The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Road Closures, Pedestrianization Key to Successful Urbanization
Chris Turner looks at successful car-free pedestrianization and bicycle planning in Copenhagen and Melbourne and wonders why Canada's sprawling, frigid cities can't adopt these ideas as well.
A Way Out of the Housing Mess?
Joseph Nocera reports on a proposal to rescue homeowners that lets people live in their homes, and doesn't require any government money.
Home Prices Expected to Keep Falling
Home prices are falling across the country, but there are signs that they're not done falling yet.
Property Rights Redux
Roy Gothie, a planner for the Maryland State Highway Administration, argues that 'only a societal decision to redefine an individual's rights regarding property can restore [Chesapeake Bay].'
Le Corbusier's Baghdad Sports Complex Revealed
In the mid-1900s architect Le Corbusier designed a grand sports complex for Baghdad as part of the city's bid for the 1960 Olympics. That bid failed and the project was never built. Now, original drawings and designs are on display.
EPA Failing to Control Urban Runoff
The Environmental Protection Agency has not done enough to control pollution from stormwater runoff in urban areas, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences.
FEATURE
When Financial Bridges Fail
Martin H. Krieger compares the lack of oversight involved in today's financial crisis with the transparency and responsibility involved in making bridges.
Climate Protection Jeopardized By Financial Crisis & Recession
The worldwide credit crisis will affect the ability of the developed world to tackle climate change. Businesses in Europe and U.S. are asking for delays in meeting emission reductions mandates notwithstanding the drop in oil prices.
Are Libertarians Socially Conservative on Land Use?
Bill Fulton thinks so, calling them to task for speaking out against density in Orange County when, he says, the market demand is evident.
Amtrak Reauthorization & Safety Bill Signed
Two weeks after Congress passed HR 2095, Bush signed this bill to double Amtrak funding and mandate safety technology to prevent Metrolink-like crashes. It may be a precursor to greatly expanded transit spending in the next administration.
Report from the Congress For European Urbanism
Faith Cable reports on the CEU's 3rd annual conference, held in Oslo, Norway, which addressed cities and their ability to address climate change through urban design.
New Urbanism Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
New Urban News reports that even as housing costs plummet and construction is halted on single-family homes across the country, traditional neighborhood developments and TODs are thriving.
Senegal Builds New Airport, Ignores Dakar's Slums
Patrick Smith believes that Senegal's ambitious new airport is not only unnecessary, but in light of the country's massive poverty and environmental problems, actually "obscene."
Want Smart Growth? Break Out the Carrots and Sticks
To paraphrase B.F. Skinner, if you want positive behavior, either reward it in return, or remove something unpleasant in response; to paraphrase R. Steuteville's commentary, if we want a green economy, we need to do the same thing with development.
Which Cities Stretch Dollars The Farthest?
Texas cities top a ranking by Forbes of where your dollar goes the farthest. Affordable housing and promising job prospects made a big difference.
Tesla Laying Off Employees and Delaying All-Electric Sedan
Electric car start-up in Silicon Valley said Wednesday that it would lay off employees and delay production of its second car, the Model S, until 2011.
Camping in Public Parks Allowed in British Columbia
A supreme court judge in British Columbia has ruled that homeless people can legally camp on public property such as parks.
Chilling in Honolulu
Honolulu is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to use deep seawater as a natural air conditioning for downtown buildings. The system should be in place for up to 40 clients by 2010.
Friday Funny: Divorcing Couple Cut House in Two
40 years of marriage was apparently too many, as a man in Cambodia cut his home in two, moving his half to his parents' property.
Best Cities To Live in During a Recession
Business Week looks for the most recession-proof cities, using as their main criteria an abundance of jobs in stable industries like government, health care, and education.
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.
