debates definitions.

June 2 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Sealed Landfill Leaking 'Orange Goo' Into Residential Area

<p>Oshawa, Ontario residents have noticed a suspicious substance leaking into their community. Development next to the former landfill almost didn't happen because city planners worried about this very possibility.</p>

June 2 - durhamregion.com

On the Brink? Miami's Downtown Struggles To Revitalize

<p>While mega-condo developments are enlivening districts in and around Miami's urban core, a long moribund downtown business district struggles to keep up. Many hope that small improvements will make a big difference in the area's quest for vitality.</p>

June 2 - The Miami Herald

Kiplinger's Rates Top 10 Cities to Live, Work and Play

<p>Houston tops the list, which includes Des Moines, Boise and Omaha. Yeah, we want to see their criteria too...</p>

June 2 - Kiplinger's

U.S. Rail Network Facing Traffic Woes

<p>Freight trains already face serious traffic on the nation's network of rails. If nothing is done, insiders project disaster in the near future.</p>

June 1 - Associated Press

Students Bring Neighborhood's Plans to Life

<p>Students in Ohio State University's City and Regional Planning department worked closely with the Franklinton neighborhood in Columbus to create a new vision for the community.</p>

June 1 - Columbus Alive

New Palestinian City Planned in West Bank

<p>A developer has plans for a new Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which he says would be the first new city in the West Bank in thousands of years. But he is still awaiting approval on a crucial road.</p>

June 1 - NPR

Keeping Public Space Public In Knoxville

<p>Downtown Knoxville has seen many improvements in recent years. This column calls on the city to be careful how it lets private interests use downtown's new public spaces.</p>

June 1 - Metro Pulse

Big Box on a Diet

<p>Big box stores are following their customers into downtowns, and stores like Circuit City and Target are retooling for density.</p>

June 1 - Architectural Record

Gas Prices Cause High Demand for Transit

<p>Rising gas prices have caused a big increase in transit ridership in Loudoun County, Virginia, where officials are looking to expand their bus fleet and capacity to handle the jump in demand.</p>

May 31 - The Washington Post

Best Buy Refuses to Conform to Design Standards

<p>Waynesville, North Carolina Mayor Gavin Brown is forced to give up on pedestrian-friendly design to save potential jobs from Best Buy.</p>

May 31 - The Smoky Mountain News

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Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.