The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Bad Habits Persist in Designs for Future Malls
A competition to design the shopping mall of the future produces some surprisingly non-futuristic results, according to juror and commentator Allison Arieff.
Friday Funny: Puppets Impede Public Process
There was much ado at a recent L.A. City Council meeting when a group opposing a new 7-story development was allowed to speak after the project had been approved. It also appears the public speakers were cut short by a puppet show.
Going Green With Brown and Yellow
Planetizen's Nate Berg reports on the latest trend in waste management: 'living machines' that treat human sewage in-house using plants.
BLOG POST
The Housing Boom and Bust: Where Was Planning?
<p class="MsoNormal"> It was the collapse of the housing bubble that triggered the current economic crisis. As is the case in the aftermath of many calamities finger pointing abounds. There are an ample number of would be culprits. Take your pick; The Federal Reserve for keeping interest rates too low, mortgage brokers for pushing inappropriate loans, ratings agencies for blessing dubious securities, the list goes on. A common criticism aimed at all of these culprits is that they lacked the foresight to see the inevitable housing bust. It was the housing bubble that camouflaged all of the bad decisions. </p>
President Obama's Aiming for U.S.-China Deal
The Obama administration is making a U.S.-China deal on climate change a centerpiece, according to The Guardian (UK).
Tiny Town Tries to Recover From Immigration Bust
When an immigration raid brought down the dominant employer in tiny Postville, Iowa, last year, nearly half of the town's population were either deported or lost their jobs. As the town struggles to regain its feet, its learned some tough lessons.
Katrina Trailers for a Buck
Hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast can still live in government-provided trailers to buy their temporary homes for only $1, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Making Brownfield Sunny
A manufacturer of solar systems has planned to develop the country's largest urban solar power plant at a brownfield in Chicago.
A "Softer" Color Scheme for Hotel Facade on Waterfront
The Planning Board of Buffalo has urged the developers of a new hotel on the waterfront to make design changes so that it looks less "bunkerlike".
BLOG POST
wish you were here: liveblog from the Association for Community Design Annual Conference
<p> I’m watching local Rochester-area advocates respond to presentations by three panelists on the subject of “Community Food Supply and Environmental Justice” at the <a href="http://communitydesign.org/Annual_Conference.htm">Association for Community Design annual conference</a>. We’re here hosted by the Rochester <a href="http://www.rrcdc.org/">Regional Community Design Center</a>.
"Rescue" Bill for New York's Mass Transit
The solution to transportation problems in New York lies not just with the city and the state, but also with the federal government.
A New Vision for Delaware Waterfront
The executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission says that the zoning "overlay" of the central Delaware waterfront will be replaced by a new master plan in 12 to 16 months.
The Challenge of Finding People Before Counting Them
Collecting Census data can be a daunting task. But in some places, like New York City, just finding the people to survey can be most of the challenge.
L.A.'s Neighborhoods Defined and Mapped
After months of input on boundaries from readers, the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> has released its map of neighborhoods in the city.
Dry Counties Facing Zoning Issues As Liquor Sales Approved
The Planning and Zoning Commission of Lubbock, Texas is in the process of revamping old zoning to meet a new voter-approved iniative to allow off-premise alcohol sales.
Theft of Bricks Means Buildings Are Crumbling
Rob Powers was researching his architecture thesis in St. Louis, when he made a discovery: local landmark buildings weren't crumbling from age, but from brick theft.
Suburbs 2.0
A review of <em>Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs</em> by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, from Residential Architect Online.
Moving A City
This piece from <em>Wired</em> looks at the Swedish mining town of Kiruna that is literally picking itself up and moving.
Zoning for Turbines
The city of Cumberland, Maryland is prepping a new zoning text amendment to regulate wind turbines, primarily to create height restrictions on turbines over 150 ft. in height.
Americans Love Their Cars, But Are They Willing to Share?
Car industry analysts try to assess the future of the market - will Zipcar and public transit change car ownership forever?
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
