The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BLOG POST
Money for Nothing? Not Anymore. (Chicks, Though? Still Free.)
<p> Almost a month into planning school, I can see the profession’s all about improvisation. How do you think on your feet when a client doesn’t like your design? What other cities can you turn to when a sudden mandate comes down to look for policy innovation? </p> <p> Or let’s say you’re a planning professor. The financial markets have started a tailspin, eating themselves alive and swallowing MBAs whole. How’s your lesson plan gonna change? </p>
Rail Safety Bill Mired In Amtrak Politics
Federal legislation that would require and partially fund Positive Train Control technology, which, had it been installed by Metrolink, would have prevented the Sept. 12 crash, is held up in the Senate by a fiscal hawk wary of funding Amtrak.
Neighbors Oppose Possible Street Sale in New York
One of New York City's smallest and least-known streets is attracting the eyes of private developers, and the city seems keen to sell. But neighbors say the tiny street is worth preserving.
Specialty Shops Raise Home Values
A recent study of home values in Portland finds that close proximity to such amenities as specialty grocery stores and movie theaters can raise values as much as 20%.
Building Ban to Protect Northwest Salmon
In an effort to protect endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest, the National Marine Fisheries Service is calling for a building moratorium near rivers in the Puget Sound region.
Congestion Pricing Gains Political Traction
California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) makes the case for a congestion pricing pilot program funded by the federal government.
Urban Supermarkets, Suburban Designs
Supermarkets are moving back to urban areas like Philadelphia. But their big box designs are decidedly un-urban, according to architecture critic Inga Saffron, who calls for more relevant urban designs.
Testing Ideas in Dubai
Dubai is increasingly attracting architects and planners as a blank slate, and it's becoming a vibrant testing ground for ideas new and extreme.
Nature Gains Constitutional Rights in Ecuador
A new constitution has been approved in Ecuador, and among its amendments are specific articles that grant inalienable rights to nature.
Margot Gayle, Historic Preservationist, Dies at 100
A crusader for preserving New York's cast-iron historic buildings died Sunday at 100. The Times looks back at her legacy.
No Washing in Washington
Washington State is telling local governments that they need to ban carwashing in driveways, where runoff goes into storm drains and pollutes groundwater.
What Constitutes a 'Floating Home'?
Houseboats may soon appear on Lake Erie, along the Port Clinton, OH waterfront. But first, planners are taking great pains to define what makes a 'floating home.'
The First All-Black Town in the U.S.
Founded in the 1880s, Eatonville, FL was the first all-African American town to be incorporated in the U.S. It is also the childhood home of writer Zora Neale Hurston. Today, the community strives to balance its history and the future.
Incomes to Mix in New L.A. Housing Plan
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is planning to propose a $5 billion housing plan for the city that focuses on mixed-income development and locations near transit. Some applaud the move, but others worry it may not be feasible.
New York Needs a Wrecking Ball
<em>New York Times</em> architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff argues that some buildings make the city worse, and lists of some that need to be demolished. Included in his list are Penn Station, Madison Square Garden and Astor Place.
Doug Farr on Detroit, His Hometown
A Detroit weekly talks to Doug Farr about his life growing up in Detroit and his ideas for bringing sustainable urbanism to the city.
Relating Peak Oil To Auto Dependency And Urban Planning
Daniel Lerch, author of "Post Carbon Cities" presents his thoughts for a new California Dream in a 'post carbon future' in which cars still exist but are used sparingly due to urban planning that reduces their necessity. He looks toward Portland.
BLOG POST
New Orleans on My Mind
<p> <span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Last Thursday night marked the end of an intense two-week team project in my Gateway: Planning (a kind of Introduction to Planning) course.<span> </span>In this project, my classmates and I assumed the role of consultants to a fictitious working group of the real-life New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and prepared and delivered oral briefings on key challenges to post-Katrina housing recovery.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"> </span></span> </p>
Le Mobilien: Parisian Bus Rapid Transit
Paris has invested big in Le Mobilien, its version of Bus Rapid Transit. Streetsblog has a short video profiling the system.
Rule-Bending Keeps Fresno Sprawling
Despite a 2002 General Plan update aimed at curbing sprawl in the Central California city of Fresno, repeated zoning amendments have allowed hundreds of developments to push the city's edge farther out into the fringe.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
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.
