The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Year in Parking
The New York Times uses the events of Park(ing) Day to review the radical changes taking place in the city's parking policies. Tune in on Monday for Planetizen's own coverage of the Los Angeles festivities.
Tent Cities Sprouting Up All Over U.S.
Foreclosures and economic hardships have caused a proliferation of tent cities across the U.S.
Foreclosure Crisis Spawning Tent Cities
Across the country the growing ranks of people made homeless in the foreclosure crisis are generating tent cities.
Dams Threaten Future Water Supplies
Humanity has over-engineered the world's hydrology through dam-building, writes Rachel Olivieri.
Improvement District Strikes Fear in Small Businesses
Tacoma, Washington has created a local improvement district in the Broadway-St. Helens neighborhood to create an 'urban village' and improve old infrastructure, but existing small businesses are afraid of being priced out.
Beachfront Brouhaha in Buffalo City
That's Buffalo City, South Africa, where public open space along the coast is being rezoned to business and residential, to the dismay of locals worried about beach access.
The Death of the Lawn
More and more lawns across the country are getting axed and replaced with gardens.
Seattle's Housing Can't Handle Projected Growth
Seattle is growing, and it's going to have to start thinking about augmenting its single-family neighborhoods with more multi-unit housing if it wants to keep up with the pace of growth.
Bible Park USA Finds New Site, After Failing to Get TIF
Private funders attempting to build a $175 million Bible theme park asked for tax-increment financing to reach their goal. The county also denied a re-zoning request, but the park has found a new home in neighboring Wilson County.
Predicting McCain and Obama's Effect on Cities
Neal Pierce asks the question, 'Who's Best for Cities, McCain or Obama?' The evidence has been difficult to come by, but Pierce unearths some clues and makes some logical predictions.
In Energy, It's 'All Of The Above' That's Necessary
An MIT professor testified before Congress for a broad policy to address energy and climate crises - including carbon pricing, carbon sequestration, expanded fossil fuel and nuclear production, and more research spending.
'I Hate Green Architecture'
Cathleen McGuigan, Newsweek's architecture critic, is disdainful of the hype surrounding green architecture, particularly because it so often doesn't address the main problems with land use: proximity to jobs and services, and oversized development.
The Air-Powered Car is a Reality
The question, as WorldChanging's Adam Stein says, is whether it works well enough. A company called Zero Pollution Motors claims that its new, improved model will go 848 miles on one tank of compressed air.
Toronto's High-Rise Boom Could Mean End of Sprawl
Toronto is swimming in high-rise construction, with the second highest rate in the world. Some say this shift to the urban core spells the end of sprawl in Toronto.
The Books of Moses
Robert Moses, New York's controversial master builder, is the subject of a new series of novels.
The Bust Belt
How exurban expansion paves the way for the next housing crisis.
Can New York's Transit System Stave Off Financial Disaster?
The first public hearing on how to shore up the MTA's finances was held on Monday. Congestion pricing was widely mentioned as part of the solution, but more will be necessary to maintain and expand the nation's largest transit system.
Roadmap to a Green Economy
A new report from the Center for American Progress recommends a 'green' economic overhaul for the U.S. that would create a "comprehensive clean energy transformation" for the country.
Chinatown Debates Gentrification, as Hipsters Descend
New York's Chinatown has been impenetrable to non-Chinese entrepreneurs for a century, but new glitzy bars and restaurants are beginning to push through. In a neighborhood that has suffered since 9/11, locals debate the merits of outsider investment.
Scraper Bikes: Urban and Internet Phenomenon
Scraper bikes, tricked-out bicycles adopted from scraper cars (with wheels so big they scrape the inside of the wheel well), have become increasingly popular among carless teens in Oakland, CA.
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.
