The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

Free NY/NJ Ferry Service For Bicyclists?

The epic, years-long battle for converting one Holland Tunnel tube to a bicycle/pedestrian-only facility may find compromise in this proposed free ticket voucher program for bicycle-toting ferry passengers.

May 29 - Ian Sacs

Killing Chicago's Economy: Quantifying the Costs of Gun Violence

The value of a single life lost or destroyed by gun violence is incalculable. But the cumulative impact of such savagery has consequences for a city's economy in the form of 'shuttered businesses, lost wages, disability checks and depopulation.'

May 28 - Bloomberg

Housing Rebound Gains Strength

For the third consecutive month, each of the 20 cities tracked by Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller home price index is showing higher housing prices over last year.

May 28 - The New York Times

Google Maps Store

Will Google Maps Destroy Public Space?

With the latest redesign of Maps, Google is personalizing the mapping experience to reflect the places we, and our friends, frequent. In doing so, will the technology giant eliminate serendipitous "entanglements" from the urban experience?

May 28 - Slate

Road Diet

How to Road Diet Cheaply and Easily

Provoked by the excessively wide road in front of his home to ponder the options by which cash strapped cities might place suburban streets on road diets, land use attorney Bill Adams comes up with one possibility - give away the excess.

May 28 - UrbDeZine.com


With NYC's Plan to Elevate Buildings, Chaban Asks 'Will Jane Jacobs Float?'

Hurricane Sandy made New York's increasing vulnerability to extreme storms apparent, and the need elevate buildings in flood-prone areas imperative. This task is made particularly challenging due to the prevalence of multistory buildings.

May 28 - Crain's New York Business

Pedicabs Pick Up Speed in Southern California

After decades of false starts and resistance, Southern California communities are building on their expanding cycling infrastructure by embracing pedicabs as part of their growing mix of transportation alternatives.

May 28 - Los Angeles Times


5 Keys to Permitting Better Places

Cities and engaged citizens want to create better places; so why is it so difficult to get a project approved, built, and installed? Reforming the permitting process could unlock the creative powers of citizens and designers to improve their cities.

May 28 - Medium

Wash. Bridge Collapse Exposes Nation's Vulnerable Infrastructure

In a pair of articles, four Wall Street Journal writers delve deeper into the May 24 collapse of the I-5, Skagit Valley Bridge in Washington state and its relationship to our nation's aging transportation infrastructure.

May 28 - The Wall Street Journal

Public Transit Gets Bipartisan Voice in Congress

Congress has an Animal Protection Caucus, a Hockey Caucus, and a Kidney Caucus, so it's about time the millions of Americans who rely on public transit for their daily transportation needs had a voice in D.C.

May 28 - The Hill's Transportation Blog

After Several Delays, NYC Bike Share Begins

Memorial Day has been honored in America for 150 years, but you might excuse New Yorkers for celebrating an entirely different holiday yesterday - the long-waited launch of the country's largest bike-share program.

May 28 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

The Technology Enhanced City

Explore how people across the world are working to develop technology enhanced solutions to challenges facing their cities.

May 27 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Lighting Designers Project a Bright Future for Our Cities

Utilizing new approaches and new technologies for illuminating the built environment, lighting designers are helping to create safer, more dynamic, and more accessible cities.

May 27 - The Architect's Newspaper

Does Public Housing Need an Ad Campaign?

Perceptions of public housing are contradictory. Most approve of it for their communities, but most don't want to live near it. A new public relations initiative seeks to educate the general public on the benefits of public housing to everyone.

May 27 - The Atlantic Cities

Atlanta Embraces Big Data

An app for locating discarded tires and a program to map the condition of the city's sidewalks are two examples of local initiatives aimed at improving Atlanta's environment. With the Mayor's embrace, the city is trying to catch up to tech trends.

May 27 - Creative Loafing Atlanta

Phoenix Dust Storm

The Ten American Cities Most At Risk from Climate Change

Grist has compiled a list of the ten U.S. cities most likely to be affected by climate change.

May 27 - Grist

What Happens When Student Renters Crowd Out Homeowners?

The growing imbalance of student housing and single family homeowners in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh is affecting the surrounding community. A new master plan seeks to maintain a healthy equilibrium between the housing options.

May 27 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Prefab is Having a Moment; Can it Sustain the Momentum?

With a modular high-rise planned for Brooklyn, a modular design winning Manhattan's micro-unit apartment competition, and several other prefabricated buildings on the drawing board throughout the U.S., prefab is getting a relook.

May 26 - The New York Times

Data Centers: The Next Trend in Adaptive Reuse?

Sears is planning to convert a number of its shuttered buildings into data centers. Could this become a trend for the reuse of vacant buildings nationwide?

May 26 - Motherboard

Pittsburgh Poised to Elect Progressive Urbanist as Mayor

With promises of creating a strong planning department, increasing bicycle mode share, and focusing development around transit, Bill Peduto won Pittsburgh's Democratic mayoral primary this past week. His win is being hailed by urbanists nationwide.

May 26 - DC.Streetsblog

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.