The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
A Vehicle For The Times
While auto sales are in the toilet, bicycle shops are having a banner year. The Infrastructurist reports on the pedaling revolution.
Linking Health to the Built Environment
This video lecture calls on builders, architects and planners to work with the medical and scientific communities to better explore how the built environment affects public health.
Making Sense of Street Vendor Regulations
The Center for Urban Pedagogy wants to make city codes understandable to the people that are impacted. With that in mind, CUP tackled New York's regulations for street vendors.
A Whole New World
Sara Robinson of the Campaign for America's Future outlines in the first of a series of articles why we simply won't be able to "return to normal."
San Antonio Saves The Trees
Officials in San Antonio say they've closed a legal loophole that allowed developers to clear trees for ranching or farming.
Jobs Sprawling in Metro Areas
Recent research from the Brookings Institution looks at 98 metropolitan areas and finds that fewer people are working close to downtowns, and there are fewer jobs located in those areas.
The New Oregon Wilderness
Oregon has just received a wilderness designation on more than 200,000 acres of land. Environmentalists are welcoming the move, which they hope will protect sensitive lands from development and misuse.
How to Make Pedestrian-Friendly Streets
GOOD Magazine illustrates what makes a street pedestrian-friendly, from bollards to bulb-outs.
Beijing Extends Car Restrictions
A slightly watered-down version of the traffic reduction methods the Chinese city of Beijing instituted in Summer 2008 to reduce congestion and pollution during the Olympics has been extended for another year.
Fighting Climate Change with White Paint
Painting roofs white could have a major impact on global carbon emissions, according to three scientists. But what may seem like a wacky idea has years of data to back it up.
GM and Segway Team Up For Small Street Vehicle
The P.U.M.A. is an experimental prototype that takes Segway technology and fits it to a two-person commuter car frame.
The Auto Bailout's "Policy Paradox"
The American and Canadian governments are caught in a "policy paradox:" they want to promote green vehicles but they need to save their domestic auto industries. Both may not be possible, says Konrad Yakabuski.
A Case for LEED-ND: The LEED Platinum Suburban Office Park
A new LEED Platinum building in suburban Minneapolis may be the greenest single building in the state, but what about all those who must drive there? The City of Lakes blog looks at the fallacy of LEED rankings when location is not factored in.
Homelessness on the Rise
The results from a nationwide homelessness count submitted to HUD in January reveal that many cities are showing a dramatic surge in the need for services to the homeless.
BLOG POST
A Stop Gap Between Vespa And Smart Car?
<p> Posted today on CNN, optimistically under “SPECIAL REPORT – Detroit’s Downfall”, was a <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/07/autos/gm_segway/index.htm">brief</a> about GM and personal transport company Segway collaborating on a project called “Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility” (P.U.M.A.). Along with some future-thinking gush about vehicle interconnectivity are eye candy photos of the traditional Seqway chassis redesigned as a side-by-side two-seater with a degree of weather protection and other accommodations to make the vehicle a tad more practical than the original stand-up version. For those who find the Smart car a tad dumb on the bang:buck ratio but are not about to don a helmet and go the scooter route, the P.U.M.A. may offer a new market segment.
Whither Vacant Buildings?
Officials in Fort Worth, Texas, are searching for ways to deal with buildings left vacant by businesses struggling during the recession. Other cities and the state of Texas are also addressing the issue.
Can Detroit Come Back?
As Time Magazine observes, Detroit is the icon of the failing American city, but 'vast swaths of it don't look like a city at all.' Some say 'missing teeth' of Detroit make it a prime candidate to infill appropriately, and 'right-size'.
TOD Boom Goes Bust in Seattle
A transit-oriented development boom in Southeast Seattle is coming to a halt, as the economic recession sets in.
Lagos BRT Seen As Success
Officials in Lagos, Nigeria, are praising the recently installed Bus Rapid Transit system as making distinct improvements in mobility for the crowded and growing African city.
Can Older Houses be Energy Efficient?
We don't need to build new energy efficient homes as much as we need to refurbish the existing housing stock to make it more energy efficient, writes Richard Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
