The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Sprawl Repair? Downtown Retail?
Joel Kotkin said today that cities no longer need outside help. The day before, Bill Fulton talked about growth without population growth. This story focuses on strategies for cities to use land plans as business plans.
The City as "Closed Loop"
Dickson Despommier says that the goal of cities today should be to be a "closed loop" ecosystem, where everything that is needed to support the city - energy, food, etc. - is contained within its borders.
Multi-Generational Homes On The Rise
Demand for multi-generational housing is on the rise in Canada. Municipalities and builders should take note.
Recycled Urban Design
Urban Fabric, a landscape architecture and urban design firm in Israel, uses recycled tiles, benches and more in their park designs.
Making the Desert Productive
Officials in Jordan are moving closer to creating an ambitious project aimed at producing food, fresh water and energy in the Sahara Desert.
Amid New Leadership, Villaraigosa's Transit Plans See Less Support
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently visited Washington D.C. to discuss his plans for expedited transit projects in L.A., but the new congressional leadership is not as supportive as the old.
Friday Funny: Can You Understand This Planner?
Planner Robert Voigt created this XtraNorml video to poke fun at the incomprehensibility of planner speak, and how it sabotages community engagement.
Funding is Out There
Reconnecting America issues a guide to state, regional, and local programs that provide money for development connected to transit.
Journalists Missing that Road Design is Key to Pedestrian Safety
The Governor's Highway Safety Association released a report citing an uptick in pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2010 and speculates on all sorts of reasons for this except poor road design.
Cities No Longer Need Help
Joel Kotkin argues that most U.S. cities that were struggling in the '60s and '70s have forged a comeback and should no longer need the sort of redevelopment and federal attention they've been given.
Take A Ride in Masdar City's PRT
Nick Aster takes a ride on the world's first fully operational trackless "Personal Rapid Transit" system.
Chinatowns: 3, Freeways: 0
In the 1960s and 70s, Chinatowns were threatened by highway development in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. None of the proposed highways was built, thanks to concerted efforts by the Chinese communities.
Banned Four Loko Liquor Converted to Biofuel
Banned for its combination of caffeine and alcohol, the makers of Four Loko were faced with a problem: what to do with their leftover stocks. A Virginia company is recycling the controversial hootch into ethanol for cars.
Developers Find Cash in Brownfields
According to this article in Area Development Online, developing a brownfield is a no-brainer: infrastructure is in place, governments have redevelopment funds to support it, and "the PR flip is huge."
The Best Greens for Your Green Roof
The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Colorado State has indentified five particular species of plant that work well in semi-arid climates for green roofs.
Europe Comes Down Hard on Cars
Many European cities are reversing decades-long trends of accommodating automobiles and are eliminating parking and putting tougher regulations in place, according to a new report.
TTI's Urban Mobility Report Flawed, Says Critic
The Texas Transportation Institute just released its 2010 Urban Mobility Report, which is a standard reference in the road-building industry -- and is seriously flawed, says Joe Cortright.
Renewable Energy Growing Fast, But Still A Tiny Percentage
Renewable energy is still only 2.3% of the U.S. energy production. David Biello asks, can renewables be ramped up in time to combat global warming?
Get On The Road Train
Volvo is taking things a step closer to the "driverless car" idea with their "road train" concept: cars can "hook up" to a lead car or bus with a professional driver and ride along in their stream until they need to disembark.
LEED Challenged By New Green Rating Systems
As New Yorkers prepare for city-mandated, publicly-accessible 'report cards' on their buildings' energy use, they're finding fault with the LEED rating system for its lack of attention to actual energy measurement.
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
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