The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
So Long To L.A.'s Freeways?
<p>After recently losing out on federal dollars due to a lack of congestion pricing plans, local transportation officials have overcome their reluctance for "Lexus Lanes" and agreed to begin planning for tolls.</p>
Foundation Makes $1.56 Million Investment In Complete Streets to Improve Community
<p>The Harvest Foundation seeks to revitalize the Southern Virginia community of Martinsville/Henry County by making it a haven for bicycling, walking, and better growth.</p>
Climate Change Increasing Infrastructure Maintenance Cost In Alaska
<p>A study calculates the growing cost of maintaining Alaska's infrastructure as a result of global warming.</p>
Suburban Richmond Wrestles With 'Smart' Growth?
<p>Chesterfield County's bucolic way of life is threatened by the arrival of new suburban subdivisions, which residents challenge don't meet the test of smart growth.</p>
Man Recieves First 'Mississippi Cottage'
<p>David Biggs, a lifelong resident of Moss Point, Mississippi, is overjoyed with his new modular cottage, a marked improvement over FEMA trailers.</p>
Friday Funny: Vicious, Intractable Neighborhood Development War Inspires Mirth
<p>Think your neighborhood disputes are rancorous? With ample swearing, <em>The Onion</em> pokes diabolical fun at NIMBYism and "short-sighted, profit-oriented renewal."</p>
Computer Model To Predict Crowd Behavior In Cities
<p>A computer model may be able to assist city planners, public safety officials, and researchers in exploring individual pedestrian and crowd behavior in urban spaces.</p>
Why Does The U.S. Lag Behind On High-Speed Rail?
<p>There are good reasons why the U.S. hasn't built a high-speed rail network. But there are just as many, if not more, good reasons why it should.</p>
While U.S. Grows, Historic Cities Shrink
<p>Of the 20 largest U.S. cities in 1950, all but 4 have lost residents -- a trend the emphasizes the American populations migration to the suburbs of the South and West.</p>
BLOG POST
EcoDensity Transforming the Density Discussion – Part 1
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">By North-American standards, Vancouver is already a density-friendly city, relatively speaking. Although we've had our share of density related brawls and debates over the decades, by comparison to the wars fought in other cities, the "D-Word" gets a better reception here than in most places.
The University of Michigan's Solar Home
<p>The MiSo is a prototype zero emission modular house developed at the University of Michigan. While still in early phases, the school hopes to develop the homes into a commercial venture.</p>
Baltimore Seeks A New Street Vision
<p>Planners and officials in Baltimore are looking to recreate one of the city's major streets as a vibrant tourist and retail area. But opinions differ on how to do it and where to look for examples.</p>
Downtown Malling Continues To Haunt Some Cities
<p>The Silicon Valley cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale are alike in many ways. But their downtowns offer a study in contrasts because of land use decisions made 30 years ago.</p>
Is Ozone The Issue?
<p>New ozone standards will push the majority of American metropolises from compliance with to violation of the federal Clean Air Act. In this column, Joel Schwartz argues that ozone isn't the big problem.</p>
Preserving Marley's Government Yard In Trenchtown
<p>The public housing project where reggae legend Bob Marley lived is being re-envisioned as a historic site and tourist area. But high crime in the depressed neighborhood poses a challenge to dreams of a tourist-friendly shrine to Marley.</p>
Rail Expansion Gives City A Chance For Rebirth
<p>New development spurred by rail expansion is setting Washington D.C.-adjacent Tysons Corner, Virginia, on what many see as a fast-track to revitalization.</p>
Creating Market Incentives For Wetlands Restoration
<p>By creating market incentives for wetlands restoration, the Wetlands Initiative project aims to clean water, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce greenhouse gases.</p>
Private Philanthropists Funding Recovery In New Orleans
<p>State and federal funding is slowly feeding the recovery of New Orleans, while private foundations and philanthropies are playing an active role in supporting the city's rebuilding. However, much of this money is going to middle-class neighborhoods.</p>
BLOG POST
City of the Future: Houston?
<p>Thanks to Planetizen, I found <a href="http://www.joelkotkin.com/Urban_Affairs/GHP101_Greater_Houston_5_22_07_1007am.pdf" target="_blank">“Opportunity Urbanism,”</a> a report that posits Houston as “an emerging paradigm for the 21st century.” (There's a related op-ed <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/25284" target="_blank">here</a>.) The report, regrettably, is a manifesto as empty as the title -- which Kotkin clearly hopes will become a catchphrase. So why is it important? </p>
Geologists Warn Major Development Project Could Endanger Galveston
<p>Plan for 4,000 new homes and two hotels could threaten Galveston, TX, which was hit by the deadliest hurricane in American history.</p>
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
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.
