The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
FEATURE
Warehouses to Urban Farms
Yesterday's infrastructure can become tomorrow's agriculture, says Ed Harwood, by converting underused industrial warehouses and factories to hydroponic and aeroponic growing.
Reconsidering Masdar
Nicolai Oursoussoff says Masdar, the eco-city being developed near Abu Dhabi, is "something more daring and more noxious" than we think.
HOT Lane Litigation Condemned By Legislators
Arlington County's litigation of construction of three High Occupancy Toll lanes based on civil rights violation (because of exposure to air pollution of those living near I-95/395) has prompted the bi-partisan wrath of 2 of VA's top state senators.
Could Classic Hill Towns Be a Model for Town Planning?
In classic hill towns, people showed innovation and dynamic placemaking--lessons learned for urbanism in the new century, says Chuck Wolfe.
Urban Sprawl and Development Threatening Biodiversity in Animals
Habitat fragmentation linked with urban sprawl and development has been shown to negatively impact biological diversity in animals, according to new research.
Anger Upstream on the Nile
Egypt runs on the Nile's water. But with a growing population, Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation expects that the Nile will barely be able to meet the country's water needs by 2017. Its neighbors are increasingly angry about its overuse.
Teaching Interaction Design to High Schoolers
Two interaction design students in New York are starting a 10-week after school program that is trying to teach high school kids design skills that they can use in their communities.
The Predictability of Humans in Public Spaces
Jan Gehl sits down with Greg Linsday to talk about his new book, <em>Cities for People</em>, if Phoenix could take lessons from New York, and "the needs of the urban habitat of homo sapiens."
Feds Overwhelmed By TIGER II Requests
Around 1,000 applications came pouring in to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation seeking TIGER II grants. If all projects were funded, it would add up to 19 billion dollars.
A Central Park Emerges in Downtown Los Angeles
Authorities in Los Angeles are working on a grand plan to unify the city's core with a new Downtown Civic Park Project.
Geolocating Your Fruity Pebbles
"Indoor positioning systems" are getting closer to reality, placing products at your fingertips by tracking them down within the store.
Future Olympic Host Working Around the Clock
Sochi, Russia, is set to play host to the Winter Olympics in 2014. Preparations are fast underway, with construction work happening practically around the clock.
Regional Agencies Abolished in U.K.
Regional Development Agencies, a U.K. fixture that developed regional strategies for placing affordable housing and creating jobs, are being replaced by "Local Enterprise Partnerships", which, as Alison Killing writes, sounds suspiciously different.
Washinton D.C. Becomes Latest City To Launch Bike Share
Washington D.C. became the latest city to launch a bike share scheme Monday. "Like bees tumbling from the nest, scores of riders on ruby-red bicycles swarmed from a lot near Nationals Park to establish Capital Bikeshare," writes Ashley Halsey.
Amtrak Appoints Albrecht Engel To Head High Speed Rail Department
As Amtrak seeks to create and expand high-speed passenger train operations in the United States, the company on Thursday named Philadelphia rail expert Albrecht "Al" Engel to head its new high-speed rail department.
The Car as Protector, and Prosthetic
Asrai Ord explicates Rebecca Solnit's belief that "the car has become a prosthetic… for a conceptually impaired body or a body impaired by the creation of a world that is no longer human in scale."
2,000,000,000 Cars
In 15 years, the number of cars on the road worldwide is expected to hit 2 billion. Dan Sperling thinks focusing on electric vehicles and low carbon fuel standards will allow us to hit number and survive.
Friday Funny: Goats on the Roof™
Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Wisconsin features a traditional sod roof, complete with grazing goats. The Johnson family lawyers have trademarked the animal/roof combination, and sue anyone who does the same.
Celebrating Park(ing) Day 2010
Park(ing) Day, the worldwide event where artists, activists and architects take over parking spaces and transform them into public spaces, happened this week. Wired has pictures from this year's festivities.
Immigrant Growth Powers Houston As A Global City
The growth of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Continental Airlines' largest hub but also one of he principal destinations away from the coasts for international carriers, has vastly increased passenger traffic and allowed Houston's reinvention.
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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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
