The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Should Bike Share Be Financially Self-Sufficient?
As bike share systems spread across the country, Danielle Kurtzleben looks at their profitability, or lack thereof, and asks whether cash-strapped cities or the federal government will want to sink money into systems that struggle to break even.
Zoning Children Out of a Good Education
Nate Berg examines new research linking restrictive land use regulations to academically stratified neighborhoods.
As LA Slowly Expands Transit, Looking at Programs to Get Commuters Out of Their Cars Today
Alissa Walker sheds light on the programs and institutions pushing Angelenos to change their commuting behaviors in an effort to recoup some of the 485 million wasted hours that cost the region more than $10 billion annually due to congestion.
Friday Funny: What the Heck is Going Down in Sheboygan?
John Metcalfe spotlights the "shocking, head-scratching and just plain zen tweets from @sheboyganscan, an anonymous Good Samaritan who monitors the police scanner in Sheboygan."
A Business-Friendly Approach to Urban Sustainability
Moira Quinn takes a look at Charlotte, North Carolina, where businesses and local government have teamed up to keep office buildings green as the central business district grows.
What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing America's Mayors?
Earlier this week, Charlie Rose hosted a roundtable discussion with the mayors of Chicago, Baltimore, Jacksonville, and Louisville on how they're working to revitalize their cities in challenging economic times.
The Dream Team Behind America's Transportation Revolution
In the first of a five-part series, Angie Schmitt pays tribute to three "visionary bureaucrats" who are changing the face of transportation in the United States.
In Which Cities are People Eating the Healthiest?
Ariel Schwartz identifies where people have the best and worst eating habits based on self-supplied data gathered by a food-picture-taking and healthiness-rating application.
Sacramento's Slam Dunk Stadium Deal Rejected
Steven Greenhut opines on the lucky break he believes residents of Sacramento received earlier this week when owners of the city's NBA franchise backed out of a partnership to build a new basketball arena in the city's downtown.
Vallejo Approves First City-Wide Participatory Budgeting Process in US
The City Council of Vallejo, California, approved the first city-wide Participatory Budgeting process in the US this week. Residents will directly decide how to spend around $3 million from new sales tax revenue.
A Facelift for the Nation's Front Lawn
Kaid Benfield laments the capital's "blah"-inspiring National Mall, and discusses three design competitions underway that could give it a second life.
LA Mayor Stakes His Legacy on Transit Plan
Stymied by multiple attempts to leverage one of his key political victories as mayor - the passage of a half-cent tax increase to fund transit in LA - Villaraigosa announced another bid to speed up the expansion of the region's mass transit system.
Refuting the Recent Food Access and Obesity Findings
Allison Karpyn, Ph.D., director of research and evaluation for the Food Trust, shares her doubts about the overall implications of recent studies questioning the concept of Food Deserts and their connection to obesity.
Are DC's Strict Height Limits and Arbitrary Planning Rules Hurting the City?
Two commentaries pick up on the recent push to loosen Washington D.C.'s notoriously conservative height limits, and argue that such controversial changes are overdue and, in fact, don't go far enough.
Planning for New York's "Sixth Borough"
A year after its release, Tom Stoelker tracks the progress of New York's comprehensive plan for its waterfront, Vision 2020, the recent recipient of the APA's Daniel Burnham Award.
Ranking America's Hipster Havens
Katrina Brown Hunt ranks America's top ten cities for hipsters with the help of <em>Travel + Leisure</em> readers, who voted in the magazine's annual America’s Favorite Cities survey.
The Tech Start-Up Revolutionizing Parking
Ariel Schwartz profiles Streetline and their suite of applications that are collectively transforming the way we manage, locate, and reserve parking.
Concluding the APA Convention: 'The Cost Comes Before the Benefit'
Renée Jones-Bos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States, spoke about water, infrastructure, planning, ports, and cost-benefit analysis as the closing keynote speaker at the 2012 APA National Convention in Los Angeles.
Serving Drivers with Instant Bridge Replacement
John Schwartz reports on a bridge replacement technique that demonstrates innovation in construction, as well as customer service.
Celebrating America's Top Main Streets
Writing in <em>Travel + Leisure</em>, Wayne Curtis surveys 15 of America's greatest Main Streets.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
