The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
New Maps Show Broad Range of Earthquake Risk in U.S.
<p>New earthquake hazard maps from the U.S. Geological Survey show increased earthquake risk areas beyond typical hotspots like California. Geologists say planners and local officials should react to the maps by updating building codes.</p>
Downtown Tram Planned for Burj Dubai
<p>Plans for a 4.6 km tramway have been announced for downtown Burj Dubai -- a $136 million transit system intended to link major developments in the rapidly rising emirate.</p>
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Bandwidth-Oriented Development
<img src="/files/u4/20080425-cable-map.png" alt="Submarine Cable Map, courtesty of Telegeography (http://www.telegeograph.com)" title="Submarine Cable Map, courtesty of Telegeography (http://www.telegeograph.com)" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="243" height="179" align="right" />So how do you permit and build a 4,000-mile undersea communication cable system? And why do we care?<br />
Does LEED Have a Big City Bias?
<p>The vast majority of LEED-certified green buildings in the U.S. are located in major cities, leading some to wonder whether there might be an inherent bias in LEED's standards.</p>
Atlanta Survey Respondents Support Tax for Transit
<p>A survey of residents in metro Atlanta shows that 58% of residents would support an additional 1-cent tax to fund public transit.</p>
Critical Mass on Eight Wheels
<p><em>Streetfilms</em> looks at the livable streets movement in Paris and a twice-weekly "critical mass" over roller skaters that often brings crowds of thousands.</p>
Friday Funny: Cop Gets Parking Ticket
<p>After noticing a illegally parked police car, a Portland, Oregon lawyer made use of a state law provision that allows private citizens to issue parking tickets.</p>
Controversial Homemade Robo-Cop Fights Vagrancy
he satirical news show The Colbert Report takes a look at the "BumBot"—a robot used by an Atlanta bar owner to dispel vagrants from his property. Some citizens say the robot is dehumanizing, but others call it a hero.
New Orleans Small Business Rising from the Ruins
<p>As proposals for big-box retail projects mount in New Orleans, many small business owners who are returning to the city worry about the coming competition. A documentary is currently being filmed about the recovering city's business atmosphere.</p>
Is Grand Canyon Skywalk a Road to Prosperity?
<p>This segment from <em>NPR</em> looks at what's happened since a Native American tribe in Arizona opened a glass-floored walkway extending over the Grand Canyon.</p>
Solving Civic Problems in a Post-Fact Society
<p>How does a rapidly changing news media affect big city planning? Badly, according to this post from <em>Next American City</em>.</p>
Dubai Floats Idea to Build Around Sea Level Problems
<p>With rising sea levels and a penchant for ambitious new building ideas, Dubai is moving forward with plans to construct floating buildings and islands.</p>
'Jaw-Dropping' Mansion Opposed by Neighbors
<p>This video from <em>CNN</em> looks at a home being planned in Connecticut that will have 26 toilets.</p>
'America's Most Endangered River'
American Rivers has named the Catawba River--which spans both Carolinas--as America's Most Endangered River for 2008, citing rapid development and outdated water supply management as factors in its ranking.
L.A. Offered Funding, With Toll Road Ultimatum
<p>The federal government is tempting officials in Los Angeles County with more than $200 million in transportation funding -- but only if the county converts some highway lanes to congestion pricing toll lanes.</p>
The Island of Garbage
<p>This 12-part video series from <em>Vice</em> gives a gritty look at the Texas-sized patch of plastic flotsam that has formed in the Pacific Ocean -- and the global environmental and health hazards it presents.</p>
Learning From China's Building Boom
<p>China's booming cities have a lot to teach western architects, planners, and urban policy makers, says professor Thomas J. Campanella.</p>
Growth Slows Down in D.C. Suburbs
<p>Census data shows that growth rates in the formerly high-growth counties surrounding Washington D.C. are beginning to drop off, and in some cases, are going in to the negative.</p>
How Paris Is Beating Traffic
<p>After the fall of congestion pricing, should New York look to Paris for ideas on how to reclaim its streets?</p>
More Californians Losing Their Homes
<p>The latest figures show that more than 500 California households have gone into foreclosure each day in the first quarter of 2008.</p>
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
