The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
On Acela's 10-year Anniversary, Amtrak Looks Forward
Without doubt, the pride of the Amtrak fleet is the ten-year-old Acela train, the closest thing to high speed rail in existence in the United States. This piece looks at the current service and Amtrak's hope for the future for the northeast route.
FEATURE
How Shared Space Challenges Conventional Thinking about Transportation Design
Shared streets -- the idea that pedestrians, bikes and cars can all navigate together in the same space -- is a fundamental rethinking of the underlying philosophy related to the design and operation of transportation facilities, write Norman W. Garrick and James G. Hanley.
The More Cars You Own, The More Likely You'll Default
That's the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Sustainable Real Estate. Higher WalkScores also show a decrease in defaults, unless you're in a low-income area, which results in an increase in defaults.
Protesters Blast Wisconsin's Refusal of Rail Money
Protesters in Wisconsin are trying to reverse governor-elect Scott Walker's opposition to stimulus-funding for high speed rail projects -- $810 million that the government would have paid the state.
Jersey City's 'High Line' Spurs Controversy
A proposal to redevelop an abandoned rail embankment in Jersey City has pitted preservationists and smart growth proponents against each other.
Billions to be Invested in Infrastructure Ahead of 2018 World Cup
As Russia prepares to host the 2018 World Cup, officials are predicting that infrastructure projects will see a major boost.
Animal Overpasses
Highways can be deadly for animals, especially when they cut directly through habitats. A recently completed design competition sought ideas for creating animal-safe bridges over highways.
Vancouver Considers Higher Skyline
The city of Vancouver is considering a plan to increase maximum building height restrictions in certain parts of town by 100 feet and more.
Jobs on the Rise in Rural America
More than two-thirds of rural areas in the United States have seen growth in jobs since 2009, according to this article from <em>The Daily Yonder</em>.
Troubles Persist in California's Delta
The process of re-designing California's Delta to protect endangered species, feed the state's farms and serve freshwater to its residents has become further complicated.
The Nation's Best and Worst Commutes, By Cost
<em>TheStreet</em> and <em>Bundle</em> have ranked the best and worst commutes in 90 American cities, based on costs and time.
Immigrants' First Stop: Suburbia
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that new immigrants have been heading to small towns and suburban areas rather than big cities over the past decade.
The Larger Importance of Small Parks
A new book shows that even small parks have the potential to engage social and ecological issues through thoughtful design.
High Speed Rail Debate Comes Down To Voters
Consumer Affairs looks at high speed rail's future in the U.S. by first looking at rail's domineering past, noting the huge change after the Interstate Highway Act along with the land use changes the auto brought, but concludes it all comes down to..
Your Next Car Might Run on Air
CNN profiles the "Air Pod", a tiny three-wheeled vehicle that runs on compressed air [Video]
Where are the Black Urbanists?
Urbanism tends to be an interest of a small group: the young, the male, and the pale, according to Kristen E. Jeffers who wants to see more groups and more people of color engaged.
India Plans 24 'Green' Cities
India, in partnership with Japan, is planning to build 24 "green" cities along a corridor between the major urban areas of Delhi and Mumbai.
Moving Towards a Melting Pot
According to data from the most recent Census, segregation along racial lines has hit an 100-year low in seventy-five percent of U.S. metropolitan areas. Southern and Western cities have showed the most noticeable integration trends.
BLOG POST
The Federal Interest in Non-Highway Transportation
As Congress begins to draft transportation legislation next year, fiscal scarcity may induce a fight between transit and highway advocates over federal funding, rather than the cooperation of the last few years. And if highway advocates seek to tear down federal support for other forms of transportation, they will probably rely heavily on federalism considerations, arguing that highways are inherently an interstate concern while transit and non-motorized forms of transportation are a nonfederal concern.<span> </span>For example, Alan Pisarski writes: “If sidewalks and bike paths are federal then <em>everything</em> is federal.” <p class="MsoNormal"> There are two flaws in this argument.<span> </span>First of all, highways are not always primarily an interstate concern
The Office Goes Urban
Motivated by factors such as municipal incentive packages and the changing preferences of younger workers, many companies are relocating to central business districts, reversing a post-war trend that based the American workplace in the suburbs.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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.
