The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

How to Empower the World's Poor

The key to solving global poverty is possessing secure land and property tenure, according to this opinion piece. Having such security enables poor communities, even those here at home, to make demands from their governments.

November 29 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

From a Zombie Economy to a New Economy

The stream of Washington bailouts is a doomed attempt to revive a 'zombie economy', argues James Howard Kunstler. He believes we need to start organizing new, local economies built around growing food, making things and transporting them by rail.

November 29 - James Kunstler's Blog

Expatriates Find Competition in Mumbai

Floods of British expatriates moving to Mumbai are finding the city practically as competitive and sometimes even more expensive than home.

November 29 - BBC

Xmas Gift for the Transit Nut

Lionel is offering its first ever model subway set, recreating the New York subway system complete with station announcements and subway sounds.

November 28 - The New York Times

Beauty Queen's Day-Job is Town Planner

A town planner from Brisbane, Australia, has been crowned the beauty-queen face of an annual open-air motor racing event.

November 28 - Gold Coast Bulletin


Need A Job? Try Appalachia!

Appalachia, long known as one of the poorest parts of the U.S. with chronically high unemployment, finds itself in the enviable position of enjoying remarkably low unemployment due to unwavering demand for its main natural resource – coal.

November 28 - The Wall Street Journal

Holidays Bring No Savior As Retail Centers Empty

Not even the Christmas season is expected to turn things around for struggling retailers, which are dropping like leaves and littering vacancies in shopping centers across the country.

November 28 - Los Angeles Times


L.A. Freeway Cap Park Edges Towards Feasibility

For years, citizens have been calling for a freeway cap and park in Hollywood. Now, a preliminary design has been released and advocates say work could begin as soon as 2012 -- if funding comes through.

November 28 - Los Angeles Times

The Continuing Battle Over Native American Lands

Enterprising Native American communities are using their sovereignty to approve large projects that would be difficult to clear on neighboring lands, like landfills and casinos. Industry is happy to oblige, and directly targets the Native market.

November 27 - Center for Public Integrity

Urban Subcultures and Sartorial Landscapes

An annual online photo exhibit explores the fashion subcultures of different cities, which are often defined by musical tastes.

November 27 - The Globe and Mail

Experiments Validate Broken Windows Theory

The controversial theory that social and physical disorder is a cause of neighborhood crime has been successfully demonstrated with a series of six experiments.

November 27 - The Economist

A New 'Wave' On Toronto's Waterfront

Toronto has created new public space where there was none, building a curvy wooden plaza designer Adriaan Geuze calls a 'WaveDeck' directly over the water.

November 27 - Metropolis

Preserving Wildlife in the DMZ

The demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea has become one of the world's most important wildlife conservation sites.

November 27 - The Christian Science Monitor

New Orleans' Streetcars Make a Comeback

All of Canal Street's red streetcars were damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but up to nine restored streetcars may be in service by the end of the year.

November 26 - The Times-Picayune

London Blitz, Redux

A combination of economic crises and a tax code based on square footage rather than rentals is encouraging a raft of demolitions that is leaving parts of London looking like it's been bombed again.

November 26 - The Globe and Mail

Transit Hero Featured In Seattle Column

This column deals with two Seattle issues: one political - the victory of a transit measure on Nov. 4 that will direct $18 billion to light rail; the other human - a Sierra Club activist who made the campaign for Prop 1 a full time job.

November 26 - The Seattle Times

Santa Monica Bans Exercising on Traffic Medians

After noise complaints by residents nearby, any exercise that takes place on a grassy traffic median in Santa Monica that can qualify as "congregating" has been banned.

November 26 - International Herald Tribune

Mapping Out More than Land Mass

Cartographer Mark Newman's new book, 'The Atlas of the Real World', includes maps that show more than just 'how many acres there are in a country.' Malaria cases and health care spending per capita are among some of Newman's unconventional maps.

November 26 - National Public Radio

London Becoming a Bike City

Cycling is on the rise in London, where thousands of commuters fill the streets every morning and the number of trips has more than doubled since 2000.

November 26 - The Times

BLOG POST

Thanksgiving

<p class="MsoNormal"> Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I would ask myself: what I am thankful for that is related to urbanism? </p>

November 26 - Michael Lewyn

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

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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.