The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
From Housing Planes to People: Repurposing Success Stories
As cities across the world look to convert aging and obsolete airfields to new uses, a growing body of repurposing success stories show "how problematic properties can be successfully converted," reports Christine Negroni.
Historic Homes Are Losing Visitors, But Perhaps There’s An App for That
Of the thousands of historic homes across the country, many are seeing steep declines in visitors, reports J. Freedom du Lac. Consolidation and new technologies, such as smartphone apps, may be the best alternatives to closing doors.
Smart Growth Vs. Environmentalists (and Other Challenges) in Bay Area
What to do with 200 vacant, industrial acres bordering S.F. Bay in Newark, CA is no easy task for city planners who face activists, including environmentalists, skeptical of any development, let alone one of higher density.
NYC's Historic Buildings Steal the Energy-Efficiency Spotlight
NYC's recently released energy efficiency ratings are full of surprises: 1930s landmarks such as the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings outperformed later mid-century structures, as well as contemporary LEED-rated designs.
Friday Funny: A Winter Wonderland on Kiev's Subway
Ah, the holiday season, when landscapes across the world are coated with a dusting of snow and those without it dream of a white Christmas. While one might expect such a scene in Kiev, you probably wouldn't expect it inside the city's subway.
Amazon Delivers 'Unprecedented' Impact to Seattle's Downtown Landscape
Eric Pryne reports on the online giant's unprecedented impact on Seattle's physical and real estate landscapes, as the company's "breathtaking" growth rejuvenates the downtown office market.
Removing Sidewalks to Make Room for Peds
WAMU's Michael Pope reports on an Alexandria, VA's plan to level the playing field for bikes, pedestrians and cars by taking out curbs.
Lisa Jackson Leaves Behind Mixed Legacy at EPA
This week Lisa Jackson made public her decision to step down as administrator of the EPA. Despite many hard-fought victories, Jackson's tenure is also associated with a lack of significant action to address climate change.
Some in Toronto Cling to Promise of Back Alley Living
A decade ago, a landmark study proposed alley-side infill development, or laneway housing, as a way to provide Toronto with thousands of affordable units. Despite significant obstacles, some developers and architects remain committed to the idea.
World's Longest High-Speed Rail Line Opens
The opening of the 1,200-mile Beijing to Guangzhou high-speed rail line marked the latest milestone in "one of the world’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects." The longest such segment in the world takes only 8 hours to traverse.
New Center Seeks to Take the Guesswork out of Planning
Researchers at the University of Chicago are tackling a problem that is confronting the globe's biggest cities: how to turn the reams of data being collected and opened to the public and turn it into actionable information for decision-makers.
New York's MTA Seeks New Leader
Joseph Lhota, the chairman and chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has announced his resignation at the end of this year. Who will be next to lead the nation's largest public transportation system?
A Potpourri of Planning's Many Forms - All in one City
In this fascinating photo essay, Jordi Sanchez-Cuenca explores Mexico City's urban morphology. Seemingly every type of urban form known to man can be found within the Mexican capital's boundaries.
Midwestern Drought Threatens the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River handles $7 billion in trade as one of the world's largest navigable inland waterways. A Midwestern drought has brought the river to water levels so low that they threaten to shut down shipping, reports John Schwartz.
Trainjacking America's Finance Industry
Acela has improved connectivity along the Northeast Corridor, but is that actually a good thing? Aaron M. Renn argues that high-speed rail has actually hurt America by giving the finance industry a stranglehold over fiscal and monetary policies.
Proximity Trumps Mobility: Smart Growth Maximizes Accessibility
The increased proximity provided by more compact and centralized development is about ten times more influential than vehicle traffic speed on the number of destinations that people can reach within a given travel time.
'Smart Screens' to Provide City Data in New York
Can 250 high-def, touch-screen kiosks make New York City more user-friendly, personalized and safe?
How Smart Is Smart Parking - And For Whom?
Parking enforcers, not motorists in search of available parking, may be the main beneficiaries of 'smart parking' technology as they have the ability to immediately spot parking spaces where vehicles have overstayed their time limits and by how long.
Can Narrow Lanes Improve Traffic Congestion?
Comparing wide versus narrow lanes, Kenneth A. Small and Chen Feng Ng examine the relatively unexplored design of building more compact roads to alleviate traffic congestion.
Biometric Monitors: Coming to a Driveway Near You
Might your car one day serve as a mobile doctor's office? If research into biometric monitoring being conducted by carmakers comes to fruition, your car may soon be able to tracks your stress and blood sugar levels, and more, reports Bob Moon.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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