The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Wal-Mart's Plans First New York City Store
Small businesses, union leaders, and even some mayoral candidates gear up to resist Wal-Mart's plans open its first New York City store.
Why Do Fish & Wildlife Scientists Hate America?
Fish & Wildlife Service scientists report political pressure, distortion.
Does New Urbanism Create Crime-Friendly Neighborhoods?
Stephen Town and Randal O'Toole argue that in the name of "openness" New Urbanists are creating crime-friendly neighborhoods.
Building On Manhattan's Most Important Site
The Super Bowl is over, but the big game -- a contest for the right tobuild on one of Manhattan's most important sites -- is heating up.
Think Small To Address Big Environmental Problems
Nanoparticles are emerging as a cost effective method to attack some of the most vexing underground pollutants.
First Suburbs Are Feeling The Urban Core's Pain
Cleveland's older suburbs hope to fight new projects that will drain more people from the aging suburbs.
Cyclists' Critical Mass
A mayoral candidate rides with a controversial cyclists rights group during a monthly protest event.
Benefits Of A Smaller Population
It may be true that aging slows down an economy, but not necessarily, some economists say.
Former Gov. Wilson Heads New Economic Devt. Center
Former California Gov. Pete Wilson will oversee a Center for Economic Development set up by the L.A. County Economic Development Corp.
BLOG POST
Celebrate Good Times: Come On!
Interesting assessment on Slate today (<a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2113107/">here</a>) of the Disney-developed planned community Celebration. It's from their architecture critic, the always-readable Witold Rybczynski, who likes the town more than a cynic might expect (though he does go for the inevitable Main-Street-at-Disneyland lead). His main complaint: it's too damn popular:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Like all American real-estate ventures since colonial days, it's a mixture of vision, business, and blarney. The design and planning are an order of magnitude better than what is usual in planned communities. If there is a trickle-down effect—and the financial success of Celebration has not gone unnoticed by commercial homebuilders—Celebration may push developers in the direction of denser, more varied, and better designed suburban communities, which will be a good thing. But Celebration is hardly the model for the future that Disney intended. A four-bedroom house on a small lot—like the relatively modest Craftsman-style Bungalow pictured here, hardly a McMansion—now sells for $450,000. This is more than three times the average selling price of houses in metropolitan areas nationwide, which is currently $140,000, making Celebration the residential equivalent of a Lexus. The truth is that despite its best efforts, the populist Disney Co. has produced an elitist product.</blockquote>
Interpreting Celebration, A Decade Later
Slate's architecture critic looks at Celebration -- Disney's controversial town -- as it celebrates it's 10-year anniversary.
Free Land: Rural America's New Development Strategy
A new movement to keep the Great Plains from emptying is gaining momentum.
Designating The Urban Interstates
The urban Interstates are sometimes blamed for the same problems they were designed to solve. A new article focuses on how the urban Interstates were selected.
Grassroots Groups Target Noise
Serenity is becoming more elusive as rural land is developed and densities rise; noise ordinances are being reconsidered.
Creating Sustainable Cities, One Neighborhood At A Time
NY Professor to make the case for sustainable cities at an annual conference in Melbourne Australia.
Megapolis Launches Major Demolition Initiative
In Mumbai, India, slums are being demolished without planning for alternative housing.
Incentivizing Population Increases
Anxious over declining population, Italy pays citizens to have children.
BLOG POST
Dept. of Labor's Open Source Content Management System
An article by Shane Petersen in the publication <em>Government Technology<br /> </em> provides an update on <a href="http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php?channel=17&id=93014">how government agencies are using Open Source Software</a> (OSS). <br /> <br /> <blockquote>OSS has finally achieved an aura of legitimacy, paving the way for government agencies to pursue higher levels of OSS integration...OSS has moved from fringe applications to core business functions because more enterprises now trust its stability. </blockquote>
Cities Urged to Place Fees on Plastics
San Francisco is the first city to consider joining a new grassroots campaign against plastics.
Cities And The Creative Class, Kotkin And Florida
Why Richard Florida's creative class is about grassroots innovation, not symphony halls or "latte-sipping hipsters."
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
