The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Chicago Bets on Buses
Yonah Freemark reports on Chicago's commitment of $7.3 million, supplementing $24.6 million in federal funds already in place, to improve bus service between Union Station and Navy Pier.
CA Legislator Takes Aim at Food Trucks
A well-intentioned new bill that could nudge food trucks out of huge swaths of territory now faces backlash, explains Jonathan Kauffman.
Latest Salvo in Toronto Transit Turmoil
The battle being waged by Toronto's first-term mayor Rob Ford over the future of transit in the city is getting uglier by the day, as the Toronto Transit Commission voted Tuesday to fire chief general manager Gary Webster.
In Appreciation of Nashville's Innovative New Downtown Code
Charlie Gardner writes about what can be found in, and more importantly what is excluded from, one of the most progressive code revisions to be adopted by a major American city.
Robotic Convenience Store Debuts in the U.S.
Popular in such countries as the Netherlands and Japan for some time, the first full service vending machine to be located in an apartment community in the United States has arrived in Fort Worth, Texas, reports Tim Blackwell.
NYC to Pilot New System for Monitoring Sewage Discharge
New York City is taking steps to manage the dumping of raw sewage, Mireya Navarro reports.
Development of Driverless Cars Enters the Fast Lane in Nevada
As Nevada becomes the first state in the country to approve self-driving cars, Robert Bruegmann considers what changes to the built environment driverless cars could have.
Pop-up Street Libraries Appear in New York
John Metcalfe reports on efforts by one New York architect to utilize the city's ubiquitous pay telephone booths as the settings for pop-up libraries.
Rebuilding the Long Forgotten Treasures of L.A.'s Golden Era
A $1.1 billion renovation of the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim is oriented around the recreation of Los Angeles landmarks of the 1920s and 30s, when the head mouseketeer himself began building his empire.
How Post Office Closings Will Be Harmful to Rural Health
Cezary Podkul and Emily Stephenson examine the likely economic and social consequences of efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to close thousands of rural post offices this year.
BLOG POST
Information Sources in Planning: "Smart Growth Online" vs. “Freedom Advocates”
<p class="MsoNormal"> <em>Where there are no facts, sentiment rules.</em> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> - Oswald Spengler, <em>The Decline of the West</em> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> In my previous two posts I have set the stage for our consideration of information sources in planning by arguing for the relevance of such an effort when it comes to<a href="/node/53999"> (increasingly controversial) urban planning issues</a>, and to situate such in terms of recognizing the<a href="/node/54355"> influence of our world views</a> on the production and use of informational and built environments. </p>
Reconciling Redevelopment With a Salacious Past
In Kansas City, the historic home of jazz and Prohibition-era excess struggles with a redevelopment effort that attempts to build on that era's history while leaving behind some of its essential characteristics, writes Brandon R. Reynolds.
Guidelines on Privately Owned Public Spaces in S.F. Need Rethinking
John King authors an article examining the types of privately owned public spaces that have been created in San Francisco under the city's 1985 downtown plan and sees room for improvement.
Mexico City Trash Pickers Fight for Their Livelihood
As city officials introduce plans to overhaul waste disposal in the capital of Mexico, a deeply rooted constituency fights back.
Conference Points to Place, Not Race, As Health Determinant
Lecturers call race a "surrogate" for socioeconomic factors that determine health outcomes, reports Beth Fitzgerald.
No Car? No Problem in Washington, D.C.
Drawing on 2010 Census data, the Coalition for Smarter Growth highlights the prevalence of alternative transportation in the nation's capital.
Lessons Learned in Providing On-Site Open Space for Multifamily Developments
Bob Bengford, AICP, MAKERS, examines the goals and benefits, notable challenges, and lessons learned in providing on-site open space for multifamily developments, including a comparison of how a few Washington cities regulate this type of open space.
Building Permaculture in Seattle
Robert Mellinger reports on efforts to build the nation's largest public food forest in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle.
Re-imagining Versus Repairing the Nation's Infrastructure
In an opinion piece for <em>Politico</em>, three Washington insiders propose several principles along which the United States should re-imagine its infrastructure in order to provide the means for future prosperity.
Pagination
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.