The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Solution to Overloaded Water Infrastructure? Urban Conservation
Cities and suburbs face billions of dollars in investments and repairs to comply with Clean Water Act standards. The NRDC outlines some of the urban water conservation methods municipalities can take to reduce stress on these infrastructure systems.
Plan B: Port of San Francisco Moves Forward with New Land Use Plan
Voters might not want big changes along San Francisco's waterfront—but one powerful agent there, the Port of San Francisco, is examining new ways to do the business of building in the face of pressures from sea level rise and opposition politics.
Income Inequality Worse in 2 of 3 American Metropolitan Areas
A new report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors highlights the growing income divide, breaking the data down to the local level and finding that income inequality grew in two out of three metro areas between 2005 and 2012.
The Death of Neighborhoods
In the same vein that Robert Putnam explored decaying community and social capital in American in his work, Bowling Alone, Brian Bethune discusses how the decay of Western communities shapes our health and political realms.
How Streets and Social Justice Intersect
A look at how streets affect health, social interaction, and economic development by Marissa Reilly, a Berkeley-based urban planner and Lillian Jacobson, a master’s candidate at MIT.
Decline or Dispersal? Standardizing the Size of American Cities
Ben Schulman and Xiaoran Li lead an interesting thought experiment about the populations of cities around the country. That is, what would happen to the population of American cities if all their sizes were standardized?
Increased Street Connectivity Improves Public Health Outcomes
A new study, "Community Design, Street Networks, and Public Health" published in the Journal of Transport & Health finds that increased local street connectivity improves public health outcomes, apparently by encouraging more walking and cycling.
Boston to Test Extended Parking Restrictions in Southie
An influx of new residents has also meant an influx of residential parking passes in the Southie neighborhood of Boston. Can a pilot program to extend residential parking restrictions (from four nights a week to seven) quell the "crisis"?
How the Twin Cities Transports its Aging Population
Dave Beal provides thorough coverage of the demographic and geographic challenges facing transportation for the aging in the Twin Cities region, where the need for such services is increasing as the population ages.
All Fracking Initiatives Pulled Off the Ballot in Colorado
When we last reported, two anti-fracking initiatives were circulating. Since then, two industry backed, pro-fracking initiatives were set to join them on the November ballot. Gov. John Hickenlooper struck an agreement to remove all four measures.
Mobile App Helps Battle Graffiti in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's Community Life Improvement Program is using Esri's Collector mobile app to empower their data collection in management. Prior to Collector, the anti-graffiti effort was driven by Excel.
BLOG POST
Millennial Fever: Taking Stock of Denver Placemaking
Denver's investments in placemaking—guided by the city's great appeal to Millennials—are a mixed bag of hits, misses, and open questions.
Robert Yaro Retiring from Leadership at the Regional Plan Association
Regional Plan Association (RPA) President Robert D. Yaro "will retire at the end of this year, after 25 years at the urban-planning organization," according to the RPA's blog in a post late last week.
New York City Residential Construction Sluggish in Recovery
For a city famous for high cost of living, incredible demand for housing, famous examples of gentrification, and political pressure to build, New York City is lagging behind the volumes of residential construction approved in comparable cities.
FEATURE
Book Review: 'How Paris Became Paris'
"How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City," by Joan DeJean, is full of creative insights on the symptoms of urban modernity as well as bold statements about how Paris came to be one of the world's great cities.
Baltimore Bus Stop Design Leaves No Doubt
Part street furniture, part advertisement for public transit, part public art—the designers of a new bus stop installation in Baltimore call it "an obvious bus stop."
Gehry Disappointing
The Philadelphia Museum of Art hired Frank Gehry for its new renovation, opening up the opportunity for an exciting old-meets-new architectural statement. But after six years of planning, the design that emerged is uninspiring.
The Sunny Places that Prohibit Solar Power
An examination of the challenges facing the solar industry in Southeastern states, like Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, where utilities and governments have largely blocked residents and businesses from tapping their solar resources.
Embodied Energy of Historic Buildings: Physical and Metaphysical
Inherently unlovable buildings—no matter how energy efficient—lacks the stuff of longevity. How can your EcoDistrict design for lovable buildings? It may not include tearing down the historic stock.
Should Urban Planners Live in the City?
The Denver Post writes about Brad Buchanan, who in February became the executive director of the Denver Department of Community Planning and Development.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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.
