The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Explaining Property and Taxes Through Comic Books
A comic book is helping municipal employees in Brazil to understand how to catalog land for the collection of property taxes.
Empty Stadia and Some Regret in South Africa
One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.
How the Other Half Lives in Hong Kong
For a city of over 16,000 people per square mile, less than 7% of Hong Kong's land is designated for residential use. Subdivided apartments - aka "coffin units" - totaling 150 square feet aren't uncommon, reports The Wall Street Journal.
What Buyers' Stalled Decision Means to Homebuilders
While most homebuilders take measures to control cost, such as modifying the plan layouts or building more energy-efficient homes, few revamp their business strategies by creating specialized division for distressed markets.
High Speed Rail Crash In China Leaves 43 Dead
Two bullet trains collided in China killing 43, injuring 211, on Saturday evening, July 23 in Wenzhou city, after one train stalled on a viaduct, causing four cars of the moving train to fall up to 100 ft. to the ground below. Video attached.
Home Sweet Hummer
2 architects from the firm HPlusF took on the challenge of taking a Hummer and redesigning it into a modular dwelling. Thus, the HummerHaus.
California High-Speed Rail at a Tipping Point
Will the California high-speed rail project move forward, or will politicians pull the plug? The fate of the program weighs in the balance as construction is about to begin.
Speed Up Your Commute
In a hurry to catch the train?
Make No Big Plans
Looking at "urban acupuncture", a recent movement that eschews massive urban renewal projects in favor of smaller interventions.
FEATURE
A Little More Complete – Making Way for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles
Wave of the future, or glorified golf cart? Lisa Nisenson says that dismissing neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) is a mistake, and planners can use NEV planning to make more walkable urban centers.
"Facts Don't Speak for Themselves"
Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP, explains why being able to tell a good story about plans and development is more valuable than any maps or pretty renderings.
BLOG POST
Integrated Planning for Community Health and Safety
Automobile travel imposes significant health risks. Traffic fatality rates, obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes, and total air pollution emissions tend to increase with per capita annual vehicle mileage.
The "Urban-Vegetal World" of the Future
An exhibit in Paris presents elaborate, lush visions of "La Ville Fertile", or "The Fertile City."
Urban Trees = Cleaner Air
Not that it's a real surprise that trees clean the air, but a new study shows that greenery in cities can have a significant effect on air quality.
Drunk Driving Crackdown In Beijing
Traffic safety is an emerging issue in China, and officials are treating drunk driving, the cause of more than 50% of traffic fatalities, severely - so much so that a new business is flourishing: chauffeur service.
"No Net Loss" for Third Places?
Amid the dissolution of Borders bookstores in urban centers, Chuck Wolfe urges policymakers and the private market to assure "no let loss" in the spirit of natural resource protection to assure third places remain available in American cities.
Souped-Up BART Trains Courtesy of BMW
The nation's fifth-largest rail system Bay Area Rapid Transit will collaborate with BMW DesignworksUSA to update its aging fleet.
Freeway Section Closes, No One Misses It
In Vancouver, B.C., a stretch of elevated freeway was closed during the 2010 Winter Olympics for safety reasons. Turned out it wasn't missed, and locals are advocating to have it removed.
In Chicago, a Holistic Approach to Bicycle Planning
DOT Commissioner Gabe Klein says that in addition to making bicycles a viable means of transportation, he's also using bike lanes to slow traffic speed and promote active lifestyle.
The Tortoise vs. Solar Power
Gov. Brown, a former AG who filed many lawsuits to protect the environment, sided with a renewable energy producer in a lawsuit to stop a huge solar thermal power project in the Mojave Desert on behalf of the threatened desert tortoise.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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.
