The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Where to Find the Global 1%
Richard Florida explores the rankings of the top global cities for the ultra-rich, as detailed in the 2012 Wealth Report released by real estate firm Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank.
A Farm Grows in Brooklyn
Last week, plans were announced to create what may be the world's largest rooftop farm on 100,000 square feet of space atop a building on the Brooklyn waterfront. Lisa Foderaro has the details.
A Dating Site for Artists and Urban Canvases
Ariel Schwartz profiles ArtHERE, a matchmaking service intended to link artists with property owners eager to integrate public art into their buildings or landscapes.
Bike Culture Gets Rolling in Mexico City
William Booth reports on the improbable growth of bike culture in a city long known for its choking air and anarchic traffic.
What Will Happen to California's Orphaned Urban Projects?
Terry Pristin looks at the fallout from the dissolution of California's redevelopment agencies and asks what will come of the hundreds of projects in various stages of completion.
What Determines Bicycle Share Usage?
A recent study synthesizes Capital Bikeshare data in order to help planners assess and improve bike sharing as a viable transportation investment. As the system expands into suburban DC, this research may help predict where it can succeed.
How Much is a Tree Worth to a City?
Nate Berg reports on several recent pilot studies that have quantified the economic, aesthetic and energy saving benefits of urban trees and why the costs for replacing them can be formidable.
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Youth and the Greatest Love of All….What I Learned From Whitney Houston
As a childhood Whitney Houston fan and former owner of her Greatest Hits cassette tape, her death revived memories of a 13 year old summer camper standing atop a twin bed belting out The Greatest Love of All into a hairbrush microphone. I never really paid much attention to the lyrics until news reports of her death relentlessly played the song--“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” The 13-year old in me always liked that Whitney was singing about my generation, but beyond that, I didn’t quite understand the message. And it wasn’t until last month when I listened to the lyrics and I get it now. It is our responsibility to prepare our children for their roles in building and shaping our world, our cities, our neighborhoods.
A Career Spent Capturing Architecture's Greats
The subject of his first career retrospective, noted architectural photographer Pedro E. Guerrero describes his work, lessons learned, and his inspirations, in an interview with Alexandra Lange.
Were Politics Behind Christie's ARC Termination?
When the long planned, and much needed, project to build a second train tunnel under the Hudson River was cancelled by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, he blamed escalating costs and a burden to the state. Was he lying?
Refuting Claims to California's "War on Suburbia"
Josh Stephens takes aim at the provocative claims made by Wendell Cox, "the outspoken libertarian urban scholar" in a recent essay in the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, titled "California Declares War on Suburbia".
BLOG POST
In Greenwich Village: a Case for a Planning Landmark, or, Simply, a Dash of Nostalgia
<p> There is a certain irony in community stalwarts in testy Greenwich Village wanting to have the stale housing slabs hovering over the bland park composing Washington Square Village declared an architectural landmark that will somehow thwart New York University from overdeveloping further the singular super block. <br /> <br /> “Fugataboutit,” would be a relative polite New Yorker’s observation by anyone who has ever been to this dance before, as I have. The plea is really just a feint to get the retro-redevelopment realists involved into a backroom of one of the proposal’s big buck backers to splice and dice the project so it can be swallowed by all without choking to a political death. </p>
The Cleansing Power of Mexico City's Vertical Gardens
Damien Cave reports on Mexico City's ambitious efforts to reduce pollution and beautify the city through the planting of vertical gardens, and other progressive pollution reducing measures.
Land Abundant Gives Rise to Gardens in Detroit
John Gallagher investigates a growing trend of unsanctioned urban agriculture in Detroit, where residents have had to take alternative land use into their own hands.
Savvy Retail and Restaurant Reuse Mark Next Phase of Dowtown LA Revival
In a feature for <em>The Architect's Newspaper</em>, Marissa Gluck profiles the "retro-chic makeovers" transforming downtown Los Angeles.
Phoenix Struggles to Fill Its Big Vacant Boxes
Phoenix has a sizable dilemma, how to fill the growing number of closed supermarkets, electronics superstores and mega bookstores that continue to weigh down the area's real-estate market, reports Max Jarman.
America's Most Economically Sustainable Small Communities
Ben Schiller delves into recent rankings that aim to demonstrate how smaller sized counties can achieve sustainable economic impacts.
Do We Stand to Gain When We Lose a Highway?
Ben Welle discusses the benefits of freeway removal programs both at home and abroad, and explores what cities have done to fill the void they leave behind.
NYT Editorial Welcomes The End Of Sprawl
The NYT editorializes on the just-released April 2010-July 2011 census data that shows a notable slow-down in exurban growth as urban growth increased. Pointing to the problems that accompanied America's embrace of sprawl, they welcome the change.
BLOG POST
Unwillingness to Embrace Demand
<p> At a recent meeting in Washington, DC I was astonished at the demonstrated lack of grasp of how neighborhood markets work. This, after all, was a meeting called by supposed experts in revitalization to discuss revitalization with other experts in revitalization. </p> <p> Notably missing during six hours of painful back and forth rehashing of Great Society pabulum v 5.0 was any sense of what "demand" means. It's not just that there was a lack of understanding of demand, for three quarters of a day it was as if the very word - demand - was off limits. </p>
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.
