The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Top 15 Most Stressful Cities
Forbes Magazine picks 15 of the most stressful cities in the United States. To come up with the data, "we analyzed quality-of-life data from the 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas," says Beth Greenfield.
Privately Owned Public Spaces: What are the Rules?
Site of the Occupy Wall Street protests, Zuccotti Park is a privately-owned public space. Lisa W. Foderaro explains the difference between this and a public park, and why it works for the protests.
São Paulo's "Big Worm" Needs to Flatten
At least, according to the city's urban planners. The two-mile elevated highway is a hindrance, reports Juan Forero, to the city's modernization.
Richard Florida Examines Walkscore's Top Ten Cities
Richard Florida digests Walkscore's Walkability rankings, and discusses some surprising results. Among the top ten are Union City, New Jersey, and Miami, Florida.
For Two Days Only TWA Terminal Re-Opens Its Doors
In 2001, Eero Saarinen's famed TWA Terminal in John F. Kennedy International Airport closed after American Airlines bought the airline out. Completed in 1962, this terminal is now rarely accessible by the public.
BLOG POST
How will the Suburbs Cope with Poverty?
The terms Central city, Inner city and urban have long been synonymous with the poorer, disadvantaged minority sections of metropolitan areas. Conversely, the suburbs have been associated with whites, affluence and job growth. For a long time, however, this dichotomy has failed to capture the gradual blurring of distinctive patterns that demarcate city from suburb. A recent <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2011/1011_housing_suburbs_covington_freeman_stoll.aspx">Brookings report</a> by Kenya Covington, Michael Stoll and yours truly underscores this point. The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, the single largest affordable housing program in the country is almost as prevalent in the suburbs as in central cities.
Best Cities For Working Mothers
In the third year Forbes has compiled the list, the new data factors included in this year's survey bumped New York City off the list and moved Buffalo into the top spot out of 50 metropolitan areas.
Exploring Serenbe
Terrain.org's newest "UnSprawl" case study explores the new Serenbe development, a mixed-use community of three hamlets anchored by an organic farm and striving to be an Atlanta-region destination for its restaurants, inn, and more.
Post-Katrina, New Orleans Rebuilds With Cyclists in Mind
Before Katrina, New Orleans was unfriendly and unpopular for cyclists. Today, the city has 15 streets with bike lanes totaling 40 miles of bike pathway, and is gunning to be as bike-friendly as Portland or Seattle.
APA's Picks Great Neighborhoods for 2011
Each year, the American Planning Association singles out neighborhoods that "...represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow."
Warning: I'm a Terrible Neighbor
A Colorado man has put up a sign warning potential buyers about activities that occur at his house.
FEATURE
Healthy Travel Modes: Correlations, Causality and Caution
Driving makes people fatter and less healthy, right? Fanis Grammenos warns planners and urban designers that the answer is not so simple, and misusing the statistics will weaken effective debate.
New Cycling Initiatives in Ukraine
The city of Lviv in western Ukraine has begun a 9-year initiative to build 168 miles of bicycling infrastructure to the region.
The City of the Future (Will Require the Necessary Infrastructure), Today
While some may be disappointed by how cities aren't yet swarming with robots and automated cars, Frank Swain writes that it's a matter of when we humans can tailor our landscapes to enable the new technology.
Drug Policy and the City
Today's war on drugs isn't all that different from Prohibition, writes Stephen Smith, at least in terms of the urban-suburban divide that underlies policy. As cities' reputations clean up, maybe drug policy will evolve accordingly, too.
Richard Florida on the Importance of Place
Richard Florida, interviewed by blogger Dave Copeland, says that quality of place is going to be of growing importance in the coming era to keep cities vibrant and attracting talent and the "creative class."
Eliminating the Dreaded Left Turn
The FHWA says that 40% of all traffic accidents happen at intersections, and many of those are caused by left turns. A new type of intersection called the "diverging diamond" takes left turns out of the picture.
The Saga of a Patch of Underwater Land in Silicon Valley
The Santa Clara Water District is buying back a piece of land of very little value from a developer who intended it to be part of a "new town" of 100,000 residents. From dream to discard, here is the story.
Clash of Residential and Industry in Barrio Logan
Barrio Logan is a dockside neighborhood in San Diego, where for generations the maritime industry and homes have coexisted. A new controversial rezoning plan aims to separate the uses.
UC Researchers Conclude It Was A Mistake To End Hybrid HOV Privilege
On July 1, 85,000 hybrid vehicles in CA bearing clean-air stickers lost the privilege to drive solo in the carpool lane. UC Berkeley researchers show how that exclusion slowed speeds in the HOV lane while increasing congestion in the adjacent lanes.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul 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.
