The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Finding Public Space Wherever They Can in Cairo

Dense Cairo has few sanctioned public spaces. So residents make do wherever they can.

June 21 - The New York Times

Light Rail in Phoenix

The Phoenix Region recently opened a 20-mile light rail serving three cities. StreetFilms brings you a video profile of the new system.

June 20 - la.streetsblog.org

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail

Downtown Indianapolis' revitalization created several thriving cultural districts, but gaps in the urban fabric made them seem distant and unconnected. Planners' solution? The Indianapolis Cultural Trail.

June 20 - The Architect's Newspaper

Sustainable Sites Initiative: A New Stand-alone Rating System

The National Building Museum recently held a session on Sustainable Sites Initiative, which outlines voluntary guidelines for sustainable practices.

June 20 - THE DIRT

New York's Coney Island Makeover Moves Forward

New York City's planning commission recently approved a plan to revitalize Coney Island.

June 20 - Crain's New York Business


Community Design With A Side of Pie

At PieLab in Greensboro, Alabama, locals mingle with designers attempting to do use design to do good, with a slice of pie on the side.

June 20 - Fast Company

Smart Growth Suburbia?

The Lighthouse at Long Island is a proposed 5.5 million sq. ft. of mixed-use development covering 150 acres of Nassau County. The developers see it as a new form of smart growth suburbia.

June 19 - The New York Times


Agricultural Land, Permanently

25 farmers in Fairfield County, Ohio are attempting to prevent future development by preserving their farmland in permanent agricultural use.

June 19 - The Columbus Dispatch

Bike Plan Booed

The Los Angeles City Council's Transportation Committee revealed its new proposed bicycle plan on Weds. to a packed house and a chorus of boos.

June 19 - LAist

Boulder Limiting House Size

The buying and selling of development rights heats up in Boulder County.

June 19 - Daily Camera

Treetops in the Rooftops

A NY-based landscape architect, Thomas Balsley, FASLA, has created a new type of green roof using Austrian pines.

June 19 - THE DIRT

Does Paris Have a Bike-Stealing Program?

Paris' bike-sharing program Vélib was supposed to make commuting more civilized; instead it has become the subject of widespread theft and abuse.

June 19 - The Globe and Mail

Going to the Races

Locals are concerned that a real estate development approved to replace Hollywood Park, one of California's few remaining thoroughbred racetracks, will be underused in this housing crisis.

June 19 - The Architect's Newspaper

Walking On Air

SOM designs observation platforms that allow visitors to walk on the air. A new platform is planned for Chicago's Sears Tower.

June 19 - The Architect's Newspaper

Anti-Transit Bias Revealed in Museum Exhibit

Conrad DeFebre of Minnesota 2020 went to an exhibit about transportation at the Minnesota History Center titled "Going Places: The Mystique of Mobility" and found an overt bias against transit.

June 19 - Minnesota 2020

Retailers Fleeing Detroit

As recently as the turn of this century, retailers were taking a chance on downtown Detroit. But today, Starbucks, Borders and others are pulling their stores out.

June 19 - The Wall St. Journal

BLOG POST

Architecture You Can Dance To

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to an interview with the band <a href="http://blitzentrapper.net/vids.html">Blitzen Trapper</a> on my iPod. They’ve got a beautiful song called ‘Furr’; the sound echoes 1970s folk rock- and roots influences like English folk, country and bluegrass.  Anyway, Eric Early, the main songwriter, got my attention with his answer to this question:<br /> <br /> <blockquote> <em>INTERVIEWER: Obviously ‘American music’ means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?<br /> </em>

June 18 - Tim Halbur

Obama Administration Snubs Mayors

Representatives of the Obama Administration, including VP Biden, were set to be a part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors last week, but they cancelled their appearance so as not to cross a union picket line outside.

June 18 - Citiwire.net

The Return of Streetcar Architecture

Portland, Oregon sees the revival of building styles not seen since the last time streetcars rolled through the city.

June 18 - The Oregonian

Fresh in Philly

Philadelphians (and the Obama administration) sing the praises of the city's Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which works to bring healthy produce and groceries to underserved locations.

June 18 - Philadelphia Daily News

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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.