The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Broad Plan to Reshape San Francisco's Skyline

Planners in San Francisco are proposing a 145-acre "transit center district" that would dramatically reshape the city's skyline.

November 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

The Totalitarianism of Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier's influence as an architect has spanned generations. Theodore Dalrymple argues he is more appropriately classified as a totalitarian.

November 23 - City Journal

Landscape Architecture and the Creation of Public Space

Landscape architecture is in the spotlight, as planners and officials place increasing amounts of energy and emphasis on the creation of shared public spaces.

November 22 - The Age

Iraqi Civil Engineers Take Over Base Planning

An architect, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and four civil engineers from Iraq have taken over the base planning for the U.S Army's Basrah base, a small city with electrical, sewage and water systems as well as ongoing construction.

November 22 - Red Bull Release

Brand-New Offramp Must Be Torn Down, Rebuilt

In Bakersfield, California contractors nearly completed a highway offramp when it was decided the grade was too steep and last-minute exiters might flip over. Parsons Brinkerhoff has agreed to eat the cost of rebuilding.

November 22 - KGET.com


Living in 100 Square Feet

Photographer Michael Wolf visited Hong Kong's oldest public housing estate, and photographed 100 of the 100 ft. square rooms in the building.

November 22 - Michael Wolf Photography

Chicago's Private Parking Meter Bungle

Chicago's decision to privatize its parking meters seems to be a loss for the city, as new data shows the city could have made much more money in the long term had they maintained operational management.

November 22 - The New York Times


Booming Burbs Stop Growing

Areas like Bellevue, Washington and Coral Springs, Florida have grown by 10% or more every decade since the 1970s. Today, these suburban communities are actually losing people.

November 21 - USA Today

Making Government Data Sexy

A flood of government data is going public, but on its own it is relatively boring and useless. A flood of new data visualization tools are hoping to change that.

November 21 - CNN

Banks Brace for Onslaught of "Zombie Buildings"

Many of the thousands of commercial buildings erected on easy credit before the economic downturn remain underutilized or empty. Now those loans are coming due.

November 21 - Huffington Post

Competing Technologies Within Hydrogen Car Community

Not only is the hydrogen car industry being pressured by outside competition such as electric cars and those that run on biofuels, but there is competition within the hydrogen car industry itself.

November 21 - Hydrogen Cars & Vehicles Blog

Promise Takes Root in Dallas' Newest Park

A new multiuse park in Dallas, the first of four of its kind, is giving the downtown community a reason to celebrate.

November 21 - Dallas Morning News

Friday Funny: Chicken Supports Chicken Ordinance

An unidentified person dressed in a chicken costume came out to a recent city council meeting in Durango, Colorado to support the city's recently-passed backyard hen ordinance.

November 20 - Durango Herald

Class Divide in NY Inclusive Buildings

At the 101 Warren in Manhattan, developers split the building into luxury and affordable rentals to take advantage of tax breaks. Tensions have resulted, and now a proposed re-zoning would send the affordable residents' kids to a different school.

November 20 - Curbed

Alternative Fuels Won't Change the Expense of Driving

One of the conclusions of a new study in the San Francisco Bay Area is that switching to electric and alternative fuel cars won't reduce the burden on households because ownership is the most significant expense. Thus, density is the only way out.

November 20 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Not Just About Jobs

When then-Pres. Bush signed a transportation bill in 1991, he said it 'could be summed up in three words; jobs, jobs, jobs. Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes of Brookings say that infrastructure spending is much more than that.

November 20 - The Hill

Suburbs See Rise in Kids in Poverty

2008 Census estimates reveal that in the city center of Fort Worth, Texas, the number of school-age children living in poverty has dropped whereas the surrounding suburban communities have seen increasing numbers.

November 20 - Fort Worth Star Telegram

Judge Rules Army Corps Responsible for New Orleans Flooding

A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' mismanaged maintenance of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet was the cause of flood damage in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

November 20 - New Orleans Times-Picayune

BRT PDQ in DF

<em>Atlantic</em> correspondent Cristine Russell takes a look at Mexico City's quickly-implemented bus rapid transit system.

November 20 - The Atlantic Monthly

Investing in Infrastructure

Private investors are increasingly putting their money into infrastructure assets like bridges and windmills.

November 20 - The Globe and Mail

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.