The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Dramatic Dining on Broadway's New Esplanade
Cafe seating overlooking New York's Broadway traffic is popular in spite of safety concerns.
BLOG POST
Planetizen's 2008-2009 Student Bloggers
<p> A couple months ago, we posted an announcement seeking student bloggers for the 2008-2009 school year. We received a pile of great applications, but two new students stood out. Each week, they will bring you reports from their master's programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachussetts Institute of Technology. </p> <p> <img src="/files/u20704/Tamika.jpg" width="179" height="183" align="left" /><img src="/files/u20704/JBArg.jpg" width="167" height="183" /> </p> <p> <em>Tamika Camille Gauvin Jeffrey Barg<br /> </em> </p>
California's New Smart Growth Law Isn't So New
Bill Fulton says that California's new smart growth and climate change law doesn't really contain any new ideas, and it's unlikely to make a huge difference in California's growth patterns all by itself.
Something New Inside Failed Big Boxes
When big boxes go under, they leave big holes. Communities across America are coming up with some creative ways to reuse the huge spaces left behind when big box retailers move out.
Last Call for Bar Cars
Chicago's Metro is closing down its rolling taverns- not for reasons of temperance, but because they need the room for the growing number of rail commuters.
The Zero-Waste Park
Eric Lombardi, a waste-management guru, has drawn up a fanciful plan for an "eco-cycle, zero waste park" which reimagines the dump as a composting, recycling, and educating facility.
Fighting Blight, Cities Become Realtors
Boston, Minneapolis and San Diego are flipping houses in an effort to prevent neighborhood blight- a strategy that appears to be working.
BLOG POST
Public-Private Partnerships at the Crossroads
<p> This year, the future of public-private partnerships is expected to receive heightened attention amid speculations that Congress may attempt to assert oversight over public-private partnerships and place conditions on private toll road concession agreements as part of next year's transportation program reauthorization. Some interest groups, notably the trucking industry and public employe labor unions, are expected to vigorously support efforts to regulate PPPs at the federal level. Meanwhile, PPP proponents believe that the case for greater private sector involvement in infrastructure funding has never been stronger. They want to see this involvement mature free of congressional oversight or federal regulatory controls.
Beijing Sees Brighter Future Than Athens
As the Olympics leave town, Beijing appears to be in a much better position to benefit from the games than previous Summer Olympic host Athens.
Urban Farms Flourish in Oakland
In industrial West Oakland, backyard farming is flourishing, with more than 80 farms sprouting up with organic produce and a local bent.
BLOG POST
Master's Planning: How to Pick an Industry That’s Growing, Not Shrinking
<p> Just after 2008 began, I realized my profession of choice was dying. </p> <p> I’d spent the previous seven years at <a href="http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com" target="_blank"><em>Philadelphia Weekly</em></a>, a fairly typical alternative newspaper: you know, magazine-style lefty bent, where-to-go-and-what-to-do listings, porn ads in the back. The usual. </p>
Retooling the Exurbs for Global Warming
Scientists at the University of Michigan are studying ways to replant exurbs in order to capture more atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide.
Redefining Poverty
New York City is changing the way poverty in the city is defined, while the Federal government is considering a bill to do the same. Planetizen Assistant Editor Nate Berg reports in The Christian Science Monitor.
Treechitecture
Civic amenities, public spaces, and even housing could one day be formed by living trees. Researchers are looking into this new idea.
Extreme Commuting: A 23-Mile Run
Gas prices are driving a select few die-hards to trade in their cars for running shoes.
Lance Armstrong is #1 in Austin
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong tops a list of heavy water users in a city trying hard to conserve while meeting rising demand during a drought and steady or rapid population growth.
Beijing's Temporary Clean Air Policies May Stick
With some of the its cleanest air in decades, Beijing is warming up to some of the pollution-cutting regulations officials have enacted during the Olympics. Some may become permanent.
Biden Bodes Well for Rail
Transit supporters may have reason to rejoice in the selection of Sen. Joe Biden as Obama's V.P. pick.
The Future of the Electric Car
Shai Agassi, who's not quite the household name T. Boone Pickens is, has an even more radical plan to end the planet's oil addiction.
Buildings With Living Skins
Giant video screens and lighting displays are changing the face of buildings, but the content has not caught up to the technology. Peter Hall of Design Institute proposes that these displays could reflect the inner life of the buildings and the city.
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
