The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Livability Means Being Poor and Eating Only Iceberg Lettuce
Robert Steuteville comments on a recent article by Alan Pisarski that he says "regurgitates many of the heavy-handed arguments of the pro-sprawl, pro-highway crowd" in reaction to the Obama Administration's livability agenda.
Florida DOT Says No to Ped-Friendly Streets
Brickell Avenue in Miami is in one of the most densely populated areas in Florida. FDOT is slated to begin a major resurfacing project here, but refuses to consider additional crosswalks or bike infrastructure, ignoring pressure from locals.
Frederick Law Olmsted's Other Career
A new essay by Thomas Fisher details Frederick Law Olmsted's lesser known work in the realm of public health and sanitation.
Putting Poverty in its Places
The likelihood of being poor and what it’s like to be poor are different in different types of places, and which policies might work to reduce poverty also varies by type of place, says Bill Barnes.
Rough Tracks Ahead For High Speed Rail In Congress
Transportation consultant Ken Orski looks at post-election results in OH, WI, and FL as consistent with Newsweek's Robert J. Samuelson's pre-election column calling for an end to what he sees as wasteful and inappropriate high speed rail investment.
FEATURE
Storytelling in Architecture
Architect William A. Browne, Jr., FAIA, LEED AP, explains how he and his firm use narrative when designing buildings and spaces.
Five Materials Improving Sustainability In Construction
Joe Peach explains the technology behind five materials that will dramatically increase sustainability in the building industry. Among the list are wool bricks which are stronger, greater insulators and don't require firing to set.
Will California Be The Saudi Arabia Of Solar Power?
Federal incentives have set off a rush to get solar power plants permitted for the California deserts. Plants approved before January could cover a combined 53 square square miles. Clean energy fans are happy. Desert tortoises, not so much.
New L.A. Planning Codes Could Create 'Transit Sprawl'
A new group of activists in Los Angeles is warning that recently approved changes to the city's planning code could make it easier for transit-related projects to be approved even if they are not in alignment with neighborhood planning documents.
White Elephant Stadia Plague South Africa
Just months after the completion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, expensive stadia built for the event sit empty and unused.
Three Types of Cyclists
A study of cyclists in Ashland, Oregon has found three distinct types of bike riders, the majority of which are interesting in riding, but concerned about safety issues.
BLOG POST
Who's Driving This Public Transit System?
<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Virtually every modern economy is mixed: governments produce some goods and services and private companies produce others. Governments generally provide those goods and services that are either considered essential and should be available to everybody regardless of ability to pay, or that require strategic coordination, including police protection, basic education, transportation infrastructure, parks, and public health services.</span> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Transportation facilities and services are among these basic government functions.
SF's Congestion Pricing Plan Advances
Three possibilities for tolling San Francisco's downtown have been advanced by the Board of Supervisors; two involve tolling the 'Southern Gateway', the only entrance to the peninsula city that is untolled. However, Prop 26 could doom the plan.
Home Sizes on the Decline
The square footage of homes in the U.S. continues to decline, according to a new survey.
A New Kind of Airport
Architect Claire Lester reimagines Chicago's O'Hare as a dynamic, multipurpose environment.
Urban Agriculture Program Gets Boost in Oakland
A small-scale urban agriculture project in Oakland, California is set to receive a $4 million grant to expand its work.
A Look at Contemporary Berlin
This photo slideshow from <em>Places</em> offers a look at the city of Berlin and the fast pace of change underway there.
Glowing Trees Light the Way
Researchers in Taiwan have discovered that gold nanoparticles can create luminescence in tree leaves, opening the possibility of glowing trees that cold act as streetlights.
The Cultural Reshaping of Los Angeles
In this reflection on the new book "Los Angeles in Maps", James Rojas wonders what shape the city will take in the near and far future.
Nuclear Storage Facility to Last 100,000 Years
Officials in Finland are building a nuclear waster storage facility that is designed to last for at least 100,000 years.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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.
