The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
From Grimy to Green
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has unveiled plans to turn an industrial parcel of land near downtown into "the global capital of clean technology."
Take a Test Run on Heathrow's PRT
Heathrow Airport's Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system is shaping up. Here is an insider's look at how this proof-of-concept system is coming together.
Making Do with Shrunken Cities
Population shrinkage in cities like Flint, Michigan can be the perfect opportunity to employ 'smart decline' to make such cities denser and more livable.
Metro Seattle Struggling with Foreclosures
Foreclosures are skyrocketing in metropolitan Seattle, where some areas have seen figures triple as compared to recent years.
3 Out Of 10 'Best Cities in the World' Are Swiss
The 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey is dominated by Swiss, German and Austrian cities, while Vancouver hangs on to fourth place, the only city in the Americas to crack the top 10.
Regional Transportation Master Plan for Tampa Released
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority has released its Draft Regional Transportation Master Plan. The plan calls for hundreds of miles of new LRT and commuter rail lines and a massive increase in local bus networks.
CA's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Regulation Is Approved
CA's Air Resources Board approved another 'first' - a low carbon fuel standard that will play a key role in meeting the state's aggressive climate action plan by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. Winners and losers are created.
Australian Province Considers Free Transit
The government of New South Wales is considering a plan to remove fares for public transit.
Architects and Planners Collaborate in Second Life
Linden Labs, creator of Second Life, has awarded a Linden Prize to Studio Wikitecture for their WikiTree project. The online collaboration uses the virtual world "to harness a groups collective intelligence in designing architecture."
100,000 Playgrounds
Advocacy group KaBOOM have launched a campaign to map play places across the U.S. called 100,000 Playspaces in 100 Days. The goal is to create a useful tool for planners for evaluating networks of parks and recreation.
Creating a 'Smart' Grid Will Be a Challenge
Creating a "smart" grid to better handle the nation's electricity sounds like a great idea, but the job's going to be a tough -- and expensive.
Oregon Eyes a Tight Water Future
The municipal demand for water in Oregon is expected to increase by more than 61% by 2050, and many policymakers there are trying to figure out how to meet that growing demand.
Future Scotland: Debating the Built Environment
The Lighthouse Centre for Architecture and Design in Glasgow stirred up a series of debates to talk about the future of Scotland's built environment.
Philly Suburbs Get Smart Growth Funding
Last week, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission handed out funds to Philadelphia counties to improve transportation and land use planning in growing suburbs.
BLOG POST
Tips on Gainful Unemployment for New Planners
In the United States the stimulus package will eventually kick in to create jobs for planners—in housing, transportation, design and such. However, in upcoming months students graduating from planning schools face a situation they typically had not planned on—where unemployment is relatively high and employers are hesitant about taking on new people. As I have been pointing out to my students, this is not the first time in the history of the world that such a situation has occurred. The following tips draw on my own observations of successful strategies for weathering such downturns.
Common Ground Found For New Urbanists and the Disabled
Disability-rights activists have criticized New Urbanists for raising entrances above ground level, which hampers accessibility. The 'Lifelong Communities' charrette in Atlanta found the two groups mending ways.
Russia Plans Bridge to Nowhere
The Russian government is building a 2-mile bridge from Vladivostok to a tiny island in preparation for the 2012 Asia Pacific Economic Summit. Many in the country say the $1 billion plan is a waste of money and a bridge to nowhere.
Bay Area Adopts Regional Transportation Plan
On Earth Day, the Bay Area's MPO- the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, formally adopted their Regional Transportation Plan that includes a controversial 800-mile High Occupancy Toll lane network that is dependent on the passage of legislation.
Dreaming the Green Home of Tomorrow
The Wall Street Journal asked four architects (including William MacDonough and Steve Mouzon) to design an energy-efficient, sustainable house of the future. The results are in, and couldn't be more different.
Assessing Place Change in the UK
This series from the BBC looks at how the UK's cities have changed over the last few decades, and what the lasting impact is of the billions spent for community redevelopment.
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.
