The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
America's Next Eminent Domain Battle: the Keystone XL Pipeline
Although the Obama administration is still weighing whether to give the Keystone XL pipeline the necessary approvals to begin construction, the courts are already deciding that eminent domain can be used to secure access to private land.
Tomorrow's Transit Tax Vote is a Historic Day for Atlanta
Whatever Atlanta area voters decide when they head to the polls tomorrow to vote on a proposed 10-year, 1 percent sales tax to fund transit and road projects, the outcome will be a historic moment in the area's history. Ariel Hart puts it in context.
In Boston, Forgotten Dreams of a Floating Neighborhood
An exhibit remembers the days when the Boston Redevelopment Authority dreamed enormous dreams and asks: have we lost our ambition?
Prescription for Shrinking Cities: Don't Demolish, Preserve
For cities across the U.S. facing mass foreclosures and shrinking populations, demolition of abandoned homes is an attractive avenue (see Detroit and Cleveland). Roberta Brandes Gratz argues that the value of preservation deserves to be considered.
Houston: America's Coolest City?
Topping a new list of America's coolest cities is Portland? New York? Austin? Nope, it's Houston.
Shopping Comes to the Olympics
The gateway to the London Olympic complex isn't marked by an iconic work of art or public plaza, but rather by a store - Fat Face - which is part of a gigantic new mall. Some aren't too happy with the blatant mix of commerce and competition.
A Public-Private Partnership Primer
Sandy Apgar and Tony Canzoneri aim to clear up myths and misconceptions about PPPs (P3s), "the vehicle of choice to plan and execute many development projects that neither private nor public sector participants could perform on their own."
A New Tool for Measuring Walkability
Steve Mouzon finds fault with the uniform application of the 1/4 mile walkability radius, regardless of context. And, in the first in a series of articles, he introduces a new tool for understanding and building walkable places.
New Life for Dead Gas Stations
Finding new uses for vacant gas stations is a major challenge throughout the U.S. The days of the small, independent service station are fading, yet they often occupy prime, gateway sites. Whether razed or transformed, challenges are formidable.
Once Common, Do Jitneys Have a Future in L.A.'s Transportation Mix?
In the latest entry in its fascinating series on the "Laws That Shaped L.A.", <em>KCET</em>'s Jeremy Rosenberg looks at the city's brief, but golden, age of the Jitneys, and whether they deserve a return to L.A.'s growing mix of transit modes.
London's Vertical Solution to its Housing Woes
For a city of its size, London and its skyline are notoriously flat. Now, as the city struggles to expand its housing stock to meet the needs of it surging population, increasingly taller solutions are being prescribed, concerning some.
The American West's Transportation Revolution
After decades of planning and development of its urban rail networks, will the American West change its image from car cornucopia to transit paradise?
A Plan to Finally Fix California's Water Problems?
California's Governor Jerry Brown unveils his administration's new plan in hopes of finally balancing the state's competing water interests. The cost? $14 billion over a decade.
NASA Images Depict Stunning Urban Growth
Animated GIFs provided by <em>The Atlantic Cities</em> show the dramatic growth of several global cities over the past four decades, as captured in photographs taken by NASA's Landsat satellite system.
What an Epic Rain Revealed About Beijing
The historic rainstorm that struck the Chinese capital last Saturday washed away the gloss of decades of rapid growth, revealing the failures of its infrastructure and its leaders, write Jacob Fromer and Edward Wong.
How to Promote TOD When There's no Room for Infill
Many new light rail lines have been built in western cities in the hopes of attracting new development to greenfields. Los Angeles' Expo Line, however, is threaded through a heavily built-up area, thus complicating dreams of TOD.
Silicon Valley Companies Relocate To SF - Apartment Rents Skyrocket
In this pair of 'cause and effect' articles, USA Today reporters describe the many companies seeking new office and R&D sites in San Francisco, whether relocating from expensive downtown Palo Alto, the South or East Bay, or outside the state or U.S.
New Orleans Police Agree to Federal Overhaul
After years of scandal, New Orleans accepts that the time for change has come.
Who's Building Livability? And Where?
Several collaborative Google Maps cover Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) across the US and Canada as well as form-based codes globally. Are yours listed?
BLOG POST
Blessed Are The Hipsters, For They Shall Inherit The City
<p> How much is a hipster worth to a city? Is she worth more when she's building an app, or when she's writing a blog? Is a hipster with a walrus mustache and a mean whiffle ball pitch worth more than one who wears a sarong and practices aerial yoga? How many of them can dance on the pull tab of a PBR? <br />
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.
