The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Message and Media: Connecting in a Noisy World
Scott Doyon argues that getting the next generation of collaborators involved in community improvement efforts will require more than simply using the tools of social media - it will require connecting with what people are passionate about.
What Will It Take to Make the Electric Car Affordable?
Even as auto manufacturers roll out bigger, better technology for electric vehicles, high production costs – particularly from battery manufacturers – are keeping sales figures low, Tim Fernholz reports.
Will Gehry Revisions Placate Memorial Critics?
Frank Gehry unveiled revisions to his controversial design for a proposed memorial honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower this week, in an effort to appease a chorus of critics that includes Ike's own family, reports Lonnae O'Neal Parker.
BLOG POST
Transit and seniors
<p> I occasionally have speculated that our aging society would lead to increased transit ridership, as seniors lost the ability to drive. But I recently discovered that seniors are actually less likely to use public transit than the general public. One study by the American Public Transit Association showed that 6.7% of transit riders are over 65 (as opposed to 12.4% of all Americans).(1) The oldest Americans are even more underrepresented on America's buses and trains: only 1.5% of transit riders are over 80, about half their share of the population (2). The only other age group that is underrepresented on public transit is Americans under 18. </p>
Visionary Skyscraper Finally Completed
Add this to the "oh yeah" file. After eight years of construction, the completion ceremony for the OMA-designed China Central Television (CCTV) Headquarters in Beijing was held this week.
Major Stumbling Block to Transportation Bill May be Removed
In a promising sign for the negotiation and passage of a comprehensive transportation bill, the GOP is hinting it may be willing to part with demands to include a permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline in the final bill, reports Ben Geman.
California Tries To Wring Every Last Cent From Redevelopment
California's erstwhile redevelopment agencies are pleading with the state to maintain funding for projects they consider crucial. So far, the Department of Finance has taken a decidedly conservative approach.
Quick Fixes for Transit Safety
Transit rider and <em>Good</em> reporter, Alissa Walker, describes some simple solutions for making transit safer.
Will Generation Y Drive a Rust Belt Redux?
In search of cheap rent and an urban experience with some <em>bona fide</em> street cred, young people are making the move out to the Rust Belt, Will Doig reports.
America's Rivers Under Threat
Hillary Rosner speaks with Bob Irvin, president of American Rivers, on their newly released list of the most endangered rivers in the country.
New Urbanists Duke it Out With Mayor Over Expressway Conversion
"We should not let the lame be the enemy of the perfectly adequate," says one critic of the New Haven mayor's proposal.
Onward, Singapore: Setting the New Standard for Urban Innovation
Boyd Cohen takes us through a brief tour of the Lion City's many progressive and wildly successful programs, from affordable housing to traffic management and beyond.
The Housing Market Revolution
Haya El Nasser describes the housing market's fundamental structural changes as the housing industry rethinks what type of housing to build and where to build it.
BLOG POST
"Willingness and Ability" as Drivers of Community Development
<p> The work of planning at some point becomes the work of doing. </p> <p> Few communities move from planning to executing easily. This is especially notable in weak markets, though it occurs in strong markets too. In weak markets, planning does not typically require anyone to make a commitment. Or to put it more directly, it too seldom requires the community to really make choices. </p>
Detroit Reborn
In the first edition of a new series, Richard Florida introduces us to the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and artists, designers and musicians invested in the bottom-up effort to revive Detroit.
Toward a Universal Subway Typology
Brandon Keim explores the fascinating findings detailed in a new paper, which shows that the world’s major subway systems appear to be organically converging on an ideal form.
Should the Bay Area Have Four Million More Residents?
Noting the Bay Area's relatively slow growth rate over the past two decades, Timothy B. Lee argues that the area's "bad housing policies" are harming business growth and investment opportunities in Silicon Valley.
What Does "Creative Placemaking" Look Like?
Launched one year ago, ArtPlace works to accelerate creative placemaking by making grants and loans. So what does that actually look like on the ground? A new video from ArtPlace gives a glimpse of what they've accomplished so far.
Cities Fight Over Shrinking Convention Pie
Despite a dramatic decline in the number of, and attendance at, conventions nationwide, cities across America are investing their limited resources in building and upgrading convention centers. Fred A. Bernstein explores the irony.
What Are (Realistic) Options For Federal Transportation Funding?
With the unlikely possibility of the Congressional conference committee agreeing to a new transportation bill, much less an agreement to address the decreasing gas tax revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Kathryn Wolfe looks at the remaining options.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
