The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Boxcars Getting in the Way of High-Speed Rail
In Chicago, plans to make passenger and commuter trains faster are limited by the freight trains that share the tracks. The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) is working to improve that relationship.
Historic Preservation vs. Revitalization?
In Willmar, Minnesota, city officials were not pleased when a mandated environmental review concluded that the 68-year old airport building they wanted to demolish was historically significant.
Streetcars: Old is New Again in Rockford
Rockford, Illinois used to have a system of streetcars, interurban rail and long-distance passenger trains like many cities. Planners now say the time is right to consider rebuilding.
Rivers Reworked in South Korea
South Korean officials have begun work on a $19.2 billion effort to remake the country's four largest rivers. The project would slightly reshape the rivers and add towns and bike trails to their waterfronts.
Is Riding Transit Necessarily Better For The Environment Than Driving?
In the third of a 5-part "Rethinking Green" series, the National Post casts doubt on public transit's ability to reduce global warming while praising driving; applying similar scrutiny to recycling and aquaculture in the first and second installments
U.S. Megaprojects Are Not in the U.S.
Some say the age of mega infrastructure projects is over in the U.S., but this piece from <em>Foreign Policy</em> argues the U.S. megaproject lives on -- just not inside the U.S.
3D Motown
The team at Google has released a 3D model of Detroit.
Land Use and Medical Marijuana
Like many cities in California, San Diego is struggling to form a policy around the booming medical marijuana dispensaries that have popped up around the city. The first place they're starting is with land use restrictions.
Green Retrofits Required in New York City
The New York City Council has passed a suite of bills hat require green retrofits on the city's buildings.
Old Buildings See New Life As Schools
School officials in the UK are increasingly looking at old office buildings and other existing facilities that can be converted into school houses more affordably than building from scratch.
Ancient Irrigators
Irrigation canals dating back to the year 1200 B.C. were discovered in Arizona this year, answering a long-asked question about how natives were able to farm the arid land.
Banning the Cul-de-Sac and Building Bike Highways
From bicycle highways to a ban on the cul-de-sac, the built environment is the focus of many of <em>The New York Times Magazine</em>'s ideas of the year.
Austin Limits Home Sizes
In 2006, Austin, Texas established rules limiting the size of homes in the central city for reasons of historic character. Residents of South Austin may soon face similar restrictions.
Regionalism is Alive in Pittsburgh
Some say the greater Pittsburgh area needs to think more "regionally". This piece from <em>Pop City</em> argues it already is.
The Role of City Parks in Creating Climate Friendly Communities
Parks and trails can be used to create low carbon cities.
BLOG POST
Two Separate Problems
<p> Conventional wisdom dictates that middle-class families would find urban schools more tempting if we only “fixed the schools”- a concept that implies that urban public schools are simply unable to educate anyone, because they are either horribly underfunded (in the liberal version of this claim) or horribly mismanaged (in the conservative version). </p>
The Detritus of Dead Malls
Photographer Brian Ulrich has been taking pictures of dead mall and big-box retail across the country. The Morning News presents a photo gallery of his work.
Bus vs. Rail: An Oversimplified Comparison
Most comparisons of bus and rail systems assume a classic city with a central business district that commuters need to reach, and that each serve a single function, say Jeffrey R. Brown and Gregory R. Thompson of Florida State.
Cell Towers May Rise in Austin Parks
Parks officials in Austin, Texas are considering a plan that would allow cell phone companies to lease space within the city's parks where they could build cellular communication towers.
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.
