The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Are You a Narrative or Spatial Navigator?
Jarett Walker finds out how many people can recognize north in the subway. The survey is used to explain the distinction between narrative and spatial navigation, which appear to be the two predominant forms of human navigation.
Jews and Transit: "Like a Bagel and Schmeer"
Joel Epstein at the Jewish Journal argues that Jews should support mass transit measures, and the 30/10 plan in particular. "Without 30/10, I fear my kids may be sitting shiva for me before I ride the Subway to the Sea," he writes.
Controversial BART to Airport Being Built Anyway
Back in February, the Federal Transportation Administration revoked $70m in funding from the proposed BART airport connector over civil rights violations. Streetsblog reports that BART is forging ahead anyway and looking for other funders.
The Dangers of Drinking and Riding
The perils of drinking and driving have been well documented - but what of drinking and riding the subway? While the latter only endangers oneself for the most part, crashes can still happen - in this piece, a $2.3 million award was overturned.
Vancouver's Laneway Homes Begin to Arouse Complaint
The idea was for the homes to be 'mortgage helpers' or cheaper way to house elderly parents. Since the citywide policy was passed last year, 89 laneways have been approved and some are already generating complaints.
Planning for the Future of London's Olympic Park
To ensure its longevity, developers of London's Olympic Park have made integration of its facilities into a larger urban renewal plan a priority.
Alternative Energy Booms in Rural Areas
The changing face of America's energy menu includes a variety of alternative sources, many of which are being developed in the country's rural areas.
City Data Visualization Tool Wins Journalism Prize
A visual city data mapping tool called CityTracking is one of the winners of this year's Knight News Challenge, a journalism competition that seeks out innovative communication ideas for the changing news media.
Suburban Decline and Urban Growth Predicted
According to the new book, <em>Foreclosing the Dream: How America's Housing Crisis Is Reshaping Our Cities and Suburbs,</em> development is shifting to cities more strongly than most Americans realize.
BP's Latest Victim: Coastal Real Estate
Half million dollar beach houses are going unsold and rapidly losing value as the oil slick -- and fears -- spread.
Buildings Alone Do Not Constitute Regeneration
The "Bilbao Effect" is the apotheosis of the notion that a struggling post industrial city can be regenerated through set-piece art and design. But Frank Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim, suspects the gallery was only part of a larger gestalt.
Urban Activism 101
Alison Arieff talks with Jason Roberts Go Oak Cliff, a neighborhood advocacy group in Austin, Texas, about his techniques for advocating for better neighborhoods.
To Save a Glacier, Paint it White
Peruvians are painting mountains in the Andes white to try to slow down the melting of glaciers.
The Growth of Municipal Debt
Municipal debt is on the rise, as state and local borrowing has grown to nearly one-quarter of the U.S. GDP.
Study Shows Mixed Use Reduces Car Travel More Than Density
<em>Smart Planet</em> talks with transportation researcher Reid Ewing about a new study he co-authored about how different development patterns can reduce auto use.
Reversing California's Sprawl with SB 375 and TOD
A new report from the Urban Land Institute finds that California's VMT-focused Senate Bill 375 can potentially reverse the state's sprawl. Transit-oriented development is seen as a strong strategy.
BLOG POST
Don't Let Time Dilute Outrage Over BP Gulf Spill
<div> <div> <p> Just because our media-ravenous culture inundates us with more news than we can stomach doesn't mean we should give up on the long term prospects of the BP catastrophe. As the poorly secured well beneath the exploded BP rig <em>Deepwater Horizon</em> continues its high-pressure torrent of not-yet-quantified-but-something-in-the-order-of-tens-to-hundreds-of-thousand-of-gallons-per-day of oil into the gorgeous waters of the Gulf of Mexico, we must not let the drone of time allow us lose sight of the result of horrendous and unforgivable destruction, weak industrial controls, and even weaker environmental morals. We must also not ignore that efforts to “contain” the spill were devised simultaneously with an effort to spare the well. </p>
Mortgage Headache Spawns Legislation in California
Mortgage debt is crippling the housing market all over the country, and the homeowners who've taken on more debt than they can afford. Now, real estate interests and banking interests are battling over legislation intended to ease the pain.
BLOG POST
What a bus rider wants
<p style="text-indent: 0.25in; line-height: 200%" class="ecxMsoNormal"> <span>As I began to type this, I was on a Greyhound bus somewhere in southern Ontario, on the first leg of my return from Toronto (where I have spent the past year getting an extra degree) to the United States. <span> </span>As I type, it occurs to me to ask myself: what are the interests of the long-distance bus rider?<span> </span>Are they the same as users of other forms of public transit, or closer to those of drivers and truckers?<span> </span>My short answer to these questions is: a little of both.</span> </p>
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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.
