The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Meeting Slum Sanitation Needs Sustainably
With a collective population of more than 10 million, Kenya's slums face major sanitation issues. A new project offers a sustainable solution.
BLOG POST
Neighborhood Change
<p>It is often - and very inaccurately - said that people hate change. When people get married - they are overjoyed. When they hold the winning lottery ticket, or have children or get a raise or a promotion or a new car, they are thrilled. These are forms of change that illustrate the point that change is not what people hate; what people have trouble with is certain forms of change. This becomes especially relevant to planners and designers and community developers who are part of processes - shaping, facilitating, leading, participating in, or otherwise advocating for one form of change or another.</p>
Streetcar Revival on its Way to Atlanta
Atlanta's $72 million streetcar plan is taking shape, with lines expected to open in 2013. But not everyone in the city thinks the project is worth the cost.
China Gets Serious About Sustainability
Warren Karlenzig is back from two recent visits to China, and says the Chinese government is preparing to release a hugely ambitious agenda for getting greener.
Theft Apparently Not a Problem for Bike-Sharing Programs in the U.S.
Bike-sharing can't seem to shake its reputation for being a crime magnet, as in Paris. But here in the United States, theft and vandalism simply haven't emerged as problems, says Noah Kazis.
When California Mountain Lions Become City Dwellers
As urban sprawl continues to encroach on what was once expansive habitat for mountain lions, the large predators have been involved in more encounters with humans in urban settings.
Discovering What Lies Beneath Seattle
As Seattle prepares to undertake several major construction projects, the city should embrace and explore its buried archaeological past as a means to involve community members and spark interest in local history, argues Knute Berger.
Is 20 Plenty for New York?
The New Yorker takes an informal survey of the Lower East Side with slow-driving proponent Rod King.
A Boom in Bike Commuting
NPR reports on the impressive growth - a tripling, even - of bicycling in the United States, with a particular focus on commuting.
Urban Enterprise Zones Under Investigation
Do they work? That's the question as state officials investigate New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program.
Replacing Costly Asphalt With Sand
Could sand be the next great paving material? Thomas Kosbau and Andrew Wetzler recently won a design competition in Korea with their idea to combine sand with a bacteria that turns sand to stone.
Biofuel-Producing Architecture
A proposal for a skyscraper that grows biodiesel-emitting algae took 2nd place in a competition to design the 300m tall Taiwan Tower in Taichung.
Poor Ridership = Poor Efficiency
Randal O'Toole argues that transit will never be energy efficient because ridership is never high enough to warrant the energy expelled.
Critiquing The Landscape Urbanism
As landscape urbanists hover in the exalted world of the designer-hero-genius, Emily Talen asks — where are the people?
Five Alternatives to the Mall Worth Looking At
With malls failing around the country, America may want to consider innovative new projects from international sites like Morocco or the Philippines.
Commercializing the Landscape
When an Apple Store wanted to move into the Georgetown neighborhood in D.C., the Design Review Board pushed for a more fitting facade. After a backlash from residents eager for an Apple, the trademark building went in. Is Georgetown better off?
Retro Trains of the Future
Popular Science digs through their archives to unearth a collection of fantastical, futuristic trains such as amphibious monorails, suspended railways and "two-headed trains."
The Most Miserable City in Canada
Toronto takes the crown in a new study from the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, ranking lowest in happiness for the country.
Sustainability, Minus the Doom and Gloom
James Way reviews two new books that propose sustainable approaches to architecture that don't dwell in post-oil, post-apocalyptic scenarios to make their point.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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.
