The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Funding for Washington DC H Street Streetcar Line Pulled at 11th Hour
The Washington DC City Council voted Wednesday to approve a FY2011 budget which strips nearly all the funding to complete the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line. The line is partially complete, and several streetcars have already been purchased.
City Makes Street Intervention Permanent
An activist project in Dallas, Texas turned an auto-oriented block into a pedestrian paradise, envisioning what could be with a little paint and fake lampposts. The city listened, and is now working to make the change permanent.
The Big Hair Express
As a stunt to attract more riders, the New Jersey Transit Authority is giving away tickets to see Bon Jovi live at the New Meadowlands Stadium, which is accessible by transit, of course.
Sesame Street = Bad Urbanism?
People always think that because he advocates for better public spaces and density that Bill Lindeke wants something like the closely-knit community of Sesame Street. Step back, says Lindeke.
Small Wind Turbines Making Big Inroads
A new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says that the number of small wind turbines in the U.S. has grown considerably over the last year, adding 20 megawatts of production.
Pod Cars for Silicon Valley
San Jose is considering a personal rapid transit system for the airport, throwing $4 million at a feasibility study for the "pod cars."
The Data-Driven Key to Unlocking New York's Congestion
<em>Wired</em> profiles Charles Komanoff, who's hoping to use his immense spreadsheet of New York City traffic data to clear the city's congestion.
How Portland Sold Its Banks on Walkable Development
Finding financing is one of the biggest challenges for transit-oriented development. How did Portland convince its lenders to get on board?
New Urbanism, Cheap Money, and the Road Ahead
James Howard Kunstler uses his time at the Congress for the New Urbanism to reflect on the road the New Urbanists have taken, the opposition they've faced, and the bubble financing that made it all possible.
BLOG POST
Planning Papers and Reports: Some Tips for Students
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>For most planning programs in the U.S. this is the end of the semester. Having read literally hundreds of papers over the past few months I have reflected on the lessons of better papers for writing in planning.</span></p>
Maslow and Transit
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs basically says that some needs supercede others. Jarrett Walker argues that the need for speed on transit ranks significantly higher than placemaking, fun and other "self-actualizing" concerns.
iPhone App Brings Art to the Streets
A new App from the Museum of London uses geo tagging and Google Maps to identify locations seen in their artwork, giving users the ability to see how the historic site used to look.
Best Connected Cities
Metrics provider Ookla rates the cities in the U.S. and around the world on the speed of their internet connection. No.1, no surprise, is San Jose, CA. No. 2?
Fighting High-Speed Rail With Lunch Boxes?
Taiwan's North-South high-speed rail line has attracted a lot of customers away from a traditional commuter rail line. The traditional line is playing the nostalgia card by bringing out old-fashioned railway box lunches.
Least Favorite Transit Commuters
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rider calls out her least favorite fellow commuters, from inconsiderate people in the handicapped spots to the person munching their fries while everyone is headed home and hungry.
Do You Have $600 Billion For A New Transportation Bill?
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood is taped while speaking at a community meeting in Manhattan's Chinatown expressing enthusiasm for 'tolling', though it's not clear what roads or bridges would be tolled, which was clarified in a subsequent email.
Blind Eyes on the Street
Philip Kennicott decries the growing number of "windows" in new buildings that are covered from the beginning with advertisements, eliminating their usefulness as "eyes on the street."
The Kinetic City
Mumbai architect and MIT Professor of Architecture Rahul Mehrotra says that Mumbai is misunderstood as two distinct areas, the "formal" and "informal" city, instead of as a "kinetic" model.
Are San Francisco Planners Going Too Far?
Architects in San Francisco say that the Planning Department has gotten increasingly involved in design decisions over the past two years, favoring traditional projects over contemporary designs.
Richard Florida Calls for a "Spatial Fix" in Toronto
Richard Florida says that his city of Toronto needs to implement some real, physical changes to inspire economic recovery.
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.
