The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Inside the Nuclear Ghost Towns of Japan
This piece from<em>Der Spiegel</em> takes you inside the abandoned cities of Japan that were forced to clear out amid threats of nuclear meltdown.
Budget Cuts Take Bite Out of Urban Agenda
CNN is reporting on the budget cuts for 2011, many of which will affect America's cities, infrastructure and vulnerable populations.
Segregation Not Going Away in American Cities
Recent figures from the 2010 U.S. Census highlighted the fact that many cities remain racially segregated. This commentary argues that this situation is unlikely to change.
Libraries as Disappearing Public Spaces
With funding in question, the future of public libraries is uncertain. This slideshow explores how libraries function as a commons and public space in American cities.
'Streets are Never a Blank Canvas'
This essay from <em>Pop Matters</em> explores the connection between street art and urbanism.
Metro Job Generators
Regional business planning and cooperation at the metropolitan level is creating hubs of prosperity in the U.S.
Redevelopment Agencies' Debt Overshadows Revenue
California's redevelopment agencies have almost as much if not more debt than what they pull in from tax revenues, according to this investigation by <em>The Wall Street Journal</em>.
Controversy Still Surrounds Seattle Tunnel Project
What future lies ahead for the damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle continues to stir controversy in the city. An upcoming ballot measure will ask voters to again weigh the project's feasibility.
Urban Gondola Debuts in Brazil
Steven Dale notes that another urban gondola has opened in Brazil with little to no coverage in the English-speaking press. Dale pieces together what info he can on this new tourist-oriented aerial tram.
Labeling the Gas Tax
The gas tax should be viewed as that, a tax, and anything else is fundamentally wrong, writes Alex Marshall.
Bike Parking Boon for Businesses
Elly Blue at Grist makes the case that bicycle parking is an economically attractive alternative to additional parking spaces.
Congestion Is Worse In Europe than In U.S, Claims Wendell Cox
Citing a new report by INRIX, Wendell Cox claims that lost time due to congestion in the United States is approximately one-third that of lost time in Europe.
Defining "Resilient Design"
The word "resilience" suffers from a vagueness of meaning shared with words like "green" and "sustainability", writes Michael Mehaffy, who sets out to clarify this meaningful term for architecture and planning.
Bulldozing Quincy, Mass - and Building it Back Up
Most cities don't get the chance to start from scratch. But Quincy, Mass. plans to raze most of its 50-acre center and build it anew with the aid of a private developer's upfront funding - a plan that may rewrite the rules of urban development.
Freeways That Should Come Down
CNU president John Norquist stars in this video from Streetfilms about the problem of inner-city highways and the steps some cities are taking to get rid of theirs.
Regions Suffer When Governance is Fragmented
Markus Berensson writes about the increasing need for regional governance that can make decisions, and the consequences to a region without that governing body.
Longer Semis May Save the Environment
A new study in the U.K. says that extending the trailers on eighteen-wheelers could reduce the emissions from those vehicles by as much as 13 percent.
Transit Use Up Again, Thanks to Expensive Gas
As reporter Robert J. Hawkins notes, "It's like 2008 all over again." Back then, skyrocketing gas prices sent people fleeing to use public transit. Today, the pattern remains the same, at least in San Diego.
Shoup Explains Parking Policy to Libertarians
Parking guru Donald Shoup writes for the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank, explaining why free markets and free parking go together.
Blending Density
Vinayak Bharne proposes that density is often achieved using blunt enforcement of crude tools like "floor-space index", when density can be much more subtly accomplished than just shooting up a tower.
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.
