The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Why Americans Are Moving from Blue to Red States
In this op-ed, Arthur B. Laffer and Stephen Moore analyze the recent Census findings showing renewed migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and Southwest. They note the movement is clearly from blue states to red, and explain why.
Apple's New $5 Billion Campus: Steve Jobs's Last Success or Failure?
With a footprint estimated as 2.8 million square feet, and a budget said to be approaching $5 billion, Apple's new corporate campus is certain to make a statement. But as investors grow restless over falling share prices, just what will it say?
Can an Upstart Mapmaker Beat Google and Microsoft at Their Own Game?
Glenn Fleishman profiles MapBox, whose 30 employees are taking on the big boys in the development of interactive street and satellite maps. The company is working with Charlie Loyd to develop "the most beautiful, clean map ever made."
Merger of L.A.'s Planning Department Looking Increasingly Likely
Long rumored plans to merge L.A.'s Department of City Planning with Building and Safety to cut costs and streamline permitting are coming into focus, as the outgoing mayor tries to push through the reforms before he leaves office.
BLOG POST
The "Vertical Sprawl" Myth
Opponents of high- and mid-rise development often use the term "vertical sprawl." But in fact there is little similarity between high-rise infill and suburban sprawl: the major arguments against one do not apply to the other.
The Story Behind “The Millennium’s Most Important Building”
To coincide with the release of a new book detailing the creation of Mies van der Rohe's renowned Seagram Building, Mark Lamster speak with its author Phyllis Lambert - one of the key figures in the building's development.
The 'American Dream' Gets a Rewrite
A new survey has revealed that the housing bust has taken a toll on the fabled "American Dream," with the majority of respondents asserting that policies should be directed "to encourage rentals equally as much as home purchases."
Is Indexing the Key to Fixing the Federal Gas Tax?
It's not too early to think about "fixing the Highway Trust Fund", a prerequisite to renewing MAP-21 transportation legislation that expires Sept. 30, 2014. Rep. Peter DeFazio may have the fix in the form of an indexed gas tax - but which index?
How Not to Run a Global Mega-Firm
Jane Bradley traces the rise and fall of Scotland-based RMJM. Since completing its crowning achievement, the new Scottish Parliament building, the firm has expanded and contracted, and been rescued from receivership. Can it ever succeed again?
To Create a Great 'Third Place', Get Out of the Way
For far too long, the shaping of public spaces has been left to architects and urban planners, who plan from the top down. The most successful projects involve people directly in deciding how their public spaces will look, feel, and operate.
Proposed Bills Could Protect California Farmland by Containing Sprawl
Sprawling development and alternative energy projects are a growing threat to California's productive farmland. Susie Cagle discusses how two bills "could give a boost to California agriculture big and small," while reining in sprawl.
Rem Koolhaas and the Contradictions of Capitalism
On Places, Ellen Dunham-Jones argues that "irrationally exuberant" architect Rem Koolhaas has encouraged followers to "shed the crippling shackles of critical theory and pick up a surfboard upon which to ride the shock waves of the new economy."
Supposed Safe Havens Pose Danger to Pedestrians in NYC
A new study conducted by NYU's Langone Medical Center reveals that pedestrians are most often struck by cars in New York's supposed safe havens: in a crosswalk with the signal on their side. Findings related to bicycle safety were also revealed.
Preserve or Perish: What Happens When Our Community Hubs Become Obsolete?
The post office and the church are just two of the many building types which once occupied central places in our communities, but have become obsolete due to cultural, economic, and demographic shifts. To what lengths should we go to preserve them?
What Killed L.A.'s Streetcars?
Local lore, and Hollywood movies, have it that a conspiracy by car companies led to the dismantling of L.A.'s sprawling streetcar system to induce dependence on newly built freeways. Eric Molinsky tells the real, but no less dramatic, story.
Could Colored Pavement Cool Our Cities?
More than a third of the land in our cities is covered by black asphalt, an exemplary heat trapping surface and major contributor to the urban heat island effect. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Lab are studying "cool pavement" alternatives.
Feds Sketch Their Vision for D.C. to Boston High-Speed Rail
A new report released by the Federal Railroad Administration outlines more than a dozen alternatives for upgrading passenger rail service throughout the Northeast Corridor, including what high-speed rail between D.C. and Boston could look like.
Cracking Beneath the Surface: America's Invisibly Eroding Roadways
In need of an underground overhaul, the Capital Beltway exemplifies the deteriorating conditions of 1/3 of the nation's roadways.
New Study Details the Deadly Effects of China's Air Pollution Problem
New details from a landmark study on the leading causes of death worldwide presents a gloomy picture of the effect of air pollution on the health of China's residents. The toll is 25 million healthy years of life snatched from the population.
BLOG POST
An Easier Way To Fight Sprawl
Instead of always fighting to make sprawl development harder, let's focus our energy on making great infill development easier.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
