The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Scraper Bikes: Urban and Internet Phenomenon
Scraper bikes, tricked-out bicycles adopted from scraper cars (with wheels so big they scrape the inside of the wheel well), have become increasingly popular among carless teens in Oakland, CA.
Planning for NYC's Seniors
A predicted upsurge of seniors living in New York City within the next 20 years poses new challenges for the city. According to a report by the New York Academy of Medicine, however, good design and planning may be part of the solution.
Cheap Sicilian Villas, Some Strings Attached
In Salemi, Italy, 3000 villas ravaged in a 1968 earthquake are now on the market for about U.S.$1.41. However, interested buyers must adhere to a number of stipulations, including a two-year deadline for development.
Loan Program Brings Independent Grocery Stores to Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) has provided $42 million in grants and loans to finance 58 locally-owned grocery stores, combating fresh grocery shortages in areas of rural and urban Pennsylvania.
The Future Of The Car Is The Present
GM will soon unveil its SUV of the future – the 'plug-in' hybrid known as the Volt. Mitsubishi's new mini, all-electric car will soon go to market in Japan. The days of the gas-powered car are numbered- or are they?
Baghdad's Troubling Real Estate Resurgence
Property values are up in Iraq's capital, but realtors there point out that sectarian divisions are the main reason why certain areas have become desirable.
Art, Beauty and Land Use in Detroit
Arts and Culture editor Rebecca Mazzei looks at public art - both official and unofficial - across the landscape of Detroit, and advocates for a bold new public art fund for the city.
Texas Coastlines May Remain Unbuilt
In parts of Texas, state officials and local communities are in a tug-of-war over post-Ike coastline rebuilding efforts.
Going Solar in Berkeley
Berkeley, CA has just launched a loan program for property owners who wish to install solar panels on their roofs. Despite a frail economy, the city council is optimistic about the program's success.
The 'Third Place' Corner Store
Convenience stores in lower income neighborhoods are notorious for their unsightliness and for carrying unhealthful foods. This article highlights one project that aims to help the corner store evolve into a healthy, community-oriented place.
Can Technology Keep Aging Drivers Safe?
A new report looks at what cities and automobile manufacturers can do to help keep the growing population of older drivers behind the wheel.
Battle in SF Over the Meaning of the Word 'Meal'
In order to get more retailers to set up shop in one San Francisco neighborhood, the definition of "meal" must be established to keep out new places that can't serve one.
Disabled Protesters Take On HUD
About 500 disabled Americans have erected a tent city just outside of HUD's Washington, DC office. The group has staged the sit-in to protest housing costs that cannot be met with the incomes of many disabled citizens.
Big Boxes Heading Downtown
With growth controls making suburban properties less attractive and wealth becoming concentrated in older centres, Canada's big box retailers are looking downtown for new locations.
Location Efficiency and the Metric of Affordability
On this episode of <em>Smart City</em>, Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology discusses the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index.
Beautification Not Enough to Create Italy in Inverness
Using Milan as a model, Inverness, Scotland has lofty plans for its Old Town. To achieve them, asserts one local historian, the city must get creative--and more optimistic--in meetings its challenges.
Expanding HUD's Definition of Homelessness
Congress is in the midst of discussing whether or not more people ought to be eligible for homeless services. But without any additional funding to go with it, some argue that a broadened definition of homelessness may be unrealistic.
A Grand Public Space in Indianapolis
Civic leaders in Indianapolis are considering closing Monument Circle to traffic. Says one, "From a European perspective, this could be one of the great public spaces in America."
Reality TV-Style Competition Meets Landscape Architecture
Three teams of landscape architects were given 24 hrs. to develop a master plan for the growing Michigan town of New Buffalo.
BLOG POST
My Pre-Professional Paradigm Shift
<p> More than anything, I remember laughing at them. While I, as a bright-eyed undergrad, woke up at 11 to enjoy my very liberal arts classes in everything from gerontology to the physics of music, the business students would trudge out the door in suits and ties. For class. In late-summer Philly humidity. Eighteen years old and already soulless pre-professional slaves. </p> <p> Poor bastards, I thought. </p> <p> Now that I’m in graduate school, two things keep the schadenfreude at bay as Wall Street drowns in its own excesses. One, karma’s a bitch. And two, as a soon-to-be planner, I’m quickly realizing I’ve become one of them. </p>
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.
