The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BLOG POST
Defining the Planning Skill Set: Resources for Students
<p class="MsoNormal"> At the beginning of semester students are signing up for classes and planning their degrees. Lately, a question I have been asked quite frequently is which classes will make new planners most employable? Students ask if computer aided design or GIS will be key. However, surveys of planning practitioners show that a far more basic set of skills is important—skills in communication, information analysis and synthesis, political savvy, and basic workplace competencies and attitudes. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Below, I highlight three of these studies from across three decades: </p>
Cities Seek To Reclaim Streets
American cities are increasingly making moves to reclaim their streets. In this column, Neal Peirce looks into the trend.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Three Years On
Jason Miller reports how coastal Mississippi cities and towns are moving post-Katrina plans and ideas towards implementation.
Shanghai's Smear Campaign on Jaywalkers
In an effort to dissuade jaywalking, police in Shanghai are planning to publish pictures and videos of jaywalkers in newspapers and local TV to shame offenders.
'It's A Little Like Add Water, Instant Neighborhood'
...so says one resident of Atlanta's Inman Park neighborhood, which has gone from deserted industrial buildings to dense, urban community in four years.
Corbusier's Chandigarh Up for Preservation
A favorite target of planners, Corbusier's radical design for Chandigarh in India is being considered by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
Boston's Largest Property Owner Going Green
Equity Office Properties Trust is undertaking major green renovations for its Boston properties, citing fiscal benefits as the impetus. When complete, the work will likely serve as a model for the Company's holdings across the country.
Learning from Katrina, Three Years Later
Three years later, Hurricane Katrina has had lasting effects on New Orleans. It's also taught America some lessons about how to react to natural disasters -- and how not to.
Friday Funny: SeXXXercise Thwarted
The ACLU is helping a woman in Pittsburgh sue the city for violating her right of free expression. The city denied her occupancy permit to open a pole-dancing studio, teaching classes in "power lap dance" and "seXXXercise".
Friday Funny: The $1.01 Store?
The 99 Cents Only chain is facing a dilemma- with inflation and rising food costs, they're running out of things they can sell for only 99 cents.
'Sustainability Toolbar' Released for Google Sketchup
Integrated Environmental Solutions is releasing a free plug-in for Google's SketchUp software that allows users to run sustainability performance simulations.
Calculating Your 'Water Footprint'
Your morning cup of joe - all things considered - takes 140 liters of water to make. A new study reveals the true cost in water usage for crops and cultures.
Railroads Gaining Ground
Rail freight providers are ramping up as the cost of transporting a shipping container by truck becomes prohibitive.
Not In My Back... Balcony?
Despite it's inherent legality, lit signage atop a high-rise condominium in downtown Miami is causing many a neighbor to complain.
Stadiums Don't Pay
InTransition Magazine talks to Rick Eckstein, author of <em>Public Dollars, Private Stadiums: The Battle over Building Sports Stadiums</em> about why stadiums fail to fulfill their promises of economic revitalization.
Room for Public Art in Louisville?
In 2006, the city of Louisville set up a wall where graffiti artists were allowed to paint. But when the art started offending neighbors and officials, the wall was shut down. This article wonders if there's room for more public art in Louisville.
New Port Plans Moving Forward in Mexico
Mexico is moving forward with plans to construct a large international shipping port in Baja California -- an attempt to rival the Los Angeles-Long Beach port powerhouse.
Future Unknown For Famous But Damaged Tomb
The Tomb of the Unknowns, a 70-year-old marble monument in Arlington National Cemetery, is showing its age. With cracks and damage, some are calling on officials to make repairs, but others say it's time for a new tomb.
As Infrastructure Crumbles, Investors See Opportunity
Burned in so many different markets, private investors are now looking at city infrastructure as a safe bet.
BLOG POST
Culs-de-Sac and Grids: A Middle Ground (Or Two, Or Three)
<p> Smart growth supporters tend to prefer grid systems to cul-de-sacs, for excellent reasons. A proliferation of cul-de-sacs artificially lengthens walking distances: if streets don’t connect to each other, you might have to walk a mile to go just a few hundred feet. In addition, cul-de-sacs increase traffic congestion by dumping most vehicular traffic on a few major streets. And because biking is less safe on busy, high-traffic streets, bikers benefit from a grid system as well. </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.
