The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Slow and Steady Survives the Recession
Pittsburgh's strategy of slow, steady growth has made it the front runner for sustainable building. The city now boasts the most LEED-certified square footage in the country.
The Lending Goes On in Midsize Cities
In midsize cities across the United States, consumer borrowing has actually increased, which often leads to higher employment levels and wages than average.
Recession a Bittersweet Thing for Preservationists
Ironically, buildings unable to get funded for preservation due to a recession can also benefit from it: as development overall comes to a stop, so does the wrecking ball.
BLOG POST
Doing the Conference Circuit
<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial">The semester has kicked into high gear and I am drowning in a sea of reading, written assignments,map-making, and special projects.<span> </span>Once in a while, I manage to emerge and dock (I know, enough of the nautical metaphors) at a lecture – or as in the last couple of weeks – at aconference.<span> </span>It is great to stepout of academia once in a while and hear what is going on in the realworld.<span> </span>I had the opportunity to attend two conferences over the past month.<span> </span>One of them – <a href="http://cityfrombelow.org/main">The City from Below</a> Conference – I attended this weekend when I returned home to Baltimore for spring break.</span></p>
White House Urban Affairs Agenda Based on Late-Night Sim City Game
It has been revealed that the White House's Urban Affairs Agenda is entirely based on a late-night round of the computer game "Sim City", played by President Barack Obama and Urban Affairs Secretary Adolfo Carrion.
Closed Wal-Mart Re-Used for New Wal-Mart
The economic recession has caused a shakedown in the retail sector, and retail powerhouse Wal-Mart has been forced to close many outlets. One city has found an innovative solution to the empty big box building left behind: put in a new Wal-Mart.
One Acronym Too Many
While completing a DEIR for the CCC on a BRT for a TND TOD, environmental planner Linda Gorman, MURP, AICP contracted acronym poisoning and had to be rushed to the hospital.
High Speed Rail Funding Dedicated Solely to Disneyland Monorail Improvements
The entire $8 billion set aside in the federal stimulus plan for high speed rail has been dedicated towards improvements on the Disneyland Monorail, a 2.5-mile train system in Anaheim, California.
Hardcore New Urbanist Can't Stop Mixing Uses
Bradley Archer, a long-time champion of New Urbanist principles, spends nearly every waking hour finding a way to get two, maybe three, uses out of everything.
Foreclosed Homes To Be Counted As Race in 2010 Census
Officials at the U.S. Census Bureau announced today that foreclosed homes had seen such an increase in numbers over the past two years that they would be included as an official race in the upcoming 2010 Census.
City Officials Favor 'Stupid Growth'
Officials in Shelbyville, Kentucky are officially adopting a citywide "Stupid Growth" policy. The city plans to release the new Shelbyville Stupid Growth General Plan, which emphasizes "building whatever."
Greener Than Greeny-Green Sustainable Homes Debut
Chartreuse and Associates, a sustainable eco-planning firm, has announced a new suburban development that they say is greener than green. The 14,000 sq ft single-family dwellings feature the latest in eco-gadgetry.
Godzilla Named Tokyo Planning Director, Announces Broad Urban Renewal Plan
Legendary gigantic lizard monster Godzilla has been named planning director for the city of Tokyo. Shortly after his appointment, Mr. Zilla revealed his urban renewal program by smashing through buildings and stomping across entire city blocks.
Resident Demands 'Everything in My Back Yard'
The public comment period at a recent planning commission meeting in Wheaton, Illinois was commandeered by resident Joann Davies, who aggressively demanded that a variety of land uses be approved in her neighborhood.
BLOG POST
Is High-Speed Rail Worth It?
Is it a wise use of taxpayers dollars to spend $13 billion in the next five years ($8 billion in the recovery package and $5 billion in the next five annual appropriations) in a down payment on constructing a high-speed rail network? Or are there better ways to spend this money on transportation? That was the subject of a recent weekly debate on the National Journal's Transportation Blog. The debate revealed a spectrum of opinion among the contributors, with proponents of high-speed rail outnumbering the doubters by a wide margin.
BLOG POST
The Slumdog's City in a City
<p> Watching <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog_Millionaire">Slumdog Millionaire</a>, the Oscar winning film of 2008 that is being released <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slumdog-Millionaire-Dev-Patel/dp/B001P9KR8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1238435270&sr=1-1">on DVD today</a>, can be a bracing experience for those accustomed to the conveniences of Western living. The destitute living is accurately and graphically depicted and is all too real for those that have seen it. Yet, the real danger is letting the poverty obscure a larger, perhaps more important lesson about urban places: Many of these urban slums are functioning, productive cities in their own right, and represent an intergenerational path toward economic improvement. </p>
A Meaner, Greener Recipe for Concrete
Concrete in a Minneapolis bridge replacing that which collapsed in 2007 is made of a concoction that boasts less environmental impact and durability. And it's self-cleaning.
Exurbs, the New Rentals
In many areas, housing on the suburban fringe has gone rental. The shift indicates mobility on the part of renters who want to stay put, but could also be a precursor for a low-income future for the exurbs.
Can Detroit be Reinvented?
The near-bankruptcy of the American auto industry is just the latest in a long history of challenges Detroit has endured.
Where California's Foreclosure Hot Spots Went Wrong
This piece form the <em>Modesto Bee</em> looks at the growth and housing bust that has dramatically affected California's San Joaquin Valley -- home to some of the nation's highest rates of foreclosure.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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.
