The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Studying the Surprising Correlation Between Big-Box Stores and Hate Groups
Emily Badger reports on an intriguing new study that shows big-box stores may be even more closely correlated with the presence of hate groups than many of the factors that have long been used to explain them.
Scoring Your Walkability
For the third installment of his series on America's pedestrian problem, Tom Vanderbilt profiles Walk Score, the venerable walkability website and evaluation system.
Car-free in L.A.: It's Not as Tough as it Sounds
If you happen to find yourself in LA anytime soon, for a conference perhaps, Alissa Walker explores Nathan Landau's new book, "Car-Free Los Angeles and Southern California", which provides a wonderful guide to enjoying the city without using a car.
What is Gained When Sprawl Goes For Green Credentials?
Angie Schmitt looks at the greenwash being applied to new sprawl developments in Ohio, Indiana, and Texas as developers market to consumer preferences for more walkable urban environments.
Organizing CicLAvia: An Experience of Public Space in Los Angeles
Days before the American Planning Association's national convention, CicLAvia's Aaron Paley describes the event's origins and evolution and explains how an open streets event in Los Angeles can transform one's sense of public space and the city.
Friday Funny: Preparing for the Zombie Apocolypse
Looking for a leg up on the walking undead in preparation for the coming Zombie wars? Map of the Dead from Doejo, may be just what you're looking for, writes Roberto Baldwin
Study Links Childhood Obesity to Walkability and Access to Healthy Food
A new study conducted by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute looks at how zip code is as important as genetic code in determining childhood obesity.
Berlin to Open the Anti-Tivoli
An amusement park in East Berlin, abandoned for the past 11 years, will be reopened this year as a haven for public art, writes Julie Ma.
BLOG POST
City Planning LOLCATS
<p> APA’s <a href="http://www.planning.org/conference/program/search/activity.htm?ActivityID=157536" target="_blank">Fast, Funny, and Passionate</a> sessions at the national American Planning Association conferences are designed to entertain and educate. I’m serving as the moderator and a speaker at the Sunday morning session. My talk is called “Pin, Post, and Push to Promote Planning.” The purpose is to share lessons about how planners can use social media to promote planning. <br />
On its 100th Opening Day, Remembering Fenway Park's Near Death
Anthony Flint reflects on the story of economic development and historic preservation that led to the saving of Boston's historic Fenway Park from demolition in the 1990s.
Pedestrianology 101: The Science of Walking in Social Spaces
In the second part of a four part series on America's pedestrian problem, Tom Vanderbilt evaluates the surprisingly formalized field of pedestrian behavior research, from navigating crowded sidewalks to tripping at the bottom of the stairs.
Transportation Policy: A Matter of Public Health
Tim Pittman makes the case that cities can make us healthier – provided we can get out of our cars – and advocates a shift in the conversation about designing cities for people.
PoMo Not a Four-Letter Word in Louisville, KY
Blair Kamin takes an appreciative view of Michael Graves' Humana Building, now a defining icon of Derby City, and the much derided postmodern architecture movement.
Push to Loosen D.C. Height Limits Gains Momentum
Tim Craig reports on a new push by federal and city officials to relax Washington D.C.'s building height restrictions, reopening decades-old debates about the look, feel and character of the city.
How the Sharing Economy is Saving Municipal Governments Millions
Alex Howard discusses how trends in collaborative consumption, in which people or organizations pool limited resources to more efficiently access tools or services, are moving from the private sector to government.
A New Kind of Traffic Count
Ariel Schwartz introduces an innovation in site specific traffic counting: sensors that collect information about vehicle and pedestrian movement in real time.
Can Little Tokyo Survive the Growth of Downtown LA?
Big changes loom large over Little Tokyo, Kaid Benfield reports. The question is whether higher land values will steal away its character and cultural significance.
Traffic School For Bicycle Violations Proposed In San Francisco
After a cyclist fatally collided with an elderly pedestrian on a crowded Castro District crosswalk on March 29, city leaders are considering following the Bicycle Advisory Committee's recommendation to send cyclists who break traffic laws to class.
Are Seattle's Trees Depressed?
Ariel Schwartz reports on an art project turning Seattle's trees an electric shade of blue in an effort to raise awareness of them.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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.
