The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Richard Florida Tells Cities to Stop Shrinking
Richard Florida says that shrinking is not necessarily a good idea for cities like Detroit and Cleveland that are losing population, and that it could do "more harm than good."
Small is Beautiful (and Necessary)
Building sizes have been creeping upward for centuries, but green building expert Jason McLennan argues that smaller structures are better, more beautiful, and ecologically inevitable.
Chain Retailers Should Benefit From Urban Rebirth
Rocco Pendola says chain stores are starting to adapt and move into downtown Los Angeles, following the population boom and setting a precedent for chain retail in downtowns across the U.S.
New, Sustainable Building Material for Skyscapers: Wood
Could "timber skyscrapers" be in our future? Architects and engineers are seeing wood as a way to build sustainable 20-30 story structures with modern no-how.
A Striking Demographic Shift in D.C.
The eastern Capital Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. was 87% black in 2000: new Census figures show the black population is now only 44% and 47% white. The Wall St. Journal talks to people in this changing community.
Activating Plazas with Transit
Transit planning consultant Jarrett Walker pools his readers' brains together to rough out what circumstances would need to be in place to create a truly transit-activated public space.
Small Clusters of Homes Make the Best Communities
Jay Walljasper reviews Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating a Small-Scale Community in a Large-Scale World by architect Ross Chapin. Chapin says groupings of four to twelve households make the best communities.
NY Republicans Hop On Board the Anti-HSR Bandwagon
Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle and Rep. Tom Reed of New York are leading an effort to stop New York from receiving any federal funding for high-speed rail projects.
What Canadians Can Learn About Sustainable Transportation
As a part of its series on pressing issues that should inform the current Canadian federal election, the Globe and Mail examines how other cities around the world have undertaken affordable transportation innovations to ease traffic congestion.
Housing Discrimination Not a Thing of the Past
Residential segregation has not gone away since the era of "white flight", says Prof. Thomas J. Sugrue of the University of Pennsylvania. New Census numbers confirm that African-Americans still get shunted into poor neighborhoods.
The McMansions of the Future
Livejournal has posted a series of paintings that ran as part of a 1961 Motorola advertising campaign that depict a futuristic lifestyle and featuring cavernous modern living spaces.
Courtin' Participation With a Bluegrass Music Video
To kick off its Legacy Plan update process, the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, NC planning board made a music video featuring an original song, a bluegrass band and some familiar scenes.
Why Are Public Spaces Unusual in Africa?
Stacy Passmore writes that public spaces "take on a different form and meaning in a West African city."
Passing A Master Plan in Densityphobic San Francisco
It's urbanists vs. NIMBYs as San Francisco's Planning Commission prepares to vote on a new master plan that calls for more density and more affordable housing.
When is a Freeway Not a Freeway?
When there is a toll, of course. But the Federal Highway Administration uses the word indiscriminately, confusing the matter, writes Peter Samuel of Toll Roads News.
L.A. Plans to Fix its Streets
Los Angeles County is in the process of writing a "Model Streets Manual", with funding coming from an unlikely source: The Department of Public Health.
A Detailed Look at a Model TOD
Rockville Town Square in Rockville, Maryland is a 12.5 acre mixed-use development that, despite being built in 2007 right as the housing crisis happened, is a raging success. Simmons Buntin looks at what developers did right.
Kill Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Scholars at the American Enterprise Institute think that the government should get out of housing finance because it has competing, irreconcilable goals when it comes to financing homes.
BLOG POST
The Next Urbanism: A Movement Evolves
Since 2004, the Next Generation of New Urbanists (NextGen) has welcomed new ideas and new faces into the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Which Was Worst: Katrina, or Car Culture?
Toronto architecture critic Christopher Hume visits New Orleans, and concludes that "the devastation wrought by Louisianans upon Louisiana far outweighs anything a hurricane can do."
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.
