The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BLOG POST
The Precarious Nature of Guerilla Planning
How forlorn spaces might be developed as community resources that lend a sense of place, however fleeting, can be a precarious exploit.<br /> <br /> Convinced the real challenge in planning and design these dog days is placemaking, my convivial colleague Rhett Beavers and I have been exploring the potential of a variety of fringe and derelict sites under the banner of the Landscape Architecture program at UCLA Extension. With big and brutalistic no longer winning the hearts and minds of the discerning public, we are thinking small and green. <br />
Diving into the Details: Map-21 and Alternative Transportation
Continuing his series examining the changes and new provisions detailed in the new federal surface transportation bill, Jason Jordan, APA's Director of Policy and Government Affairs, looks at the new Transportation Alternatives program.
Who's Behind the Anti-Agenda 21 Firestorm?
Lloyd Alter investigates the individuals and organizations "manufacturing" the anti-Agenda 21 campaign, and argues that "Big Oil" is helping to bankroll anti-sustainability efforts.
The New York Apartment Gets Even Smaller
Have you ever thought those teensy 400 square foot NYC apartments were just too darn big? If so, you and Mayor Bloomberg have something in common, as yesterday the city launched an initiative to develop a new model of tiny, but affordable, housing.
How Much Do Planners Make?
The American Planning Association has released the findings of its biennial salary survey of the planning profession. Check out the results to see how your compensation stacks up.
Is an Emblem of Sydney's Past the Key to its Future?
Tim Williams argues that Sydney's ubiquitous and beloved terraced housing provides an exemplary model for developing environmentally efficient and livable communities. So why is their construction being stymied?
Letting Trees Put Down Their Roots
Leda Marritz notes that renderings of proposed landscape improvement projects often feature beautiful mature trees intended to spruce up streetscapes. But the associated plans regularly overlook a crucial element: room for the trees to grow.
CA Rail: Funded But With Nowhere To Go?
After a much heralded vote on July 6 in the state Senate, the embattled CA high-speed rail project is now eligible to receive $7.9 billion in state and federal funds, but formidable obstacles remain, not the least of which is finding $60 billion.
Newark Meet the Passaic, Passaic Meet Newark
A new park and plans for increased waterfront access seek to reintroduce Newark's residents, and even tourists, to the Passaic River, the longtime industrial dumping ground that flows through the city, writes Sharon Adarlo.
Social Media Apps Put Ride Sharing on the Map
Ride share websites and mobile apps take the guesswork out of finding a ride and move social networking offline and onto the open road, fueling a revival of car-pooling, reports Mickey Meece.
Smart Growth Funding Under Attack
A new bill proposing major cuts to the EPA could rob cities across the country of a specialized set of programs created to boost economic well-being.
Delhi's BRT Battle Likely Headed to the Supreme Court
The fight to bring efficient public transit to the Indian capital in the form of a dedicated Bus Rapid Transit corridor may be headed for the country's Supreme Court, as the government fights the city’s wealthy, car-owning minority.
America's Most Creative Cities
Revisiting the metric he developed a decade ago in his groundbreaking book "The Rise of the Creative Class", Richard Florida ranks the American metros with the largest concentrations of creativity.
The Peril of the Pedestrian Mall
Pedestrian malls have had a very mixed success ever since Victor Gruen debuted them back in the 1960s. Scott Doyon says the problem is that going pedestrian-only is the flipside of being autocentric.
Why LA is America's Transit Mecca
Award-wining author Taras Grescoe pens an opinion piece for the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> in which he makes an argument that may surprise many Angelenos - that their city is at the cutting edge of forward-thinking transportation planning in the U.S.
What Makes Boston One of the Smartest Cities in the World?
Having two of the top universities in the world within a couple of miles of each other doesn't hurt. But Boyd Cohen looks at Boston's cutting-edge efforts to foster innovation within and outside of its universities, that make it a global leader.
Can Suburbia Serve the Poor?
An editorial in The New York Times looks at the dramatic growth of poverty in America's suburbs over the last decade, and asks if the government safety net is up to the challenge.
Canadian Planners at a Crossroads
As several major Canadian cities seek to hire new chief urban planners, candidates are facing an emerging set of demographic and political challenges, while some question the role such officials should have in shaping the country's landscape.
'Bi-Partisan' Transportation Bill Now Law
President Obama signed the transportation bill known as MAP-21 on July 6 that also maintains low student loan rates, ending the three-year process of three-month extensions of SAFETEA-LU. He praised the bill as bipartisan and job-saving.
Guerrilla Traffic Calming Spreads in Southern California
Alexandria Abramian Mott spotlights several grassroots ways -- from signs to screams -- in which "fed-up residents are reclaiming their streets, or at least trying to."
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
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.
