The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Activists Seek Return of L.A.'s Lost Urban Agriculture
With a year-round temperate climate and a history of widespread urban agriculture, it's a shame that Los Angeles now finds itself ranked 43rd amongst America's 50 largest cities for their support of local food. Can L.A. turn back the clock?
Coal in the Doldrums: Is the EPA to Blame?
In a wide ranging interview with Grist reporters Chip Giller and Scott Rosenberg on her tenure at the helm of the EPA, Lisa Jackson discusses the administration’s position on coal. It’s been accused of waging a war on it by coal supporters.
City Officials, Homeless Advocates at Odds over Bans
Is "compassion fatigue" driving Philadelphia and other cities to adopt ordinances to crack down on the homeless? Homeless advocates contend that these measures are counterproductive, as they force the homeless into criminal means of getting by.
Office Tenants in Vancouver Flocking to Transit
In a pattern being repeated across Canada's major cities, office tenants are willing to pay a premium to be located close to transit in Vancouver and buildings located only a few blocks away or in suburban office parks are seeing a rise in vacancies.
Creative Placemaking Sweeps the Nation
2,200 cities, counties and arts orgs applied to ArtPlace to fund their creative placemaking projects in 2012. 47 projects, ranging from an arts campus in rural Sitka, Alaska to a series of "aerial nets" along a Philadelphia waterfront, made the cut.
Rural Farming and Urban Technology Come Together with FarmHack
Benjamin Brownell finds that innovative technology and farming work well together at a FarmHack event in Vermont.
Finding a Kindler, Gentler Way to Alter Driver Behavior
Due to its successful application in cities such as London and Singapore, congestion charging has become the favored approach for changing driver behavior. However, a professor at Stanford University may have found a nicer way to change habits.
Is a New Vision for Stockholm Meant to Sway or Scare?
As cities across the world look for ways to blend higher densities to accommodate the increased demand for urban living, a recent proposal for how to solve Stockholm's critical lack of housing in the core of the city may define "inelegant density."
Dallas's Urban Regeneration Flies Beneath the Radar
Though "generally cited as an example of all the things you don’t want a city to be," Karrie Jacobs finds reason to believe that Texas's third largest city has taken to heart the "country’s newfound passion for all things urban."
Cleveland Rocks
Downtown Cleveland has been polished up over the past few years. David C. Barnett has the rust belt revival success story.
Why Neighbors May Want to Welcome Wal-Mart With Open Arms
Two assistant professors from the University of Chicago and BYU have found that the addition of a Wal-Mart store in a neighborhood can raise the value of homes within a mile of the store, reports Mary Ellen Podmolik.
Forced Eviction Stirs Public Outrage in Taiwan
One family in Taipei has rallied support for "victims of urban renewal" after the city demolished their home to make way for high-rise apartments, Loa Lok-Sin reports.
Can Smart Phones Ignite America's Passion for Walking?
Sarah Goodyear looks at how smart phones and augmented reality applications may hold the key to enriching urban exploration and getting Americans off their sofas and out exploring their environments.
After a Lost Decade, How Can Chicago Get Back on Track?
Aaron M. Renn looks at Chicago's struggles over the last decade - one that saw the city "increasingly falling behind its large urban brethren" - and asks whether its aspirations for becoming a global city are delusional.
Demand Outstripping Supply in Recovering Housing Market
Prospective buyers in the recovering housing market are finding a much harder time than expected to purchase a home, as a shortage of good properties for sale drives cutthroat competition.
Eleven Recent Films for Fans of Cities
Searching for ways to wring more value out of your underutilized Netflix subscription? Nate Berg has compiled a list of "11 of the best documentaries about cities streaming on Netflix."
Bad Deals Plague Transit Agencies Across America
Compounding the pain caused by decreased funding from local and national sources, transit agencies across the country are haunted by "toxic pre-recession bank deals" that have them paying exorbitant borrowing costs.
Building the Sensitive City of the Future
Collecting real-time information will be as essential to building the city 2.0 as coordinating the top-down integration of infrastructure systems. A new city in Portugal will use more than 100 million sensors to build its feedback loop.
Philadelphia Making History With Stormwater Management Program
With cities across the country seeking to find innovative and economical solutions to problems caused by combined sewer systems, could Philly's popular Green City, Clean Waters program be a model worth copying?
Frank Lloyd Wright: Apostle of Sprawl
Mark Byrnes brings us a fascinating, and regrettably short, clip of Frank Lloyd Wright discussing his opinions of the city, the skyscraper, and why "the best people" are leaving New York.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul 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.
