The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Making Government Data Sexy
A flood of government data is going public, but on its own it is relatively boring and useless. A flood of new data visualization tools are hoping to change that.
Banks Brace for Onslaught of "Zombie Buildings"
Many of the thousands of commercial buildings erected on easy credit before the economic downturn remain underutilized or empty. Now those loans are coming due.
Competing Technologies Within Hydrogen Car Community
Not only is the hydrogen car industry being pressured by outside competition such as electric cars and those that run on biofuels, but there is competition within the hydrogen car industry itself.
Promise Takes Root in Dallas' Newest Park
A new multiuse park in Dallas, the first of four of its kind, is giving the downtown community a reason to celebrate.
Friday Funny: Chicken Supports Chicken Ordinance
An unidentified person dressed in a chicken costume came out to a recent city council meeting in Durango, Colorado to support the city's recently-passed backyard hen ordinance.
Class Divide in NY Inclusive Buildings
At the 101 Warren in Manhattan, developers split the building into luxury and affordable rentals to take advantage of tax breaks. Tensions have resulted, and now a proposed re-zoning would send the affordable residents' kids to a different school.
Alternative Fuels Won't Change the Expense of Driving
One of the conclusions of a new study in the San Francisco Bay Area is that switching to electric and alternative fuel cars won't reduce the burden on households because ownership is the most significant expense. Thus, density is the only way out.
Not Just About Jobs
When then-Pres. Bush signed a transportation bill in 1991, he said it 'could be summed up in three words; jobs, jobs, jobs. Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes of Brookings say that infrastructure spending is much more than that.
Suburbs See Rise in Kids in Poverty
2008 Census estimates reveal that in the city center of Fort Worth, Texas, the number of school-age children living in poverty has dropped whereas the surrounding suburban communities have seen increasing numbers.
Judge Rules Army Corps Responsible for New Orleans Flooding
A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' mismanaged maintenance of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet was the cause of flood damage in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
BRT PDQ in DF
<em>Atlantic</em> correspondent Cristine Russell takes a look at Mexico City's quickly-implemented bus rapid transit system.
Investing in Infrastructure
Private investors are increasingly putting their money into infrastructure assets like bridges and windmills.
The Bowery is Booming (For Better or Worse)
Karrie Jacobs walks the Bowery, and finds it transformed by new development. Falling off the preservationist's radar, the Bowery has been left open for architectural experimentation.
Are Prefabricated Overpasses the Answer?
Writer Sarah Lacey, stuck in hours of traffic in Bangalore, decides that prefabricated highway overpasses are the solution to the world's overcrowded, traffic-choked cities.
HSR Too Slow? Blame CEQA
The California High Speed Rail Blog says that the biggest obstacle to building HSR in California isn't the cost, but a number of problems with the planning process, especially the California Environmental Quality Act.
Finland's First Skyscrapers
An Italian firm plans to build the first skyscrapers in a central district in Helsinki, intended to house both homes and offices.
A Little Green Goes A Long Way
St. Louis' Citygarden Sculpture Park is already being compared to NYC's High Line for its success in revitalizing a previously unused parcel of land.
Cycling: It's About Individualism?
In this op-ed, Verlyn Klinkenborg posits that cycling, at least on the Stanford campus, is more about asserting one's identity than anything else.
Victory for Katrina Homeowners
A judge rules in favor of plaintiffs who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina in a case against the Army Corps of Engineers, saying they failed to properly maintain a navigation channel.
Huge San Francisco Redevelopment Project Underway
It's the largest redevelopment project since the great earthquake of 1906: 702 acres, 10,500 residential units, a shipyard brownfield cleanup, and a new stadium (hopefully) for the 49ers. The Environmental Impact Report has just been released.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
