The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Challenge of Water in Illegal Slums
This audio slideshow from <em>Financial Times</em> looks at the severe shortage of clean water in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and what some activists are trying to do to provide clean water for the dwellers of the city's illegal slums.
Friday Funny: Living with Parents as a Housing Strategy
The Onion reports on an "area man" whose decision to live in his parents' basement looks like a wise move.
Decoding the Mediterranean Town
The complex, organic form of Mediterranean towns has been traced to a dynamic system of reproducing building codes.
Parks May Allow Bikes on Trails
The Interior Department is proposing a rule change for National Parks that would open thousands of miles of park trails to mountain bikes. Conflicts between bikers and hikers are expected.
Buffalo Adopting SmartCode
Commissioner of Economic Development Brian Reilly makes the case to overhaul the city's 1951 zoning ordinance to a form-based SmartCode.
Businesses Invest In City Plan To Fight Homelessness
Businesses in Fort Worth, Texas, invest in a city-led plan to combat homelessness.
Smart Growth Success Stories of 2008
Kaid Benfield, Director of the Smart Growth Program at the NRDC, picks some if his favorite success stories of smart growth transformation, from Atlanta's Beltline to Berlin's Hackesche Hofe.
Sea Ranch Still Fascinates
Journalist Patricia Leigh Brown pays a visit to Sea Ranch, the legendary early attempt at ecological community design.
Save a City, Win a Prize
A California state arm called the Bay Conservation and Development Commission has announced plans for a $125,000 contest to come up with ideas for cities to deal with climate change in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Revisiting the Future of Ecotopia
<em>Ecotopia</em> is a '70s cult novel that imagines a future where the Pacific Northwest secedes from the U.S. to become an environmentally-conscious utopian state. The NY Times reflects on the influence of this under-recognized novel.
Reasons to Smile in 2008
Neal Peirce reflects on the happier moments of 2008 -- and a future that seems bent on creating better places and communities.
Chu-Obama Conflict On Gas Taxes?
Nobel laureate and Energy Secretary designee Steven Chu is apparently at odds with the president-elect's position on fuel prices in terms of the price signal it sends to motorists and home-buyers.
Galveston's Gamble
City leaders in Galveston looking for ways to recover from Hurricane Ike turn to an old staple of the local economy: gambling.
The Case Against San Francisco's Congestion Pricing Plan
In this op-ed, "San Francisco is not London", Steve Falk, the CEO of the S.F. Chamber of Commerce, explains why London-style congestion pricing is inappropriate for the downtown core - that it would only hurt businesses without reducing congestion.
Colorado Restricts Drilling
Colorado's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has clamped down on drilling in the state, particularly around sensitive habitats. The booming energy industry in the state is fighting the decision.
Environmental Concerns Surround Dubai Excess
The eccentric megaprojects keep coming in Dubai, leaving some to question the environmental wisdom of so much development in a notoriously water-poor desert.
Remade as a Retail Mecca, Emeryville Falters
Emeryville, CA is a success story of redevelopment. City leaders transformed a decaying industrial area into a booming retail landscape. But with the economic downturn, locals are questioning the wisdom of basing the city on retail.
BLOG POST
Is Your Planning Department Passionate?
<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">As we move into a 2009 full of staggering urban challenges - economic, environmental, social, and leadership challenges - do our planning departments have the passion, creativity and leadership to be what our cities need them to be?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </span> </p>
Unprecedented Urbanization
A new global map released by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre reveals that 95% of the world's population lives on 10% of the land.
The Return of the Cargo Trike
The New Amsterdam Project in Cambridge, Mass., recently debuted a fleet of pedal-powered cargo tricycles, aimed at clients who want to reduce their carbon footprint.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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.
