The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Walkability and the Risk of Mortgage Default
A recent study strengthens the economic case for walkable communities, finding a strong inverse relationship between walkscore and risk of mortgage default.
Charting the 'Urban Shift' Among Technology Start-Ups
Once upon a time, tech start-ups located almost exclusively in the suburbs. New data reveals the extent to which this pattern has been reversed.
What's Wrong With Walk Score's Food Desert Map
Walk Score’s new food desert map is a potentially powerful tool in the ongoing policy debate about access to healthy foods. But it’s still a work in progress.
Top Ten Fake Futures Most Likely to Destroy Planning As We Know It
The following is a list things that are never going to happen, because if they did, urban planning as we know it would cease to exist.
Nome, Alaska to Lower 48: What Polar Vortex?
The residents and government of the city of Nome, Alaska are unimpressed with the whining they heard this winter.
Bar Brawl Breaks Out Over Kelo v. City of New London
A brawl began after a disagreement over the nuances of the Supreme Court case that protected the power of the government to use eminent domain to transfer ownership of private property for the purposes of economic development.
Pets.com Employee Shuttle Has Been Circling San Francisco Since 2000
Residents say an old Pets.com employee shuttle still drives the streets of San Francisco, seemingly at random. The driver, a mystery to all, emerges from the shuttle occasionally to buy a burrito and a Chronicle. But no one ever sees his face.
Don't Tell Me What Happens in The Death and Life of Great American Cities
I am trying to get caught up on The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. I'm a chapter behind, so don't tell me what happens.
Ballot Initiative Would Split California into Fractals
It’s a surreal response to a surreal proposal: How many different ways can California be divided?
Ray LaHood to Guest Star on Final Season of Mad Men
The former Secretary of Transportation will join the popular AMC show Mad Men to play a moderate Republican who works across the aisle to deliver badly needed improvements to the nation’s transportation infrastructure.
Study: Hollywood Endings Most Likely in Los Angeles
A new study sheds light on why it seems that the sun shines 366.25 days a year in Los Angeles but falls short of solving one of life's great mysteries.
Study Examines the Evolution of the New York Minute
A new study examines the widely reported effect of the “New York Minute,” claiming that the new multi-modal nature of New York City’s streets has harkened the obsolescence of previously stated definitions of the non-standard measure of time.
NIMBY Added to the Oxford English Dictionary
The definitive dictionary of the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, will add the term NIMBY to its latest edition, citing the widespread use and worldwide political relevance of the term as reasons for its inclusion.
Examining the United States’ Urban/Rural Dichotomy
Governing presents a special series examining the “Rural/Urban Divide” in the United States.
New Study Tests Assumptions About Housing Vouchers and Crime
A new paper published in the Urban Studies journal finds a weak, negative relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates. There is no observable relationship between vouchers and violent crime rates in suburban areas.
Proposed Transit Fare Increase Provokes Strong Opposition in Los Angeles
More than 500 “activists, students and low-wage workers” spent their Saturday at a public hearing at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority imploring the agency’s board not to raise fees.
Come Together Locally for Smarter Growth
Connecting competence to organized support is key to reversing the Sisyphean cycle of urban placemaking.
How Easy is Walking to the Grocery Store in Your City?
Angie Schmitt shares news of an effort by WalkScore to rank cities based on the ability of residents to access grocery stores on foot. WalkScore invites planners all over country to use their data to improve walkable access to food in cities.
Report: California High-Speed Rail Won't Meet Travel Time Requirement
In 2008, California voters approved the country's only true HSR project with a travel time of 2 hours, 40 minutes from L.A. to San Francisco. Anything more than that might cause legislators to balk at proposed cap-and-trade funding for the train.
Top Architecture Websites
The Life of An Architect website recently published its second list of “The Best Architectural Websites in the World.”
City of Mt Shasta
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)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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.
