The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Twin Cities Envision Greater Regional Cooperation
<p>The idea of expanding the influence of the metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota's Twin Cities region has been around for a while. But increasing growth and congestion may finally push the idea forward.</p>
Drunken Tourists Threaten Historic Sites
<p>The ancient palazzos of Rome are being transformed by a flood of restaurants and bars catering to a growing population of drunken tourists. Many locals and preservationist worry about what they see as social and historical decay.</p>
More Americans Than Ever Commuting To Work Alone In Their Car
<p>Despite the attention that global warming has received in the U.S., most Americans aren't choosing more eco-friendly commutes.</p>
A New Species of Mall Rat Evolving?
<p>The second largest mall owner in the nation will redevelop over 200 of its properties into mixed-use centers.</p>
What Subdivision Walls Tell Us About Our Values
<p>A recent column cites the phenomenon of subdivision walls as an example of how Americans are neglecting and shunning the public realm.</p>
Is Regulating Housing Facades A Civil Rights Issue?
<p>Several communities have used ordinances to favor masonry over vinyl siding, but the practice is being challenged by a lawsuit arguing that the added cost prices out low-income minorities.</p>
Car-Free and Carefree in Colombia
<p>Bogota, Colombia, has turned itself around by focusing on using the public realm to promote the greatest amount of happiness. First stop? Car-free days.</p>
Using Universities As A Cover For New Development?
<p>Developers are hoping that by putting private colleges and universities within new developments, communities will be more likely to loosen land use approvals.</p>
Supreme Court's Endangered Species Ruling A Victory For Builders
<p>The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal Clean Water Act takes precedence over the Endangered Species Act when considering approval of development plans. The ruling is seen as a victory for developers.</p>
New Prize Recognizes Jane Jacobs' Spirit
<p>Having funded Jane Jacobs' groundbreaking research in the late 1950s, the Rockefeller Foundation has created a $100,000 prize in her name.</p>
California's Carpool Lanes Struggling To Meet Demand
<p>In California, plans to build nearly 1,000 miles of carpool lanes are being reconsidered as a new report reveals that the lanes are not meeting federal standards for flow and effectiveness.</p>
Planning For Rising Sea Levels
<p>For the coastal California city of San Diego, the threat of global warming and rising sea levels is on the minds of many local officials and planners.</p>
Fighting Congestion At Home And Abroad
<p>In exchange for a discount on oil for London's bus system, city transit officials will lend their expertise to the city of Caracas, Venezuela, in an effort to reduce the city's crippling congestion.</p>
BLOG POST
No Freeways in Vancouver? Not Quite ...
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Let's begin by killing off one of the cherished half-truths about Vancouver.</span></font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Vancouver, it is said, is the only major city in North America without freeways.</span></font></p>
The Modern Duplex
<p>With more homeowners looking for creative ways to finance their home or house relatives, Los Angeles is experiencing a revival of interest in duplexes.</p>
Atlanta Swelling With Coastal Florida Expatriates
<p>Fear of hurricanes, high housing costs, and prohibitive insurance premiums are driving coastal Florida residents north to Atlanta. Real estate agents and developers are happy, but the region is already strained by growth.</p>
Troubled L.A. Suburb Manages Dramatic Turnaround
<p>Through a myriad of efforts -- including helping residents install picket fences -- the once ailing suburb of Paramount, California, is now on the rise.</p>
Will The Sunbelt Dry Up?
<p>Drought and shrinking water supplies could pose serious limits to growth in the American southwest and southeast.</p>
Six States To Study Replacing Fuel Excise Taxes With Mileage Fees
<p>An ambitious study to charge motorists by the mile, which hopes to address decreasing gas tax revenue for both states and the federal government, will begin in North Carolina's Research Triangle.</p>
Look At Houston In A Different Light, Argues Kotkin
<p>Often maligned by by most planners and urbanists, the City of Houston, Texas, receives a glowing defense from Joel Kotkin.</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.
