The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
City Going Broke Maintaining Public Spaces
The City of Walnut, California says it is shelling out $300,000 a year to light streets and maintain public parks and plazas. The property tax assessment that is supposed to pay for maintainance hasn't been increased since the 1990s.
Building Boom In Land Of Foreclosures
It seems inconceivable - building new homes next to new, vacant homes, but with depressed prices for land and labor a new market for home-buyers who missed out on foreclosure sales has developed in states hit worst by the housing crisis.
Creative Reuse Nets Local Food
What can you do with an old crane factory? Turn it into a fish farm, and a hydroponic produce operation.
LaHood Rides MagLev
The line may only be 12 miles, but the train speeds at 312 mph. The Secretary of Transportation was in Japan as part of the effort to bring high speed rail to the U.S. though it's not clear whether he is in fact considering the maglev technology.
Working From Home: An Urban Planning Revolution
A piece in The Atlantic argues that telecommuting trends could have significant impacts on the built environment.
FEATURE
Turning Downtown into Suburbia – The Case of Hartford, Connecticut
When we think of sprawl, we usually picture suburban life. But inner cities also took on the character of sprawl when freeways came in and were buildings torn down, say Christopher T. McCahill and Norman Garrick.
Senate Climate Bill Called A Gas Tax
The American Power Act climate legislation</a> by Senators Kerry and Lieberman, unveiled May 12, does have fees that oil refineries must pay, but is it a stretch to call the bill a disguised gas tax? Edmunds.com analyses American Solutions charge.
Evolving Beyond the Long Commute
Car commutes used to be long by necessity. But that's no longer the case, according to Richard Florida in this video from <em>The Atlantic</em>.
Trying to Fit In With the Cool Kids
This post from <em>The Urbanophile</em> explores the world of city branding, and argues that some cities are making the mistake of ignoring their own assets and focusing on trying to embrace the successful assets of others.
Explaining Houston's Lack of Effective Public Transit
Despite being one of the largest cities in the U.S., public transit in Houston has not kept up with its population growth. Kristie Lewis offers five reasons why.
Cities Seek to Quantify Rise in Bicycle Ridership
Planners in cities across the country are installing electronic sensors to track how many people are making use of bike lanes and trails.
BLOG POST
I Am Not a Monkey, and Other Lessons From Planning School
<p> Tomorrow morning, I'll don a long black robe, a funny-looking hat and an atrocious brown hood to cap off an adventuresome journey through planning school. Almost two years ago, <a href="/node/34730">I decided to leave a healthy career</a> in journalism to enter a field that, by contrast, might still <em>have</em> careers a decade from now. It's been 21 months of angst, overwork, undersleep, and hours-long battles with American FactFinder. And it's been completely, totally worth it. </p> <p> Here are a few of the best lessons learned from two hard-fought years of planning education. </p>
Bridge Construction Shutters Famous Skate Area
Bridge construction in New York City threatens to shut down an infamous and informal skatepark.
The Rapid Growth of China's Rapid Transit
This post from <em>The Transport Politic</em> tracks the growth and planned expansion of rapid transit projects all across China
A Possible Dead End for High Speed Rail
Despite what seemed to be a gung-ho Federal government, high speed rail could flop in the U.S., according to this piece from <em>The Infrastructurist</em>.
Streets Improved, And Now the Bill
A variety of road and streetscape improvement projects in San Francisco are reviving the city's streets. But now, the city has to ask itself whether it wants to keep paying for these improvements.
Scales Tip Towards Cities in China
A new report predicts that more than 50% of China's population will live in cities by 2020.
Targeting Private Buildings For Energy Reduction
If cities want to curb energy use, they should focus on private buildings, according to this article.
How Sprawl Created the Gulf Oil Spill
This commentary from <em>Urban Omnibus</em> looks at how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a problem with roots in unsustainable land use.
Pencil Pushers the Culprit in New York Fires
A new nonfiction book called "The Fires" reveals how The RAND Corporation suggested money-saving cuts for New York City that resulted in a season of deadly fires in the city's poorest neighborhoods.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
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
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.
