The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Sustainable Homes of the Future at Solar Decathlon
In its 5th year, the Solar Decathlon had submissions from 20 different countries and from schools like SCI-Arc/Caltech's and Appalachian State University, writes Diana Budds for Dwell.
Industrializing India
The government plans to build 24 industrial cities that stretch from New Delhi to Mumbai for a corridor bigger in land size than Japan, write Matthias Williams and Lyndee Prickitt for Reuters.
The "Stunning and Tragic" Remains of Pruitt-Igoe
The implosion of the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects is recognized as the moment when modernism died. Sam Jacob is taking university students to the site to observe what has become of the location.
Seniors Equate Mobility with Life
"Carjacked" author Anne Lutz Fernandez says Time's tearful coverage of the traffic deaths of a 72-year-married Iowa couple fails to recognize the true problem: that Americans are persuaded that driving = living.
Making a City in the Heart of the Oil Sands
Fort McMurray is one of Canada's fastest-growing, wealthiest and most expensive cities...with no downtown.
From Zero to 1.2 Billion Passengers in 2 Decades
Guangzhou, China's public transit network barely existed back in the late 1980s, when the Guangzhou Metro Corporation (GMC) was created to oversee its creation. Today they employ over 17,000 people and in 2010 GMC carried 1.18 billion passengers.
For Biking to Flourish, Empower the Community Boards
Tom Angotti believes that community participation and neighborhood-level planning are key to a wider network of bike infrastructure in New York City.
The Fizzled Vision for a "Megapolitan" Sun Belt
Only 7 short years ago, planners in the Phoenix/Tuscon area were envisioning a region of 10 million people. Today they're scaling back the predictions, but still have hope for a recovery.
Architect Bjarke Ingels on Quality of Life
Danish Architect Bjarke Ingels discusses his new approach of "hedonistic sustainability... which improves the quality of life," as well as other ideas he often features in various projects.
NYC Removes Trash Bins in Subway to Curtail Litter
Greenwich Village and Queens subway stations have had their trash bins removed for the past two weeks. This counterintuitive plan was initiated 3 months ago by officials due to an "epidemic of unsightliness and malodor," writes Michael Grynbaum.
Bane of the Middle Class: Rising Gas Prices
In this Washington Post blog, Brad Plumer writes on a New American Foundation report on rising gas prices and their disproportionate impact on the poor and middle class. Public policies intended to reduce fuel consumption, however, benefit the rich.
Canadian Opposition Leadership Candidate Unveils Urban Strategy
As the campaign to replace the late (and city-boosting) Jack Layton as the leader of the New Democratic Party heats up, contender Paul Dewar has announced his intention to lead with a multi-pronged urban strategy.
Subway Vent Benches Kill Two Birds With One Stone
Hurricane Irene brought flooding to the M and R subway lines in Queens, prompting the MTA to seek innovative ways to prevent it from happening again. Rogers Marvel Architects developed an innovative solution that also creates a bench above.
DC Planning Office Seeks To Restrict Georgetown Enrollment
Washington DC's office of planning will begin restricting Georgetown's enrollment if the university does not manage to provide housing for 100% of its undergraduates by 2016.
Despair and Hope in Occupied Rust Belt Cities
As part of an "Occupy America" tour, Arun Gupta visits Occupy protests in three rust belt cities, and finds that the economic forces that unleashed the global recession long ago stripped these cities of their economic and social fabric.
Executives Told To "Pack Suitcases" For Libyan Infrastructure Boom
Tripoli Airport and Misrata hospital are the first specific projects to be named, as western governments begin to release frozen assets to the National Transition Government (NTI) and international corporations spot an opportunity.
The Mysterious Disappearing Transit
After nine years of public outreach and study, transit was abruptly and secretively dropped from plans for the new Tappan Zee Bridge. Now, neither New York Governor Andrew Cuomo nor the US Department of Transportation will say why.
Cities Aren't About Happiness
Elizabeth Farrelly suggests that happiness is only a possible side benefit to the true goal of cities, which is "...getting stuff done and, more importantly, generating the ideas that get stuff done."
How to Build a Better Park
New Urbanist Peter Katz presents his guidelines for creating a popular urban park. First published in 1995, Katz's ideas still hold up.
BLOG POST
Retired Faculty: Keeping Up With Them Via Blogs
<p class="MsoNormal"> With the proliferation of new media planning practitioners have new ways to find out about the continuing work of planning faculty members who have retired. Not all of them blog of course, but the list below demonstrates some of the variety of these efforts. </p>
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.
