The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Rewiring Manila to Avoid Devastation of Natural Disasters

The leading architect and urban planner from the Philippines is calling on the city of Manila to take stronger precautions in the face of earthquakes and other natural disasters.

March 3 - Philippine Daily Inquirer

BLOG POST

Rise of the Cruisers

<p> A few weeks back, I had a meeting at the University of Southern California&#39;s campus. It was a moderately nice day by Los Angeles standards, which in other parts of the country would equate to the best day of the year weather-wise. As I walked among the brick buildings, I was impressed by the number of bicycles parked willy-nilly around the grounds. </p> <p> <img src="/files/u20704/cruisers_at_USC.gif" alt="Cruiser bikes on the USC Campus." title="Cruiser bikes on the USC Campus." width="301" height="226" /> </p>

March 2 - Tim Halbur

Banks Swing Hammers to Finish Homes

Builders can't get credit but they may get jobs from banks, who, because of foreclosures, have unfinished homes that they need help completing.

March 2 - Wall Street Journal

Fully-Separated Busway Planned for NYC

NY's Dept. of Transportation has released pictures of a planned separated bus route on 34th St., which would be a first for the city.

March 2 - Streetsblog

BLOG POST

The End of Sprawl As We Know It...NOT

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">As the housing market collapsed and gasoline prices spiked in 2007, many planners may have read Cornell University law professor Eduardo Penalver’s essay in the </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Washington Post</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> with more than a little satisfaction.

March 2 - Samuel Staley


No Dough for Smart Growth

The desire to create walkable neighborhoods is alive in cities around the U.S., but the recession has made it difficult or impossible to follow through.

March 2 - Washington Examiner

The Challenges of Sustaining Smart Growth Over Time

In the late '90s a trio of North Carolina suburbs tried to ditch their suburban past with a new, much lauded Smart Growth planning effort that revised the way they used their land. The success of the celebrated developments didn't last long.

March 2 - Citiwire


Johannesburg's BRT Controversy Underscores Class Issues

<em>Treehugger</em> takes a look at the new bus rapid transit system in Johannesburg, South Africa, and explores some of the controversy and tension that surrounds it.

March 2 - Treehugger

Intelligent Buildings in the Environment

Through digital displays and environmental sensors, new architecture projects are creating a visual way to monitor environmental conditions in specific places.

March 2 - CNN

San Diego Looks At Density to Meet Projected Housing Demand

With population estimates adding an additional 1.2 million people to the San Diego region in the next 40 years, planners say the region will need nearly 400,000 additional housing units to meet the demand.

March 2 - San Diego Union-Tribune

Community Gardens Sprout in Seattle

Activists in Seattle have created a community garden on empty land to help provide food for the city's needy.

March 2 - The Seattle Times

How Building Codes Saved Chile

Chile's 8.5 earthquake resulted in a significantly lower death toll than the recent quake in Haiti. Partly it was the location of the epicenter, but strict building codes played a part as well.

March 2 - The Infrastructurist

Mayor Bing Says It's Time to Downsize Detroit

"If we don't do it, you know this whole city is going to go down," said the Mayor. A new study by the mayor's staff shows that roughly one in three parcels are vacant lots or abandoned homes.

March 2 - The Detroit News

New TODs Face Competition, Parking Issues

Recent transit-oriented developments in Maryland have mixed success. Demographics are on their side, but lack of parking and fierce competition make retail a significant challenge.

March 1 - The Washington Post

In Land Of Hi-Tech, Why Do Newspapers Flourish?

Palo Alto is where Silicon Valley started, yet locals eagerly pick up the Daily Post, the Daily News, as well as read PaloAlto-Online. The New York Times investigates why print media flourishes here while regional and national papers struggle.

March 1 - The New York Times - U.S.

Arrest Made as L.A. Cracks Down on Illegal Billboards

In an unprecedented move, L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has placed a business owner under arrest for posting an illegal "supergraphic" billboard.

March 1 - The Los Angeles Times

From Motor City to Mode D'Art City?

Between official encouragement, revived art institutes and "guerrilla" artists, Detroit is becoming a magnet for artists as it seeks creative ways to revitalize.

March 1 - The Globe and Mail

A New/Old Neighborhood in Cairo

A group of development agencies came together to undertake a historic-preservation and community-development effort in Cairo's Al-Darb al-Ahmar community. The project was such a success that they're still working, by invitation, restoring the area.

March 1 - Metropolis Magazine

Can States Afford High-Speed Rail?

Federal money is making high-speed rail possible, but state governments are unsure if they can afford to maintain and operate the systems once they are in place.

March 1 - Stateline.org

A Successful "Blue-Green Alliance" At Port Of LA

The single largest source of air pollution in Southern California are the Ports of LA and Long Beach. Environmentalists, environmental justice advocates, and Teamsters are working together to replace offending diesel drayage trucks.

March 1 - The New York Times - Business

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.