The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Houston: City of the Year?
Fast Company chooses Houston as its 2011 City of the Year, citing its sense of opportunity and general affordability as the major reasons for its selection.
How Far Will People Walk to a Park?
Ryan Donahue of the Trust for Public Land says that it depends on age, health, time availability, quality of surroundings, safety, climate, and many other factors.
Real Estate of the Rich and Tyrannical
With Bin Laden's Abbotabad hideaway still in the news, Rob Bear takes us on a tour of despot's palaces and hideaways.
Loved Cities Prosper
When people love a city, it succeeds. That's the semi-obvious conclusion of a recent survey. So why aren't we working hard to make cities people will love?
Preserving Industrial Areas for Jobs
Only 10% of the City of Vancouver, B.C. isn't zoned for residences, and that 10% holds 50% of the city's jobs. Planning director Brent Toderian says it is imperative to preserve the remaining industrial land for employment.
Is the High Line's Success Replicable?
Witold Rybczynski thinks not, saying that the success of the project's "landscape urbanism" is its remarkably dense and urban setting, not the hip design and landscaping.
An Urban Protest Movement Arises in Beirut
A new anti-sectarian political movement has emerged in Lebanon challenging the government. It is mimicking the successful urban strategies of ongoing Arab revolutions, like the occupation of public spaces.
Street Artist JR Turns Stoops Into Portraits
Faces are appearing in Brooklyn, plastered along the slats of front stoops as part of a participatory public art project by famous French street artist JR.
To Beat The Backlash, Expand The Bike Network, Say Planners
Bike lanes have become one of the most controversial topics in all of New York City. For cycling to take hold, the city needs to make sure all groups have equal access to cycling, say a team of Hunter College grad students.
Density Supports Great Retail Environments in Hong Kong
Policy in Hong Kong dictates that development must concentrate on only 25% of the land area, with the remaining 75% preserved as open space. Julia Levitt examines the ingenious density that results.
Emergency Avenue
Your streets could be killing you -- or at least making it harder for emergency services to reach you in times of need.
Investigation Uncovers String of HUD Failures
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has supported roughly 700 affordable housing projects around the country that have never been completed, some stalling out for over a decade.
New York's Unique Storefronts
How to Be A Retronaut features a smattering of photos of New York's unique storefronts, taken by photographers James and Karla Murray. Since the book's release, about a third of the stores have faded from existence.
D.C. Transit Data Now Available on Google Maps
Google announces the addition of D.C.'s Metro and bus routes to their online and mobile maps, including connections to other commuter transit systems.
Downtown Winnipeg's Comeback
Once the site of neglected and abandoned buildings, Winnipeg's downtown is now seeing a host of construction and renovation projects, thanks to its redevelopment corporation, new incentives, a mixed use zoning bylaw -- and a change in perceptions.
Changes in America's Racial Composition
Race and ethnic groups have seen major shifts from the 1990s to today, according to this report from the Brookings Institution.
FEATURE
Gandhinagar Endangered: A Capital's Plan Dismantled
Prakash M Apte, a planner in India, brings us this in-depth and fascinating look at the history of town planning in Gandhinagar, which was developed with an "egalitarian ethos," says Apte, but now it is at risk of becoming "just another suburb."
A 'Gold Rush' in the Wires
Copper demand is on the rise all over the planet. As this post from <em>InfraNet Lab</em> points out, the U.S. has rich deposits -- in its telephone networks.
Making Good Design a National Priority
A growing number of nations are instituting design standards and architecture policies to help make good design a part of the national strategy.
Hong Kong's Unique and Vibrant Retail
Retail shopping in Hong Kong is a diverse experience of density, hidden storefronts and extreme visual stimulation, as this tour of the city's shopping areas shows.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
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.
