The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Asia's "Instant" Cities: Perfect Cities or Perfect Storm?
The "utopian" cities being built from scratch in Asia to accommodate its fantastic rate of urbanization are striving to be smarter and greener, but may also be financially risky.
Do We Still Need Zoning?
Edward T. McMahon of ULI looks back at the 85 years since the Euclid vs. Ambler decision created zoning as we know it. Ed says zoning is still an essential tool.
BART To San Jose To Take $772 Million Step
One of the costliest transit projects in the Bay Area is a $772 million contract, closer to construction come Dec. 8. The long-awaited BART extension from Fremont to the region's largest city may be contingent on FTA funding expected in February.
Nine Noteworthy Interiors in Pittsburgh
Reporter John Conti tapped architects and professional to compile this list of Pittsburgh's best, publicly accessible interiors.
An Ancient Neighborhood Booms in Vietnam
Hanoi's Ancient Quarter, founded in 1010 A.D. and built around a plan from the 15th century, is seeing an entrepreneurial boom. Planners are struggling to maintain the unique character of the community in the process.
Creating a Nine-Mile Linear Park
Diana Balmori of Balmori Associates recently completed her work on a nine-mile long linear park along an old railroad line in Connecticut. The Awl presents an excerpt of her 2010 book <em>A Landscape Manifesto.</em>
Why Have the Exurbs Declined?
Christopher B. Leinberger expounds on the mortgage crisis plaguing America, particularly the exurbs. Rather than being a product of the excesses of bank lending and regulation, Leinberger attributes it to demographic changes benefiting cities.
"Environmental Architecture" at its Finest
Sarah Williams Goldhagen profiles The Sea Ranch; despite its failure as an alternative to suburban sprawl, it is considered a model for its environmentally sensitive, "sublimely beautiful" development.
Train Cars Recycle Kinetic Energy
A subway in Warsaw, Poland now features a system that captures the energy created by braking train cars for reuse elsewhere in the system.
Assessing Asia's Brand New Cities
In this piece, Greg Lindsay take a cautiously optimistic stance on whether or not from-scratch Asian cities are the way to address urban overpopulation.
Urban Farms Tax Breaks Bill Killed
Baltimore's City Council has voted to not approve a bill that would provide non-profit urban farmers tax breaks, leaving some officials steamed.
East Bay County Proposes Half-Cent Transportation Sales Tax
The newly formed Alameda County Transportation Commission is proposing a permanent, half-cent sales tax be placed on before the voters of the second most populous Bay Area county for the Nov. 2012 ballot for a variety of transportation purposes.
Vacant Historic Hotel to be Reused as Transitional Housing
Plans for the transformation of the art deco Viceroy Hotel date back to the Daley administration. The project will be financed by both state funds and the current mayor's revamped tax-increment financing program.
New Yorkers Can't Get to New Jobs
A new report from the Center for an Urban Future says that Manhattan's boroughs have been booming but transit hasn't caught up, leaving a lot of residents without access to jobs.
Untruths About a Gas Tax
The Carnegie Endowment's Shin-pei Tsay and Deborah Gordon expose five common myths and reveal three important facts on the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and present their solution to maintaining and improving America’s transportation infrastructure.
Architects Partner Up with Habitat for Humanity
Public Architecture, a San Francisco-based organization, and Habitat for Humanity have tapped a Kansas City Architecture firm to pilot green design concepts for the new houses. This project is just one of five nationwide.
Architect Defends Wind-Damaged Airport
With parts of its roof being blown off by strong wind, one architect has defended his work on Beijing's newest airport, blaming poor building material choices rather than the overall design.
From Foreclosed Home to Pocket Park
The city of Pacoima, CA is going ahead with a new program that transforms foreclosed homes into pocket parks. Vacant lots are being considered in addition to 10 foreclosed sites.
Defending Modernism and Ignoring Preservation
A new book called The Lure of the City argues that planners today have "a lack of ambition" and argues against the "[Jane] Jacobs-influenced orthodoxy."
Street Artist Makes Infrastructure Invisible
Street artist Cayetano Ferrer likes to take everyday urban objects like street signs or electrical boxes and use paint and stickers to camoflage them so they basically disappear.
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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.
