The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Op-Ed: San Diego Should Look to Beaches to Increase Density
San Diego should look to its beach communities and its major intersections to achieve its housing and Climate Action Plan goals while minimizing community polarization, writes urban planning consultant Howard Blackson.
California's Ambitious Transportation Projects Designed to Include Communities
Unprecedented transit build-out in California could transform the state. Now leaders are working to ensure the infrastructure connecting major cities also benefits the communities it touches along the way.
Empty Nesters Stuck in the Suburbs
Just when boomers are ready to return to the city to enjoy all its cultural offerings, they find themselves priced out. Many do downsize, however, from large single family homes to more urban areas close to home.
Putting Geniuses In Their Place(s)
Eric Weiner's "The Geography of Genius" offers a delightful, if limited, analysis of cities throughout history where "genius" has arisen and offers inspiration for planners who want to make cities more than just places to live and do business.
Shoup Op-Ed: Planners Can Help the Poor By Reducing Parking Requirements
Put another way, Shoup's case against parking requirements is that they make life harder for the poor.
Friday Funny: Morgan Freeman Narrates the Pedestrian Experience
The most famous voice in narration, Morgan Freeman, visited Jimmy Kimmel Live and put his vocal talents to good use.
Mixed Reviews for Calatrava's WTC Transportation Hub—Now Open to the Public
A section of the $4 billion World Trade Center Transportation hub, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opened to the public today. The project has already inspired controversy, and will likely continue to do so.
Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Infrastructure
As more and more people live on this planet, the pressure to build smart cities that feature environmentally sustainable infrastructure will become immense. Planners will be challenged to do more with less. Here's a discussion of this complex issue.
Why the Bay Area Outshines L.A.
Los Angeles' relative economic stagnation from 1980 onward was as much a choice as was the Bay Area's meteoric rise. According to planning scholar Michael Storper's account, Los Angeles' culture—not any policy or industry—is to blame.
New Apps to Enable Citizen Science
Professor Zhenghong Tang, from the Community and Regional Planning Program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, taps mobile tech, aids access to environmental data.
Wood Frame Construction Has Yet to Catch Up to Regulations in Toronto
When it comes to housing construction, the best intentions of regulators aren't always enough to sway the market.
U.S. Cities Cracking Down on Homelessness
Three major American cities this week—San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles—responded to the growing number of homeless living on the streets with sweeps, arrests, and seizures, respectively.
City Hall 'Outsider' on Opening Up L.A.'s Development Process
Los Angeles is experiencing an elevated anti-growth conversation and suspicion of insider dealings at City Hall. In the midst of this, a councilmember known as an "outsider" aims to reconcile his constituents with the city's development processes.
New Republican Majority Flexes Muscle on Southern California Air Board
The long-time executive director of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Barry Wallerstein, may be removed to make the powerful regulatory agency more business-friendly. The board meets in closed-session on Friday.
A Tale of Two Cities: San Jose and Flint
The fixed costs of infrastructure projects leave cities like Flint struggling to pay their bills with fewer people pooling their resources.
FEATURE
Columbus Bucks Trends, Grows Steadily
The latest installment of the "Planners Across America" series visits Columbus, Ohio, for a conversation with Planning Administrator Kevin Wheeler.
Revisiting the Archetypal Post-War Suburb
A CityLab article takes a trip to Levittown, Pennsylvania for a lesson in how places change, even when some places stay the same.
New Hampshire Wants Commuter Rail to Boston
A strong coalition is pushing for a $4 million planning effort to lay the tracks for commuter rail between New Hampshire and Boston.
The Negative Effects of the Nation's Lengthening Commute
The collective amount of time Americans spend commuting is staggering, and it's only growing.
International Bike Count: Spain's Ridership Growing Fastest
Between 2014 and 2015, Spain led 16 other countries by increasing its bicycle mode share the most—8 percent.
Pagination
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
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.