The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

FEATURE

A New Urban Park for Dallas

September 30 - Giulia Mastrangelo

New Urbanism = Bars Closing Early?

Coverage of a Jefferson Parish Council meeting about zoning changes to the Fat City neighborhood to make it a mixed-use community equate New Urbanism with earlier closing times for local bars.

September 30 - The New Orleans Times-Picayune

Looking for Livability in Congress

<em>Grist</em> talks with Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon about congressional efforts to integrate ideas of livability into communities and policy.

September 30 - Grist

New Study Reexamines Causes and Costs of Congestion

Analysis indicates that compact development reduces the time urban residents spent in traffic and requires less spending on highways.

September 30 - Driven Apart: How Sprawl Is Lengthening Our Commutes and Why Misleading Mobility Measures Are Making Things Worse

The Fractiousness of Bay Area Transit

From outside, it can appear that the San Francisco Bay Area is very good at transit. But when you look deeper, you'll see that the system of regional governance makes change and improvements for commuters nearly impossible, says Yonah Freemark.

September 30 - Next American City


Best Videos About Urban Planning

<em>Democrablog</em> offers this list of 50 videos on YouTube that focus on urban planning and related issues.

September 30 - Democrablog

Small Town Bucks Trend, Lowers Property Tax

While cities across the country are raising fees to counteract the recession, the village of Schaumburg, Illinois is bucking the trend and decreasing or even eliminating municipal fees.

September 30 - NBC


Building Takes More Realistic Pace in Dubai

Once the site of a seemingly endless string of outlandish building projects, Dubai has shaken off the dust from the market crash and resumed building less flashy projects at a steadier pace.

September 30 - The New York Times

Community-Led Efforts Unseen in New Orleans

Looking back on five years of recovery in post-Katrina New Orleans, Roberta Brandes Gratz bemoans the fact that much of the community-based work remains below the radar.

September 30 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

Reflections on Urban Parenthood (Year 1)

<div>As young planners bursting into the real world we are anxious to create communities that are vibrant, fun, and speak to the urbanity that will host future generations of our civilization.  What we lack in experience we make up for in enthusiasm, and hope that our superiors guide us on the finer points of less crystallized aspects of critical infrastructure such as designing for the elderly, disabled, and those semi-attached to a stroller.  In traffic engineering, we often hear a common rebuttal to technical traffic analysis from communities; they say, “I drive these streets every day, so I understand traffic here better than you.”  Well, they’re right.

September 30 - Ian Sacs

Builders, Developers and Cities Team Up Against Florida's Amendment 4

Amendment 4, on the Nov. ballot in Florida, would put state-mandated growth plans before the voters, and could mean any change to a community's development plan would have to be approved by the masses.

September 29 - The New York Times

Taking the 'Mass' Out of Mass Transit

Is the isolation of personal rapid transit truly viable for mass transit?

September 29 - TheCityFix

Regionalism Takes A Step Forward In CA With SB 375 Targets Approved

NRDC land use expert Amanda Eaken blogs about the approval by the Air Resources Board of the regional targets required by SB 375 to reduce global warming caused by transportation. An overlooked result may be the new powers resting with MPOs.

September 29 - NRDC Blog

Candidate's Plans to Return Stimulus Rail Money May Not Work

A gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin has made a campaign pledge to turn down federal money intended to build a high speed rail route connecting Milwaukee and Wisconsin. But some say he won't be able to do it.

September 29 - The Capital Times

Trying to Protect Farms and Forests, But Saving Open Space

A land use law passed in Oregon in the 1970s that was meant to protect farmland and forests hasn't really protected either, according to a new report.

September 29 - The Idaho Statesman

Managed Roads Favored Over Expansion in Twin Cities

Officials in the Twin Cities are looking to shift away from major road expansion projects and focus more on creating managed lanes that are intended to put a price on avoiding traffic within the two cities.

September 29 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

Plotting the Future of Austin Amid Major Change

With more than 750,00 people expected to add on to the city's population over the next 30 years, officials and locals in Austin are trying to map out how the city should grow and change to handle the influx.

September 29 - Austin American-Statesman

Art Event Brings in Bucks for Grand Rapids

"Art works," says Jason Schupbach of the NEA. And in Grand Rapids, Michigan, it really does, where the yearly ArtPrize event draws in an estimated $5-7 million in economic impact each year.

September 29 - USA Today

The Post-Olympics Neighborhood

For a few weeks in 2012 a part of East London will be host to 20,000 journalists. After the Summer Olympics, though, the area set to host the media will be a mixed use neighborhood of nearly 3,000 homes, if all goes as planned.

September 29 - The New York Times

Paying for Roads: Drivers Versus Cyclists

This piece from <em>The Vancouver Sun</em> asks who pays their fair share for roads and transportation infrastructure costs: car drivers or cyclists?

September 29 - The Vancouver Sun

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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.