The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Recession's Impact on American Cities
<em>Next American City</em> kicks off their new podcast by interviewing the Brookings Institution's Alan Berube about how the economic recession is playing out in American cities and metropolitan areas.
Abandoned Train Infrastructure Becomes Amusement Park
The abandoned infrastructure for an inner-city rail project in Lima, Peru, has been adapted into a playful amusement park.
Homebuilding On the Rise in January
New housing and apartment construction was up 2.8 percent in January, according to the Commerce Department. That's 591,000 new units.
Innovations in Healthy Retail Pay Off
Five speakers detail how programs to beautify streetscapes, improve neighborhood retail climates and bring fresh food to urban stores paid off for store owners and community residents alike.
Infrastructure Emergency
Bob Herbert asks, 'What's wrong with us?' in this editorial on America's crumbling infrastructure and the uphill battle to get it fixed.
FEATURE
The Importance of Being Urban
If we are "urbanists," does that mean we're anti-suburban? Or do choice and economics define our choices? Architect Fanis Grammenos reflects on his own history of shelter and the ideology of urbanism.
Dallas Streetcar is 1 of 51 Projects to Receive Federal Funding
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood announced $1.5 billion in transportation grants this morning, including $23 million towards a streetcar project in Dallas.
Turning an Ethnic Enclave Into An Asset
Lowell, Mass. has one of the largest populations of Cambodian immigrants in the country. City officials want to create a "Little Cambodia" neighborhood to capitalize on that strength without exploiting it.
Sim China?
The US Department of Energy has created a software tool not unlike Sim City that can project scenarios for an actual population's energy, transportation and fuel needs. The software made its debut recently modeling a development in Jinan, China.
The Federal Government's Sustainable Urbanism Challenge
Sustainability is going federal through a new collaboration between HUD, EPA and DOT. Anthony Flint takes a look at the new coordinated effort and some of the challenges it faces.
Qatar Learning Lessons From Dubai's Crash
With its ambitious and extravagant plans, Dubai has fallen hard amid the economic bust. Nearby Qatar, on the other hand, is poised to weather the economic storm a little better.
Transit-Oriented Housing Safer From Foreclosures
New research from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that the chance of foreclosure is higher in places with limited access to public transit.
Metropolitan Well-Being
Richard Florida wades through the newly released results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which looks at emotional and physical health in 52 of America's biggest metropolitan areas.
Parking Meters Becoming Bike Racks
New York follows a trend happening in cities across the country, taking out parking meters in favor of central pay stations and turning some old meters into bike parking.
Death Wish and Robert Moses
Architectural historian Keith Eggener draws a fascinating connection between the film <em>Death Wish</em> and architecture -- and also links the movie's main character with Robert Moses.
The Physical Legacy of Vancouver's Olympics
This piece from <em>Fast Company</em> looks at the legacy that will remain in Vancouver after the Olympics are over.
Millennials Aren't Buying American Dream
The younger generation of Americans will continue to rent rather than buy, predicts the Urban Land Institute.
Olympic Village Named LEED Platinum Neighborhood
The Olympic Village in Vancouver's Southeast False Creek has earned a platinum rating in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system.
San Francisco Looks At Converting Parking to Public Space
Inspired by the home-grown Park(ing) Day parking spot conversion event, the city of San Francisco is launching a pilot project to convert street parking in its North Beach neighborhood to outdoor dining areas and public spaces.
Suburbs Get Taller, But Send Mixed Signals
Chicago's suburbs are growing taller, adding density and height like never before. Blair Kamin argues that these small towns are facing an identity crisis, stuck uncomfortably between city and suburb.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
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.
