The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Obama Administration Rethinks Home Ownership
It started with the popular desire to dissolve what some consider to be the cause of the 2008 melt-down - Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and has spread to rethinking the tax write-off of home ownership - a clearly unpopular notion for many.
How The Environmental Movement Evolved Into Urbanism
The 1970s were the heyday of the environmental movement; the 1980s and 90s ushered in the era of sustainability. Today, the cities movement reigns supreme, according to Linda Baker.
Updating and Improving Philadelphia's Downtown Plazas
Three public plazas in the center of Philadelphia are set to see much-needed makeovers, and soon.
In Charleston, an Affordable, Effective Alternative to a Freeway
A Charleston environmental group has suggested an alternative to a proposed expansion of Interstate 526 which solves the congestion problem with refinements to local streets and costs half the price.
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John McCain for President (?)
<p> My sense is that most new urbanists and smart growth advocates were happy to see Barack Obama elected President two years ago. While John McCain opposed Amtrak and had not been overly supportive of local public transit, Obama created an Administration full of advocates for transit and urbanism, and high-speed rail is one of his Administration's signature programs. So the Obama Administration will slow sprawl, and will make our cities more transit-oriented, prosperous and walkable. Right? </p>
Parking Minimums Make Housing More Expensive
A new report from NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy reveals that the parking minimums required for new developments are a significant part of why housing in New York is so expensive.
Let's Be Smart About Intelligent Cities
"Intelligent cities" is picking up steam as the new buzzword in planning and a potentially game-changing way of using data to drive decisions. But we need to be sure we don't lose the human intelligence in planning.
Pittsburgh Puts Urban Agriculture On The Books
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is promoting a number of green initiatives for the city, including new guidelines for the raising of chickens and honeybees in urban areas. The City Council approved the guidelines last week.
High Hurdles Face Obama's $53 Billion HSR Investment
President Obama's six-year, $53 billion high speed rail funding proposal must overcome stiff opposition of a skeptical Republican congress, particularly by House Transportation Chair John Mica who referenced swindler Bernie Madoff in his response.
Eco Cities Becoming Reality
A panel of experts met in Los Angeles last month to discuss 'eco' cities in terms both abstract and practical.
Cleveland Attempts to Transform Its Image
The city's Group Plan Commission has a plan it thinks could revitalize the struggling city.
Rust Belt Chic
Struggling cities in the Rust Belt are actually luring a new surge of younger populations, according to this piece from <em>Governing</em>.
Risks in City Marketing
<em>Grist</em>'s Sarah Goodyear takes a look at a Superbowl TV commercial's focus on Detroit, and how selling a city can either work or fail.
Olympic Boost to Vancouver Transit Ridership, Then a Drop
Transit ridership boomed during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but the numbers have since fallen.
Bringing Gardens and Parks to a Neighborhood Near You!
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust's mission is to bring parks and gardens to underserved communities in Los Angeles, where problems of obesity are bad enough that the city recently banned new fast food operations.
Top Ten Cities For Public Transportation
Does Salt Lake City have the second-best transit in the nation? U.S News and World Report released its choices for the top American cities for public transportation.
Urban Park Commended for Revitalizing Detroit
The Urban Land Institute recently awarded Campus Martius Park in Detroit the 2010 Urban Open Space Award for helping to rejuvenate the historic city center.
NYC to Turn Sewage Into an Asset
Could the 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater that New Yorkers produce daily be an asset?
Leonardo DiCaprio Visits the 1st Green Affordable Housing Project in the U.S.'
Leonardo DiCaprio accompanied architect Lawrence Scarpa to report on the project and to discuss the rationale behind this type of low-income housing development.
China's Growing Traffic Problem
Imbalances between the amount of cars being added to the roadways in China's cities and the amount of roads for them to drive on is brewing a major traffic problem.
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.
