The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Friday Funny: School's Out, Bar's Open
Revelations that a school cafeteria in Philadelphia is being used as a nightclub on the weekends has outraged locals and parents.
Renovating Chicago's Union Station
Chicago's Union Station is announcing a potential upgrade in order to prepare for future high speed rail construction, says The Christian Science Monitor.
Planners are Key to Fixing Food Systems
Due to complexity of the issues related to our food system, altering the food system requires the type of interdisciplinary, comprehensive thinking at which urban planners excel.
Beirut is Booming
The booming real estate market in Beirut is causing the rapid disappearance of the city's history, says Guardian critic Deen Sharp.
Highway Trust Fund Bailed Out With $19.5 Billion 'Reimbursement'
One of the most significant pieces of legislation for transportation was last month's job bill that contained essential transportation provisions, including extension of the transportation act, $19.5 Billion to HTF, $4.6 billion to Buy America Bonds.
Disney's Secret Land Grab
A new book details how Walt Disney secretly secured the land for Walt Disney World in Florida, and created a special district of his own to give the company unprecedented control over the area.
Jacobs vs. Moses: The Clash Revisited
Roberta Brandes Gratz has released her own account of the showdown between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses, with her own history of growing up in New York interwoven. George Beane has this review.
Land Use, Transportation and the World Cup in South Africa
Nate Berg reports on the effects of the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. Will the stadia be built on time? And what will be the impact on after they're built?
Comeback Cities
Paul Grogan headed LISC for 13 years in the 1980s and 1990s, and it's been 10 years since his influential book, "Comeback Cities", was published. How has Mr. Grogan's "blueprint for urban revival" held up, ten years on?
How To Design Your Own Speed Bump - In German
A German homeowner is frustrated with the traffic in his neighborhood, so he designs and installs his own speed bump for his street. While there are no English subtitles, the pictures and sounds illustrate the directions and results all too well.
4/1 Funny: "Demographer Today" Magazine Targets Demographers
Audio advertisement from The Onion highlights how the new magazine "Demographer Today" will present data about people for people interested in data about people.
A Closer Look at Dockside Green
Dockside Green, a development in Victoria, B.C., is a breathtaking model of urban regeneration, brownfield reuse, green design, and community building, says Ken Pirie.
Chicago's $1.3 Million Experiment in Democracy
In a Chicago Tribune op-ed, Alderman Joe Moore explains why he is letting residents decide how to spend his $1.3m ward budget, through the first Participatory Budgeting process in the US.
A NYC Housing Code Rarely Enforced - Fortunately
Fortunately for the unrelated roommates, that is, because in NYC the housing code prohibits more than three to live under the same roof. By one estimate, that would make at least 15,000 units illegal. This article looks at several of them.
LEED Certification For Parking: Reserve Space For Low Emitters
A Marin County shopping mall hopes to be the first LEED-certified mall, partly by reserving parking space for low emitting vehicles. All spaces, for guzzlers and green vehicles alike, are unpriced, perhaps pointing to shortfalls of green building.
Creative Class Breathes New Life into Empty Spaces
The recession has left many real estate properties empty across the country. In Los Angeles, some of those empty spaces are being revived by the city's artists.
Success in San Francisco Alleyways
This piece from <em>The Examiner</em> looks at the alleyways of San Francisco and how they have become activated in recent years.
Obama: Drill, Baby, Drill
President Barack Obama has lifted a ban on drilling for oil off the coast of the eastern U.S. Critics say the move won't meet the stated goal of achieving energy independence, while proponents say this is only the first step that needs to be taken.
Bringing Life to the Streets of the UAE
This oped from <em>The National</em> calls for increased attention to the streetscapes of the United Arab Emirate, specifically the lack of non-palm trees and seating.
FEATURE
Five Things You Need To Know About High-Speed Rail
To inaugurate the launch of our new website with exclusive coverage of high-speed rail, we asked David J. Carol, Market Leader of High-Speed Rail at Parsons Brinkerhoff to tell us what we need to know about the U.S.'s exciting new endeavor.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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.
