The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Evolving Attitude of Environmentalists
Passage of a bill in Berkeley that allows taller buildings to be built in the city's downtown illustrates changing attitudes about development amongst environmentalists.
Public Art and the Do-It-Yourself City
Jonna McKone profiles various public art projects across the U.S. and Canada, showing that participation in such projects indicates that some residents are taking an increasingly vested interest in the cities they live in.
Officials Fight to Remediate Contamination Underneath Main Olympic Site
A heavily contaminated site formerly used for chemical storage in East London provides an expensive lesson in urban brownfield remediation for government officials preparing the city for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games.
Quantifying the Impact of Abandoned Properties in Philly
A new study suggests that Philadelphia's 40,000 vacant buildings reduce home values by as much as $8,000 and cost the city $20 million per year in maintenance.
How to Grow New York's Economy
Ed Glaeser argues that given the right conditions, start-ups can drive the city's economic future.
5 Roadblocks for Electric Cars
Chevy, Ford, and Nissan are all debuting electric models over the next year, but are Americans ready? Eric Jaffe considers why not.
No Magic Bullet for Prosperity
So says William Fulton, mayor of Ventura and longtime writer on economic development issues. He says that economic growth is a "mysterious process" that can't be won by wooing a big employer to your town.
BLOG POST
Highways and Labor Markets
<p> In a recent blog post,(1) highway expert Alan Pisarski suggests that highway-oriented sprawl development is somehow necessary for the development of modern labor markets.(2) Pisarski writes that regional job markets are jobs are more specialized today than they were in his youth, and labor markets are thus "of immense size because many [highly specialized] employers need a market of hundreds of thousands of potential workers to reach the ones they need. The Atlanta region of 26 counties is not a great economic engine because it is 26 charming adjacent hamlets, but rather because the market reach of employers, suppliers, customers and job seekers spreads over several million residents." </p>
Historic Barns Disappearing
A 2007 agricultural census found 33,762 barns in Ohio, but commentator Alan Miller says that those barns are quickly disappearing, ravaged by neglect or picked apart for salvage. Miller says something must be done to save this heritage.
S.F. Needs Cash Fast for Central Subway
Federal funds come with a price - in order to hold on to $972m awarded to the Central Subway project, San Francisco's MUNI needs to come up with at least $137m by February.
Turning Yellow Cabs Green
Cities in the C40 climate leadership group from across the globe are looking into improving taxi services, citing them as key to mobility in urban centers.
Why People Love Their Communities
Appreciation of diversity, social offerings, and aesthetics trump jobs, economy, and safety according to a new survey by Gallup/Knight.
The Not-Quite-20-Minute Neighborhood
Portland wants to create a series of "20-minute neighborhoods" -- places where people can walk, within 20 minutes, to most of the places they need to go and the services they need. Some neighborhoods are already there, but others have a ways to go.
The Wisdom and Future of Short-Run Transit
By looking at three Los Angeles examples of very short rail lines, writer Alissa Walker suggests that seemingly pointless but fun transit systems could be the best way to use transit to improve urban areas.
Unconventional Oil To Play Increasing Important Role
Conventional oil supplies peaked at about 70 million barrels a day in 2006 according to the IEA, and will hold steady until 2035. However demand, primarily from China, will require an increase of 20% in oil to be filled by 'unconventional' supplies.
Livability Means Being Poor and Eating Only Iceberg Lettuce
Robert Steuteville comments on a recent article by Alan Pisarski that he says "regurgitates many of the heavy-handed arguments of the pro-sprawl, pro-highway crowd" in reaction to the Obama Administration's livability agenda.
Florida DOT Says No to Ped-Friendly Streets
Brickell Avenue in Miami is in one of the most densely populated areas in Florida. FDOT is slated to begin a major resurfacing project here, but refuses to consider additional crosswalks or bike infrastructure, ignoring pressure from locals.
Frederick Law Olmsted's Other Career
A new essay by Thomas Fisher details Frederick Law Olmsted's lesser known work in the realm of public health and sanitation.
Putting Poverty in its Places
The likelihood of being poor and what it’s like to be poor are different in different types of places, and which policies might work to reduce poverty also varies by type of place, says Bill Barnes.
Rough Tracks Ahead For High Speed Rail In Congress
Transportation consultant Ken Orski looks at post-election results in OH, WI, and FL as consistent with Newsweek's Robert J. Samuelson's pre-election column calling for an end to what he sees as wasteful and inappropriate high speed rail investment.
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.
