The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Fall of the Suburbs
In this wide-ranging post for <em>The Atlantic</em>, the NRDC's Kaid Benfield explores some of the major trends playing out in urban and suburban America, and how the suburbs are less and less the dominant urban form in the market.
Cushy Seats Matter, Says BART
The San Francisco Bay Area's BART rapid transit system is being remodeled, which requires new seats. Planners are getting riders to weigh in -- literally -- on seat comfort.
Recession-Defying Green Roofs
Despite the continued struggles of the U.S. economy, green roofs have proliferated with the market increasing 30% from the previous year.
BLOG POST
Summer Conferences with an Agenda: Ideas for Students and Others
<p> <span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Spring is conference season for many major professional associations including the American Planning Association. However, if you missed APA this year, or even if you didn’t, a number of more specialized groups meet over the summer in smaller and more focused settings. Student registrations and deals on accommodation can make these very affordable.</span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span></span> </p>
Striking Architecture for the Poor
That was former Medellin, Columbia mayor Sergio Fajardo's plan to rebuild his city, an idea that turned out to be transformational.
FEATURE
Leading Thinkers in Urban Planning & Technology
Planetizen founding Editor Chris Steins offers his evaluation of the top 25 thinkers at the intersection of planning and technology.
How Buildings Shape Our Sense of Place
San Francisco urban design critic John King has a new book out looking at how the built environment influences culture, and how the culture influenced the buildings in return.
Walkability Makes Housing More Expensive
A new study shows that improving streets with widened sidewalks, better lighting and other walkability measures can increase the nearby home value as much as $50,000.
Do Stop Signs Make Streets Safer?
When communities feel like street traffic is unsafe, they usually demand stop signs or traffic lights to be installed. But studies show that those devices may actually make streets less safe.
Using Adaptive Reuse as a Tool for Urban Redevelopment
Architect Alan Pullman talks about how adaptive reuse and green architecture can be used to revitalize urban neighborhoods and springboard economic growth, using a recent project to demonstrate.
A Parking Lot is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Smart growth proponents are fighting a New Jersey transit agency plan that would lease out dozens of parking facilities to private operators for 30 to 50 years.
Walk, Don't Drive, to the Real Estate Recovery
The New York Times, in a front page article, was startled to conclude that the housing market continued to suffer, because "buyers now demand something smaller, cheaper and, thanks to $4 a gallon gas, as close to their jobs as possible."
The Case Against Redevelopment Agencies
An article in <em>City Journal</em> praises Governor Jerry Brown's efforts to defund California's redevelopment agencies at a time when the state faces a $26 billion deficit. The author writes that the agencies are wasteful and ineffective.
Bikenomics and the Energy Crisis
Writing for <em>Grist</em>, Elly Blue explains that part of the solution to the oil/energy crisis in the United States is to approach the issue as a transportation issue, not a geopolitical one. She especially advocates for increased bike use.
Reinventing Madrid
The completed <em>Madrid Rio Project</em> will transform a highway into a large urban park, and is just part of the ambitious agenda of Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, an agenda that earned him the nickname "the pharaoh."
When is Historic Preservation Just Misplaced Nostalgia?
With projects in the U.S. and the U.K., architect Rafael Vinoly attempts to navigate "the hazy and treacherous borderlands that lie between architectural history and public nostalgia."
The Yin and Yang of Urban Redevelopment in Hong Kong
Researchers from the University of Washington trace the history and development of Hong Kong, the skyscraper capital of the world, from reclamation of waterfront land in the 1800's to contentious urban renewal projects today.
A Road Tax on Electric Cars
WA state is considering the nation's first fee on electric cars to cover road wear since they pay no gas tax, the primary funding mechanism for funding road maintenance and construction. However, critics point out that the fee is flat, not variable.
An Interview With the Director of NYC's Active Design Program
Joyce Lee discusses NYC's Active Design Guidelines and how they address the relationship between urban form and public health.
Neighbors Take Desire for Park Space Personally
A community in Salt Lake City is pooling their cash to purchase an empty lot owned by the LDS (Mormon) Church for a much-needed park. They hope to give the land to the city to maintain, but the church and state may not be on board with the plan.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
