The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Calthorpe's Daybreak

Daybreak is a massive development planned by Peter Calthorpe being built in Utah on land owned by a mining company. Artist Lucy Raven takes her camera for a visit to see how Daybreak is coming along given the soft housing market.

October 28 - Triple Canopy

Roundabout Saves the Day in Wanker's Corner

A roundabout replaced a flashing red light that was causing traffic jams at an intersection in Wanker's Corner, Oregon. Locals are calling it a miracle.

October 28 - The Oregonian

Suburbs Sprouting Corn and Lettuce

Platte River Village, now building in Denver, is a new concept in fusing agriculture and suburbia.

October 28 - Denver Post

Forbes Picks Safest Cities in U.S.

Forbes Magazine jumps into the fray once again with their list of "America's Safest Cities." Violent crime, workplace deaths, fatal crashes and natural disasters are all a part of the data considered.

October 28 - Forbes

Oakland A Food Hub Once Again

Affordable space, city incentives, and good transport are bringing Oakland, CA back to its roots as a center of the food processing industry.

October 28 - San Francisco Chronicle


The Tunnel Economy of Gaza

With closed borders and a military lockdown on all imports and exports, the Palestinians of Gaza rely on a network of smuggling tunnels to obtain goods.

October 28 - Time

'Science City' Plans Could Boost Light Rail

Plans to build a group of villages near science and biotech office parks in Maryland could help the area secure federal light rail funding.

October 28 - The Washington Post


Thirsting in America's Fruit Basket

To protect the endangered Delta Smelt fish, pumping of water from California's Sacramento Delta has been drastically cut back. Add in the state's three-year-long drought, and the result is a major problem for the state's people and farmers.

October 28 - The Economist

China's Rail Revolution

Extensive investments in rail are slashing travel times in China, and creating a vastly more connected and accessible country.

October 27 - Newsweek

BLOG POST

Finding Planning Schools

<p> Confused about where to study planning? Of course there’s the Planetizen guide but in the United States two free sources of information provide extensive lists of potential schools. </p>

October 27 - Ann Forsyth

Hearing Acoustics Before The Building Is Built

A new computer modeling technique called "auralization" does just that, turning architectural drawings into simulated spaces.

October 27 - ArchiTech

Manhattan Apartment Real Estate Deal Going Bust?

A $5.4 billion deal to purchase two massive Manhattan apartment complexes and convert them to high-end rentals appears to be floundering.

October 27 - Huffington Post

Coalition Promises $4 Billion to Green Affordable Housing

A collection of non-profits working with HUD is promising to spend $4 billion on updating affordable housing across the country to be more sustainable.

October 27 - Grist

Portable, Stackable Housing Units

GOOD Magazine highlights designer Michael McDaniel's Reaction Housing System, a temporary shelter that can be stacked up and loaded onto a flatbed 20 at a time.

October 27 - GOOD Magazine

The Age of Tolls

Robert McCartney reports on the coming onslaught of toll roads in the D.C. area, and the possibility of a 'vehicle miles traveled' option in the future.

October 27 - The Washington Post

Coal & Oil - Biggest Health Culprits, Says National Academies

The National Academy of Science has released a report showing that health effects from burning fossil fuels cost the economy about $120 billion a year. Global warming was not included due to uncertainty, so it's focused mostly on air pollution.

October 27 - The New York Times - Environment

Penalosa Decries Nairobi's Vision of the Future

Nairobi planners are promoting a new vision of the African nation criss-crossed with superhighways. Enrique Penalosa visited Nairobi last week to try to persuade them to reverse course.

October 27 - Daily Nation

High Speed Rail: It's About Place

So says William Schroeer the State Policy Director at Smart Growth America, speaking at the High Speed Rail Conference in D.C. last weekend.

October 27 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Emissions Impact of Biofuels Undercounted

A new report claims that the way the global warming impact of biofuels is measured leaves out the land use component of clearing land and growing crops.

October 27 - The Washington Post

Jane Jacobs, Economic Guru?

Jacobs' ideas about urban planning bumped her to the top of her Top Urban Thinkers list, but economists are turning to her other books to rethink local economies.

October 26 - Miller-McCune

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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.