The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Palm Springs' Forgotten Historic District
Palm Springs has rediscovered a historic district that's been on the books for 23 years, but has been somehow forgotten until this week. Preservationists see this as a huge win, a way to protect the unique neighborhood and showcase its architecture.
Friday Funny: Suburban Fantasies
With names like Aspen Grove and Sunrise Park, you might mistake these suburb designs for the real thing. But something's not quite right in artist Ross Racine's birds-eye views of imaginary suburbs.
AASHTO Picks Top 10 Transportation Projects
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has selected finalists in its 2009 America's Transportation Awards competition. Projects range from lane-widening in Delaware to HOT lanes in Miami.
Some Say Olympic Green Efforts Fall Short
Organizers of next year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver are hoping to add a green sheen to the international event, but some critics say they aren't doing enough to offset the huge carbon footprint the Olympics will carry.
Finding Efficiency At Home, In the Trash
Solar-powered trash compactors, while not cheap, pay for themselves relatively quickly. With state and city budgets more liquid thanks to stimulus money, municipalities are snapping them up.
What's Happening - And Not Happening - At Ground Zero
Eight years after terrorists felled the World Trade Center towers in New York City, progress on rebuilding the site has been slow and mired in controversy.
Dubai's New Metro Opens
A new rail system has opened in Dubai, becoming the world's longest fully automated, driverless metro system. But some wonder whether the system will see much use in the oil-rich Emirate.
George Jetson meets Blade Runner: Architects on the Future of Chicago
Blair Kamin reviews the futuristic showcase, "Big. Bold. Visionary. Chicago Architects Consider the Next Century," curated by architect, Edward Keegan, on the anniversary of Burnham and Bennett's Plan of Chicago.
Partial Closure Planned on San Francisco's Market Street
San Francisco's notoriously congested Market Street will soon see a lighter load of traffic, as officials roll out a pilot project that will ban private vehicles from the roadway.
New York City's Data Collection Chopped in Half
New York City has for decades collected data about itself through more than 2,500 statistical indicators. But now, that number has been chopped down to about 1,200. Officials say it creates a streamlined look at the city, but others call it a loss.
LA's Wilshire Blvd. Bus-Only Lane Moves Forward
In an important step toward a bus-only lane on LA's busy Wilshire Blvd., the city council approved beginning an Environmental Impact Report for the project, to only minimal skepticism from the councilmember from the wealthier part of the area.
Urban Foragers Find Food in the City
Forage SF promotes the idea of eating uncultivated food found growing naturally, and even sells boxes of "wild food." Reporter Tara Lohan joins a forager, or "freegan", as they collect goodies from the streets.
Slowdown in Construction Spells Trouble for Dallas' Preservation Office
As construction has slowed in Dallas, its office of Preservation and Planning has seen a large deficit in funding from fees. Half of its positions could be on the chopping block. Preservationists worry, while officials say they have bigger concerns.
Wikiplanning a City
As part of their Envision 2040 process, the City of San José is soliciting user input through a web-based wiki.
Injecting Planning Issues into Seattle's Mayoral Race
Seattle is in the midst of a mayoral election, and while typical election issues are getting their own share of lip service from the candidates, land use is being overlooked.
New Use for Phone Booths
As cell phones have eliminated the need for phone booths, unused booths could play a key role in Spain's electric car revolution as charging stations.
Film Industry Lured to Michigan
In an otherwise stalled local economy, a few new construction projects are underway in Michigan, thanks to new tax incentives that are drawing the film industry to the state.
Tapping Outside Experience to Build U.S. High Speed Rail
As the race for high speed rail stimulus dollars gets underway, international firms stand to gain the most benefit as few if any U.S. firms are capable of building the rolling stock the new systems will need.
Cities in the Sand: U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
U.S. Military bases in Iraq are being consolidated, but their footprint is hard to ignore. Many operate much like small cities, housing as many as 20,000 people and all the services and infrastructure they require.
Could Old Bay Bridge Span Become a Park?
Architect Ronald Rael proposes preserving the discarded span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge and turning it into a park and mixed-use development, in the spirit of NY's High Line.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
