The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
A Quiet Drive
<p>New types of pavements are being tested in Washington that make highway traffic noticeably quieter.</p>
Friday Funny: Crumbling Infrastructure Likely Means 'Something'
<p>This article from <em>The Onion</em> looks back at the infrastructure problems that defined 2007, asking what they signify for the country.</p>
Toy Libraries Critical To Childhood Development
<p>Libraries for toys are popping up in developing countries all over the world, and especially in Africa, giving poor children a glimpse of a less troubled childhood. Many say the simple libraries are making big changes in the children's development.</p>
'Mr. Open Space' Should Have Been Called 'Mr. Rational'
<p>The late Larry Livingston became known in planning circles and elsewhere as "Mr. Open Space." But, Bill Fulton writes, the tag was based on a misunderstanding of a fiscal analysis he prepared regarding housing development in a particular city.</p>
Miami On The Verge Of Major Downtown Makeover
<p>County officials are moving forward with four mega-projects designed to improve downtown Miami. Critics wonder if they will really benefit the taxpayer.</p>
NOLA Demolitions: One of 'Greatest Crimes in U.S. Urban Planning'
<p>HUD's arguments for the demolition of thousands of public housing units in New Orleans echoes the worst of the "tabula rasa" approach to urban renewal of the 1960s, writes Nicolai Ouroussoff.</p>
Town On The Farm
<p>The massive farm bill making its way through Congress will only perpetuate social and environmental sustainability. What's also needed is legislation to boost the urban economics of local food production, writes Christopher Cook.</p>
Los Angeles Hopes To Win Federal Grant For 3 HOT Lanes Conversions
<p>The L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Agency hopes to convert carpool lanes on three freeways to variably priced High Occupancy Toll lanes and win a federal grant. But the plan is upsetting carpoolers and hybrid owners who use these lanes for free.</p>
Commuters Share Transit Information
<p>A new interactive information sharing network has been created to help commuters work their commute efficiently and with the most information possible.</p>
U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty Challenged By Mexican Farmers
<p>A 1944 international treaty that requires the transfer of millions of gallons of water from Mexico to the U.S. from the Rio Grande is being challenged by Mexican farmers who are routinely deprived of water every five years when the transfer occurs.</p>
Fair Housing, But For Whom?
<p>The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress in 1968, but some minorities still struggle to obtain mortgages and home loans. This article from <em>The Next American City</em> asks why.</p>
Square Roots
<p>As part of a special issue on cities, the Canadian magazine <em>The Walrus</em> examines the little-known histories of famous public squares around the world.</p>
Second Life Used To Solve Real World Engineering Challenges
<p>A UC Irvine professor and a transportation firm are teaming up to use the online virtual world Second Life to test real world public transit ideas.</p>
Housing The Most Vulnerable
<p>Homeless advocates are working in Los Angeles to identify the city's most vulnerable homeless people on Skid Row. With this list the county intends to take a piecemeal approach to housing the city's homeless.</p>
A Look At Redevelopment With and Without Eminent Domain
<p>In this video from <em>Reason</em>, comedian Drew Carey looks at the use of eminent domain in Los Angeles and compares it with the efforts of nearby Anaheim to work with developers and avoid seizing land through eminent domain.</p>
More Fast Food Options Make Residents Fatter
<p>The higher the concentration of fast food restaurants in a city, the fatter its residents, according to a recent study from the University of Alberta.</p>
What Does An Urban Planner Do?
<p>This follow-up article from <em>U.S. News and World Report</em> gives a basic rundown of what an urban planner does on a typical day at work.</p>
What Is An Urban Planner?
<p>This "executive summary" from <em>U.S. News and World Report</em> describes what it means to be an urban planner -- named one of the 31 best careers.</p>
City Noise Posing Health Threat
<p>Ho Chi Minh City is one of the loudest cities in the world. It's excessive noise is being targeted by the World Health Organization as a serious threat to physical and mental health.</p>
Sacramento's Big Opportunity Needs A Cautious Approach
<p>Plans are moving forward to redevelop a massive railyard site near downtown Sacramento. It could be a major boon for the city, but as <em>California Planning and Development Report</em>'s Paul Shigley writes, the city should moved ahead cautiously.</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.
