The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Do You Walmart?
Saying "no" to Walmart does not remove the wants and needs they exist to serve. If you want a more locally-oriented community, you need a more local-friendly system, says Scott Doyon.
D.C. Debates How to Clean its Storm Water
The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority wants to revise a settlement reached eight years ago with environmental groups that would have seen the agency build three huge tunnels to manage storm water runoff. The Authority would like to build green systems.
Opening the Atlantic Coast for Offshore Wind Farms
The U.S. Department of the Interior has cleared the way for what could become the first offshore wind projects in the country. Next year, lease sales will be offered on 278,00 acres of land off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia.
Supreme Court to Decide Who's Responsible for Storm Water Pollution
A case over "who can be held responsible for polluted storm water that runs off city streets and into rivers and bays" is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow. The court's ruling on the Los Angeles case could have far-reaching impacts.
CA Searches for Investors for its High-Speed Rail
James Nash reports that Gov. Jerry Brown is turning to the $6 trillion market in sovereign wealth funds, pensions, and endowments to help fill the $55 billion gap between the project's total cost and what state bonds and federal grants will cover.
Ranking North America's Smartest Cities
For those of you who've been anxiously waiting since Boyd Cohen published his list of Europe's smartest cities last month...wait no longer, North America's top 10 smartest cities have been revealed.
Carbon Emissions Set New Record, No End in Sight
Two new scientific papers report that global carbon dioxide emissions set a record high in 2011. With no coordinated effort underway to curb them, researchers believe crossing the 2 degree Celsius threshold for the worst impacts may be inevitable.
The Most Expensive Family Housing in the USA
No other place even comes close for values of 4 bedroom, 2 bath single family homes. Five of the six priciest cities in the U.S. are located in Silicon Valley, with median home values ranging from $1.44 million to $1.7 million for #1 ranked Los Altos
Extra, Extra: LA Has a Dense Urban Center
Award-winning research conducted by University of Southern California graduate Samuel Krueger shows that Los Angeles really does have a gooey chocolate - whoops...dense, urban center.
What's the True Cost of America's Tax Incentive Folly?
The Times delves deep into the financial incentives that cities, counties, and states dole out to corporations to lure jobs and economic development to their corner of the country. Just what does the $80 billion spent each year actually buy?
After the Shard, London's Skyline Gets Shafted
"There is no nice way of putting this, but the skyline of London is being screwed," says Guardian architecture critic Rowan Moore. In an approvals process that runs roughshod over the concerns of the public, only developer egos are being served.
Pew Research Reports U.S. Baby Bust
The U.S. birth rate is now at the lowest recorded level ever - or at least since record-keeping began in 1920. Births were increasing but plunged after the 2007 recession. The biggest decrease is among immigrant groups, particularly Mexican women.
D.C. Updates its Zoning Code to the Delight of Some, and Horror of Others
Washington D.C. is embarking on the first update to its zoning code since 1958. In advance of consideration by the city's Zoning Commission next spring, controversy has erupted around - you guessed it - parking!
Stunning Videos Of Public Transit Patterns
Data visualizations show the daily ebb and flow of public transit traffic in world's major cities.
Will Minneapolis Finally Get its Signature Park?
Could the nascent plan for Gateway Park satiate Minneapolitans suffering from downtown park envy?
Learning from Barcelona
Planetizen blogger Brent Toderian returns from a recent trip to Barcelona with six ideas every city should steal from the Catalonian capital.
Why NYC's Most Exciting Architecture Can be Found Hanging on Walls
Planning a trip to NYC over the holidays? In a recent editorial, William Menking argues that “for visitors to New York, the place to look for the most exciting architectural ideas is not the city streets, but the walls of galleries and museums.”
London Looks to Get Its Cycling Revolution Back Into Gear
According to Chris Peck, “Better cycling infrastructure, an enforced road traffic law and a reduction in the space available to motor traffic are all required to get cycling growing again in London.”
MTA Disaster Aid Request: Appropriate or Overreach?
This week, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority made public its request for $5 billion in federal aid to rebuild what was damaged during Superstorm Sandy. But a look at the details reveals an ambitious agenda for improvements.
Charting a 'Two-Speed' World
Derek Thompson discusses the findings of a new study from the Brookings Institution that ranks the world's 300 biggest cities by GDP and job growth over the past year. Put simply, China is growing and Europe is slowing.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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.
