The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
What Good is Public Art?
San Diego's mayor has announced he's recommending the city pull the plug on art funding for the time being, triggering a debate over the role of public art in society.
New Jersey Moves Away From McMansion Trend
In the face of a recent report showing that sprawl was rapidly eating up developable land in New Jersey, developers have begun to ditch the McMansion in favor of taller and more dense projects.
Deciding The Fate Of Long Island Bus
It appears to be a case of brinkmanship between suburban Nassau County and the regional Metropolitan Transportation Authority over how to fund Long Island Bus, with riders and workers the only sure losers.
Bike-Sharing? Check. Now on to Car-Sharing
Next June, Paris will begin a test phase of a citywide electric car-sharing program.
Traffic Restraint As Alternative to Congestion Pricing
Yonah Freemark reports that there are more politically palatable ways to ease traffic congestion than congestion pricing.
A Post-Sprawl Los Angeles
CNN's Richard Quest takes an incredulous look at the changes brewing in Los Angeles as downtown revitalizes and the city densifies.
Las Vegas Faces Unique Road to Recovery
While other parts of the country see economic improvement, Las Vegas continues to experience the deepest crisis of its modern history. Is its leisure-based economy to blame?
Dallas Considers Electronic Billboards
The city's 10-year ban on construction of new signage is challenged as the local billboard industry asks to replace traditional models with digital technology.
A Tale of Two Tall Towers
Josh Leon reports on his time "around two instructive pieces of vertical architecture that could presumably be competitors in a transoceanic race between the US and China for economic hegemony."
ARC Cancellation Signals Larger Woes
Paul Krugman bemoans the death of the Access to the Region's Core project. He says it is symptomatic of a national resistance to address critical infrastructure and economic challenges.
Jean Nouvel Tower Cut Down To Size
Nicolai Ouroussoff, The New York Times' architecture critic, argues that philistine planning decisions such as the one that restricted the height of Jean Nouvel's proposed tower last month, "risk transforming a living city into an urban mausoleum."
Religion and Neighborliness
Ben Brown reads Robert Putnam's new book, which explores the ways in which religion in the U.S. causes greater intolerance but simultaneously a greater civic engagement and likelihood of helping others through charitable acts.
Reviews and Reflections on the Best New Urban Parks
<em>The New Republic</em> offers a look and review of some of the nation's best new urban parks.
Reframing the Sustainability Argument
This podcast features a discussion with designer Bruce Mau, who talks about sustainability and why he loves the suburbs.
The Fastest-Growing Cities in the World
Writing for <em>Forbes</em>, Joel Kotkin looks at the fastest-growing cities in the world, and shows how powerhouse cities like New York and Mumbai are being challenged by lesser known places.
L.A. the Most Congested? Maybe Not
The Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility Report ranks the country's most congested cities, a list almost always topped by Los Angeles. But as Mark Vallianatos writes, the ranking misrepresents reality.
Stuttgart Roiled By Conflict Over Proposed Development
A plan to underground the central train station of Stuttgart and create a new city neighborhood above it is so controversial that violent protests have broken out.
Downtown Dallas Breaks Freeways' Concrete Stranglehold
Dallas is hoping to break the ring of concrete created by the surrounding Central Expressway and Interstates 30 and 35.
Cities of Light
Leni Schwendinger says that cities don't pay enough attention to the way lighting effects the built environment. She's currently working on the lighting for Times Square's new pedestrianized streets.
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.
