The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Looking Beyond Shelter to Help Low-Income People
Neal Peirce looks at the new concept of "comprehensive community development," which expands the scope of affordable housing to include jobs, schools and public safety.
Canadians Overinvested in Their Homes, Says Florida
Richard Florida writes that Canadians great love for homebuying (with a greater home ownership rate than even the U.S.) could be economically instable.
Rose Kennedy Greenway is a "Placeless Desert"
Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway is an urban park built over the "Big Dig" highway tunnel, and as Robert Campbell of the Boston Globe puts it, "a design disaster."
BLOG POST
New USDOT Report Identifies Win-Win Transportation Emission Reduction Strategies
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: x-small">On Earth Day the US Department of Transportation released an important new, 605-page report, </span><a href="http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32700/32779/DOT_Climate_Change_Report_-_April_2010_-_Volume_1_and_2.pdf"><span style="font-family: Courier; font-size: x-small">Transportation's Role in Reducing U.S.
Could 3D Printing Revolutionize Buildings?
Geoff Manaugh of BLDBLOG proposes that the future of building could include a permanently-installed 3D printer, constantly churning out new rooms.
BLOG POST
Five Observations from Three Years in China
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">I’ve spent much of the last </span><a href="http://reason.org/news/show/china-mobility-project"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">three years working on transportation finance and planning issues in China</span></a><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">, and Reason Foundation now has transportation policy projects up and running in the cities of Chongqing, Xi’an, and Beijing.
Canada Loans Michigan $550m For Bridge
With no US government or private funding available, the Canadian government has announced it will pony up the remaining funds for a new toll bridge connecting their country with Detroit, which they see as a jobs creator.
Why Burnham's Big Plan Worked
Aaron M. Renn reflects on the success of Daniel Burnham's plan of Chicago, and why. Perhaps it was the lack of government involvement in the planning process?
The Lasting Influence of the 1939 World's Fair
The 1939 New York World's Fair painted a picture for Americans of what they future would look like that continues to influence how the country develops. Wired has a photo-essay.
Clean Cars: Salvation or Problem?
Alternative energy cars: will they be our salvation, or will they perpetuate auto-dependency? Jan Lundberg critiques the Sierra Club's longstanding priority on increasing fuel efficiency.
Road Lobbyists Take Hit From Livability Movement
The concept of "livability" seems to be catching on -- both at a local level and up in the federal government. This is especially true in the Department of Transportation. That could mean bad news for the road building lobby.
A Crowdsourced Tree Census for Cities
<em>GOOD</em> points us to a new project that harnesses the power of citizens to create a census of trees in San Francisco.
Adding Mixed Use to Cairo's Sprawling Suburbs
Developers in Egypt are looking to bring mixed-use developments to Cairo's sprawling suburbs.
Searching for the Antidote to Sprawl
A new web video series called American Makeover aims to find "the antidote to suburban sprawl." The first episode, now online, looks at Atlanta.
Coastal Cities and Climate Change
Anthony Flint looks at how cities around the world are preparing for the predicted rise in sea level due to global warming, and how the Dutch experience with building dikes could be essential.
Could Detroit Feed Itself?
It may be one of the worst food deserts in the country, but Detroit has enough open land in the city's 103,000 vacant lots to become self-sufficient in terms of food production, argues Mark Dowie.
Portland's Empty Urban Renewal Area
Tax breaks and incentives helped spur a rash of development in Portland's South Waterfront district. But the development has struggled to lure residents.
Kids in Train-ing
Trains across the former Soviet Union have peculiar staff: kids. <em>Wired</em>'s <em>Autopia</em> blog explains.
Friday Funny: The Development Process is the Pits
Cartoonist Ben Katchor has an obsession with the built environment. In this cartoon, an architect finds inspiration in an olive, but struggles with developers who have their own ideas.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Clovis
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.
