The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
A Paradigm Shift in Urban Runoff
Christine MacDonald looks at efforts by everyone from home gardeners to municipal water authorities to rethink and rebuild the infrastructure to handle urban runoff.
Has Gov. Jerry Brown Solved California's High Speed Rail Problems?
Governor Brown claims not only that the project will cost less than the $100 billion currently estimated by the state, but that he's found a funding source to help pay for it.
SoHo Residents Balk at BID
Is it justified to believe that a proposed SoHo business improvement district, widely embraced elsewhere in the city, would only attract more hordes of visitors and non-residents? Proponents say that residents are fear-mongering.
Will Toronto's Mayor Drag the City Back to the Twentieth Century?
Just a year into his term, Christopher Hume delivers a scathing critique of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his pro-vehicular policies.
California Moves Ahead With Streamlining of Envionmental Regulations
Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown announced reforms to the state's Environmental Quality Act that will ease approval for infill development and special projects. Josh Stephens provides the details.
Return of Streetcars to D.C. Brings Nostalgia
Fifty years after they last plied its streets, Washington D.C. awaits the return of the city's streetcars in 2013 with nostalgia and hope.
Is One of New York's Most Successful Parks Heading for a Reckoning?
Charles V. Bagli and Lisa W. Foderaro report on the successes and challenges facing Hudson River Park, which is now running short on money for routine maintenance, and was supposed to be the model for New York City parks to come.
A Guide to Classic L.A. Houses
Adrian Glick Kudler writes in <em>Curbed LA</em> about a feature in the February issue of <em>Los Angeles</em> magazine profiling 16 of the most classic types of L.A. houses.
Why You Can Never Find a Bench in San Francisco
Over the last two decades the city of San Francisco has systematically removed its public benches to fight homelessness. Now citizens are clamoring for their return.
California Passes Historic Zero Emission Vehicle Regulations
The CA Air Resources Board unanimously approved new rules that require 15% of new vehicles sold in the state to emit zero emissions and require conventional vehicles to reduce smog and climate emissions by 75% and 50%, respectively, by 2025.
How to Fix New York's Abominable Airports
This past week, Frommer's ranked the world's worst airports, and all three of New York's made the top ten. Matt Chaban looks at the reasons why, and some possible solutions on the horizon.
Small Metros Power Post-Recession Job Growth
Nate Berg reports on new information from the Urban Institute’s MetroTrends research team that shows where the 1.2 million jobs added since the end of the great recession (June 2009 officially) have been located, and the results may surprise you.
Understanding the Water-Energy Nexus
In a long read published in <em>Places</em>, Austin Troy delves into the complicated nexus between the need to increase water resources and decrease energy use, which are both exacerbated by, and exacerbate, climate change.
National Forest Rules Overhauled for First Time in 30 Years
The Obama administration has finalized new rules for the 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands that will guide everything from logging to recreation and renewable energy development, writes Juliet Eilperin.
Reinventing St. Petersburg's Waterfront
Suzanne LaBarre has the details on Michael Maltzan and Tom Leader Studio's competition winning entry to reinvent the Florida city's outdated waterfront.
Investing in Detroit's Renaissance
Dan Gilbert, the founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc., is perhaps one of Detroit's biggest boosters of late. And he's putting his money where his mouth is.
A Campy Song Competition Serves as the Catalyst for Urban Renewal
In Baku, Azerbaijan, the opportunity to host the annual Eurovision song competition in May has served as a catalyst for showing off the city as an untapped luxury tourism hot spot.
Federal Government to Explore Use of Social Impact Bonds
Alex Goldmark reports on a new for-profit investing tool to incentivize innovation to solve chronic social challenges, which is gaining popularity in the U.S. and has already been tested in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Does California Need High-Speed Rail?
For the second time this week, the "Room For Debate" section of <em>The New York Times</em> is tackling an area of interest for planners. This time, High Speed Rail in California is up for debate by a series of contributors.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
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.
