The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Well-built Architecture Requires A Sophisticated Construction Industry
For years America's building culture has only been concerned with the bottom line, but foreign architects designing high-profile projects for the North American market demand higher standards.
Salt Lake City Redevelopment Project Approved
Capitol Hill project is finally given go-aheadby Historic Landmarks Commission to raze run-down structures for new neighborhood multiple use project.
How A New Yorker Grew To Love L.A.
New York native Sam Hall Kaplan sums up his "25 years writing about architecture and urban design in L.A. in a New York minute."
New York: Undeterred By Terror Threats
Despite terror threats, New York City keeps building.
Parking Lot Design That Is Kind To Pedestrians
All too often parking is treated as a leftover -- essential, but not worthy of good design. A little thought can make a huge difference, writes columnist Whitney Gould.
It's The Sidewalks, Stupid
An editorial calls on planners to remember pedestrians and focus on the basics.
Lifestyle Focus: Every Force Evolves A Center
As the suburbs have developed into new exurban modes, there remains nostalgia for the old town-center grid. Lifestyle centers seem to be an expression of that sentiment.
Where's The Beef?
Blair Kamin reviews the new design for a landmark McDonald's in Chicago.
The Problem With Tax Incentives
Phoenix Mayor, Phil Gordon, explains why tax incentives for retailers is a poor public investment strategy.
More Single Women Becoming Homeowners
According to the National Association of Realtors, more single women are buying homes.
L.A. Selects N.Y. Developer For Downtown Centerpiece
The Related Cos. of New York-based has been selected to create the $1.2-billion centerpiece on Grand Ave. in downtown L.A.
The Cost Of Sprawl
Readers interview Gerrit KnaapExecutive Director, National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Maryland.
The New Environmentalism: Follow The Money
Randy Hayes of the Rainforest Action Network champions the environment by challenging corporations. Welcome to Hayes' 500-year plan.
Smart Growth: A Disconnect Between Planners And People
While planners recommend denser development, people choose the opposite. Is "smart growth" inconsistent with the American Dream?
Providence Nation's Least Sprawling Metro Area
Wendell Cox adjusts the Smart Growth American sprawl index for errors and concludes that Providence is the nation's least sprawling metro area and Colorado Springs sprawls less than Portland.
TEA Reauthorization Places Public Transit Alternatives At Risk
"In a climate of record level oil prices, a bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee just before Congress recessed for the party conventions would substantially curtail travel options for the public."
When Schools Can't Keep Up With Development
Atlanta is spending $543 million for new school construction -- and still not keeping up with its sprawling subdivisions.
BLOG POST
Open Source In Government
An article in the Los Angeles Times takes a look at how local and national government agencies around the world are increasing adopting Open Source Software (OSS). (See: "<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-linux9aug09,1,1269720.story">Developing Nations See Linux as a Savior From Microsoft's Grip</a>" [Reg. reqd], Los Angeles Time, page A4, Aug 9th, 2004) . According to the article: <br /> <blockquote><br /> "Government-driven movements to shift to free or low-cost software � fed by security, economic and ideological concerns -- threaten to dent Microsoft's ambitions. In fact, government officials the world over, from local authorities in Austria's capital to high-ranking national bureaucrats in India, are increasingly moving from proprietary software such as Microsoft's to open-source products."<br /> </blockquote>
Rail Considered For Critical NYC Link
Plans for upgrading a critical but aging Hudson River bridge could include a passenger rail link.
Developing Workforce Housing In Los Angeles
Livable Places has developed a brief paper that de-mystifies the current dynamics of the housing market in Los Angeles.
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.
