The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
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Airbnb Draws Tourists Off the Beaten Path
Airbnb connects travelers from around the world to unique rentable spaces. With the recent launch of a "Neighborhoods" feature, Airbnb has the potential to redirect tourist spending to often overlooked areas.
A Housing Plan to Keep Young Professionals in Massachusetts
Young professionals are choosing to live in "smaller, more transit-oriented developments." To keep them in-state, Gov. Deval Patrick plans to incentivize the building of 10,000 multifamily housing units each year through 2020 in Mass.
So You Want To Be a Certified Planner?
While planning seems more intuitive than technical to many the layperson, Los Angeles planner Clement Lau describes what it takes to stay at the top of the profession.
Low Cost Strategies for Reducing Urban Poverty
Eric Jaffe reports, “[a] recent field test in Mexico offers the first experimental evidence that basic infrastructure upgrades — in this case paving streets — have a measurable effect on reducing urban poverty.”
Happy Place of the Olden Days
Scott Bernstein joins in the Happiness Index conversation, starting with references to the Anatomy of Melancholy.
New Name Tops List of World's Most Expensive Shopping Streets
Hong Kong has supplanted New York atop Cushman & Wakefield's list of the ten most expensive shopping streets in the world. London's Bond Street fell out of the top ten due to Britain's weak economy.
California Auctions First Carbon Credits; Chamber of Commerce Sues
California's climate law reached a milestone on Nov. 14 when the state auctioned its first carbon credits in the 'Cap & Trade' provision of the bill. But that didn't stop the CA Chamber of Commerce from filing suit against this provision of the law.
Sandy Was a Double-Edged Sword for Bikes in NYC
In the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, bicycles appeared to be the big winner in the ensuing transportation chaos. This week, however, it was revealed that efforts to expand bike use in the city were also one of the storm's victims.
A Few Good Monks for Seaside
Philip Bess makes the case for building a permanent community of Benedictines in the new urbanist resort.
Small Cities Get Smart
A new web-based software, described as a "Google Analytics for local governments," allows smaller cities to get involved in the Gov 2.0 revolution, reports Ariel Schwartz.
Sandy Causes New Jersey to Rethink Long-Range Planning
New Jersey's long-awaited "State Strategic Plan", which will serve as a master plan for land development throughout the state, and was due for final approval this week, will have to be rethought in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The Shaky Foundation Underlying CA's New Long-Range Regional Plans
Wendell Cox rebuts the work of Arthur C. Nelson, who has projected CA as over-supplied with detached housing and in demand of small lot and multi-unit housing. Nelson's work has been the basis of long-range regional planning throughout the state.
GOP Sees Error of its Ways in Approach to Cities
In his first substantive statements regarding his ticket's failings during the recent Presidential election, GOP leader Paul Ryan "is looking to the nation’s big cities" as the cause.
Peak Oil? 'Far Too Much' Oil to Prevent Severe Climate Change
Confirming an earlier Dept. of Energy report, the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook indicates not only that U.S. oil production will surpass Saudi Arabia's by 2020, but that it will be a net exporter by 2030 - thanks to fracking.
Social Media Becomes Force for Improving Developing Cities
Luis Alberto Moreno explores how Facebook and Twitter are improving cities in the developing world, as the governments of many Latin American municipalities take advantage of the explosive growth of social media to engage with citizens.
California's Bullet-Train Will Require Extraordinary Engineering Feats
Given its unprecedented “scale and scope”, California's bullet train poses a plethora of complex challenges to engineers and train planners, reports Ralph Vartabedian, yet it also seizes their imaginations.
Scaling Up the Local Food Movement
Small farmers generally sell their wares at farmers markets rather than to grocery stores or institutions. But two entrepreneurs in Virginia are seeking to change that by creating a food hub to aggregate, process, grow, and promote local produce.
Protesters Take Toronto Bike Lane Removal Lying Down
Efforts to remove a bike lane from Toronto's Jarvis Street did not go exactly as planned this week, as protesters prevented city crews from completing their work by blockading the street, reports Lissette Valdez.
Plans Unveiled for Copenhagen's City of Children
This week brought news that sounds closer to a fairy tale. A new preschool and daycare center in the Danish capital has been designed as a real-life Neverland for children to explore their interests in contributing to city life.
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
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
