The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Street in La Laguna, Canary Island Tenerife, Spain

FEATURE

Top Planning Trends – 2014

A deeper look at the traffic data on Planetizen reveals trends from the planning and urban design conversation of 2014.

December 31 - James Brasuell

Op-Ed Criticizes Dog Owners' Use of Public Spaces in Chicago

A scathing op-ed by Joanne Cleaver provides a laundry list of public spaces and parks in Chicago spoiled, in her opinion, by heavy use from the canine companions of residents.

December 30 - Chicago Tribune

New Round of Design Proposals for St. Petersburg's Off-Shore Park

After an initial failure of public approval, St. Petersburg went back to the drawing board to design new plans for an off-shore park on the historic St. Petersburg Pier.

December 30 - CityLab

What Makes a City Global?

Finding the existing frameworks for describing "global cities" to be highly divergent, Aaron Renn suggests his own and requests feedback to continue improving the scheme.

December 30 - The Urbanophile

The Da Vinci vs. Slow-Baked Cities

Josh Stephens writes in CP&DR that the recently burned Da Vinci apartment complex will have successors that also turn their backs on surrounding streets—but cities can and should do the difficult, slow work of fostering more inclusive design.

December 30 - California Planning & Development Report


Belden Place

Four Cities Making the Most of Alley Spaces

Urbanful examines four cities making the most of scare public spaces by reactivating their alleys with programming and pedestrian-friendly designs.

December 30 - Urbanful

The Year's Worst Apps for Urban Living

Along with the annual barrage of "best of lists for 2014" comes an entry from the "worst of" lists—CityLab's "awkward to awful" apps aimed at urbanites.

December 30 - CityLab


Port Authority Recommends Cutting PATH Service

The Port Authority released a controversial report over the weekend that recommends cutting overnight and weekend service for Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) service. So far, the governors of New York and New Jersey support the plan.

December 30 - NJ.com

A Model Plan for Greening Suburban Downtowns

F. Kaid Benfield provides analysis of the Bethesda Downtown Plan, calling the plan for the bustling Maryland suburb an opportunity to set a standard of urban sustainability for other communities.

December 30 - The Huffington Post

A U.K. Housing Policy Wishlist for 2015

Oliver Wainwright pens a wishlist of urban policies for 2015—the list focuses on issues of housing and development.

December 30 - Guardian Cities

High-Voltage Power Lines Awaken the German NIMBY

Never mind that the lines are needed to carry renewable energy from wind turbines in the north to industries in the south to meet the nation's formidable carbon reduction policies. Public health and property values come first for some neighbors.

December 30 - The New York Times

Atlanta International Airport

RFQ Released for Atlanta's Planned 'Airport City'

The city of Atlanta is moving forward with a plan to upgrade the world's busiest airport to "Airport City" status.

December 29 - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Op-Ed: Time for the Bay Area to Embrace Regional Planning

An op-ed by the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial board takes cues from London's regional transportation planning efforts in an argument supporting regional planning for the San Francisco-San Jose Bay Area.

December 29 - San Francisco Chronicle

nearmap

An Aerial Photography Tool for Planners

File under tools for the tool kit: Jarrett Walker of Human Transit shares details about Nearmap, an aerial photography tool that serves as a helpful alternative to Google Earth.

December 29 - Human Transit

The old and the new

BLOG POST

Is Mismanagement the Cause of Legacy Cities' Decline?

One common argument against attempts to control sprawl near declining cities is that the problem is the fault of mismanaged city government.

December 29 - Michael Lewyn

Seattle's Taxi Industry Fighting Back with New Apps, Licenses

After taking a 40-percent dive in revenue following the launch of transportation network companies (TNCs), Seattle's Taxi Industry has found new momentum.

December 29 - The Seattle Times

San Fernando Valley Playing Catch Up in the Los Angeles Transit Boom

Dakota Smith reports that the Los Angeles transit renaissance is leaving the political leadership in the San Fernando Valley feeling left behind.

December 29 - Los Angeles Daily News

Can a 32-Acre Mixed-Use Development Block an Oil-By-Rail Facility in Time?

Environmentalists and developers are in a race against time to prevent a proposed oil-by-rail facility in Vancouver, Washington.

December 29 - New York Times

Op-Ed: New Massachusetts Leadership Must 'Think Big' on Housing

The state of Massachusetts has set a goal to establish 10,000 apartments and condos a year, but what will it take to deliver on that ambitious agenda, especially after the state's new political leadership takes over?

December 29 - The Boston Globe

Buildings Gone Bad: 2014's Worst Architecture

The designs of architecture's most famous practitioners inspire the most public forms of attention and criticism. A recent column in Slate doesn't shy away from the latter.

December 29 - Slate

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.