The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Skylines Rising in New Global Cities
<p>Cities across the world are rising higher and beefing up their skylines with high-profile skyscrapers. A building boom in emerging global cities has put a new face on the battle for the best skyline.</p>
America's First Archaeological Suburb?
<p>Most developers dread finding archaeological remains. Normally it means months of delays and increased costs while archaeologists investigate the site. However, some savvy developers are turning archaeological finds into a marketing advantage.</p>
Propane: Cheaper and Cleaner Than Gasoline?
<p>The California Air Resources board is expected to approve a new propane-fueled engine this week, opening the door for an alternative fuel source for cars and trucks. Supporters say its also convenient because distribution channels already exist.</p>
Zoning for Amusement
<p>Coney Island fights to preserve its history of sideshows and tilt-a-whirls as revitalization steps into the ring.</p>
Rewilding the West
<p>Eco-tourism in North Dakota? It's more likely than you may think, as conservationists, travel agents, and big landowners turn the dwindling population of the Great Plains into an asset.</p>
Transforming Streets Into 'Urban Oases'
<p>A new San Francisco plan seeks to follow in the footsteps of cities like Copenhagen and Portland in revitalizing streets, alleys, medians, and crosswalks. The goal is to bring the city's outdoors to its 'rightful place as the center of civic life.'</p>
Assessing Future Planning Through Film
<p>Film is much more effective than planners or architects at assessing the possible future forms of cities, according to this article from film critic A.O. Scott.</p>
Boise Hopes to Bring Back Trolley
<p>Boise is hoping to follow on the coattails of Little Rock in bringing back a long de-commissioned trolley system to the city's downtown.</p>
Services Lacking in the Servants' Slums
<p>Upwardly-mobile city dwellers in India are heavily reliant on the neighboring slums that house their servants. But many public services are lacking beyond the walls of the affluent developments.</p>
Obsessive Behavior Saves Gas
<p>NPR reports on 'hypermilers', drivers who practice active gas-saving techniques like braking lightly and combining trips. One hypermiler says he isn't doing it to be green: 'The environment I'm concerned with is my wallet.'</p>
Waco Debuts Nation's First 'Green' Chamber Building
<p>The Waco Chamber of Commerce is credited with inspiring a renaissance in downtown, developing their new headquarters on a former parking lot. They hope to receive LEED certification - the first U.S. chamber building to receive this designation.</p>
June is Public Participation in Urban Planning Month
<p>Urban planning commentator Robert Goodspeed declares June "Public Participation in Urban Planning Month" and offers a four part series examining how technology and public participation might be more closely linked.</p>
'Instant Cities' Are Instant, But Not Cities
<p>In this article from <em>The New York Times Magazine</em> looks at "instant cities" like Dubai and Shenzhen that have developed in hyperspeed in recent years, and discusses why they aren't yet "real" cities.</p>
A Bicycle Strategy for Canada?
<p>Toronto environmental lawyer Albert Koehl believes that Canada's Conservative government should embark on a national bicycle strategy.</p>
Obama and McCain's Energy, Environment Policies Compared
<p>The Wall Street Journal and other publications compare the energy and environmental policies of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, presumptive nominees for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.</p>
Finding Ancient Cities Below the Surface
<p>This slideshow form <em>Popular Science</em> takes a step-by-step look at how to detect and uncover ancient buried settlements from satellite imagery.</p>
FEATURE
Planetizen Turns 8: A Look Back
Killing Culs-de-Sac and Growing Smarter for Seniors
<p>The senior population of Erie County, New York, is rising. A 2006 storm revealed difficulties in providing medical services to these seniors because of the sprawled out and cul-de-sac heavy development model. A bill seeks to make that model smarter.</p>
Now That People Are Using Transit, Improve It
<p>Driving is down, transit ridership is up, but few are serisouly talking about how to improve America's transit system, according to this article from <em>Grist</em>, which wonders why.</p>
Easements in the Spotlight, As Colorado Forests Go Residential
<p>As logging declines in Colorado forests, developers are preparing to build in pockets wedged in-between parkland. The proper use of historic easements is at the center of the debate.</p>
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