The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Critic's Review: Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan
Christopher Hawthorne details the finalized master plan for Los Angeles' remodel of its historic Union Station, saying the master plan positions the station to be a hub of activity in a remade city.
New Grim Population Projection: 11 Billion People
So much for the conventional wisdom that world population would peak at 9 billion by 2050 and then decline. A new analysis shatters it, concluding population will rise to 11 or 12 billion by 2100, and possibly continue growing.
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Learning From Kansas City
Kansas City is losing families to suburbia because of its allegedly subpar schools. How can families be lured back to city schools?.
New Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development Proposed
Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke will release the details of a proposal to consolidate planning and development approval authority into a new, cabinet-level city department.
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Reform Transport Engineering: Expand Beyond Just Roadway Level of Service (LOS) Ratings
Transportation engineers currently evaluate urban transport system performance using roadway level of service (LOS) ratings. Here are six good reasons to change.
Mobile Apps to Inspire Walking
Bill Lindeke examines a few examples of mobile technology that encourage citizens to ditch their cars and walk. Could these technologies inspire the cultural side of the equation needed for widespread adoption of walkability?
The American Planners Who Designed the Australian Capital
Eleri Harris offers a graphic account of the historic planning and design of Canberra, Australia—designed and planned by Americans, Walter Burley Griffen and Marion Mahony Griffin.
Mixed Reviews on New Passenger Rail Reauthorization Act
Six years ago Congress passed the first Passenger Rail Reauthorization Act, known as PRIIA. Reauthorization was introduced on September 11, in a bill (known as PRRIA) praised by some but also criticized for decreasing Amtrak funding by 40 percent.
Seattle's First Hill Streetcar Delayed by Late Arrival of Trains
It's not a mishap on the scale of the Bertha tunnel-boring machine stuck under Seattle's Downtown waterfront, but contractors underestimated the amount of time necessary to build seven trains for the city's new streetcar line.
Bike Master Plan, Complete Streets Design Guidelines for Alexandria, Virginia
The city of Alexandria, Virginia will this month begin an update of its Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan while also developing Complete Streets Design Guidelines.
Bikelash Halts 22nd Street Bike Lane in Philadelphia
Despite an August repaving of 22nd street in the Fairmount neighborhood, lane markings have yet to appear due to City Council scuffles on whether or not the street will undergo a road diet and add an additional bike lane.
RiverBend Project Begins New Chapter for Buffalo, NY
Solar panel company SolarCity unveiled plans for one of the largest solar panel factories to open in Buffalo, New York, forecasting almost 3,000 jobs for the factory alone.
Underground: The Next Frontier of Urbanization
With rapidly urbanizing metro areas, some cities are not looking to build up, or spread out, anymore. Rather they have begun to grow into underground spaces.
Quality of Life Driving 'Brain Gain' in Rural Communities
Many rural counties are experiencing “brain gains” as newcomers age 30-49 move in. This migration is keeping small towns alive and contributing to a new narrative about rural places.
Florida Pilots Bike Lanes on Highway Bridges
In an effort to create safer walking and biking environments, Miami-Dade counties have built bike lanes along two highways connecting the Miami with its eastern island beaches, reducing travel distances by 75 percent for cyclists.
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Where Critics Fear to Tread
Design criticism bridges the gap between the process and product of design, and the public’s understanding and appreciation for it. But does it have to be all about architecture?
State Transportation Funding Falling Faster than Federal Transportation Funding
A new analysis form the Pew Charitable Trusts showed a 20 percent reduction in state spending on transportation between 2002 and 2011, compared to a 4 percent drop from the federal government over the same period.
Court Ruling for Beach-Blocking Billionaire Redeems Public Access
Vinod Khosla, the California billionaire who made news earlier this year for blocking access to a public beach, had his day in court.
Neuroscience and Landscape Architecture
Two new studies use EEG and fMRI to pinpoint which elements of urban parks and gardens induce brain activity associated with meditative states.
The Story Behind the 'Most Vetted Soccer Field in U.S. History'
A simple proposal to replace grass soccer fields with artificial turf, thus doubling the amount of time the fields could be used, has been frozen by the litigation and ballot initiatives of the San Francisco planning process.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
