The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Better Walkability, Higher Value
A recent study finds a correlation between a neighborhood's walkability and its home values.
Hi-Tech Highway Coming To North Carolina
Groundbreaking for the nation's most technologically highway, a toll road, occurred on August 12 in North Carolina. Attended by Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, the 19 mile road will have no toll booths. It is expected to open 2011.
iBurgh Connects Pittsburghers With Services
The City of Pittsburgh, PA yesterday released an iPhone app that allows you to take pictures of potholes and send a complaint directly to the city.
Feds to Invest $4.25 Billion in Rental Housing
The Obama Administration has announced a plan to invest $4.25 billion of stimulus money to build low-income rental housing.
Recasting the Station as the Neighborhood Nucleus
Zoning changes around the train station in New Carrollton, Maryland seek to redefine the city into a more vibrant, walkable area. The changes have received preliminary approval.
Can Infill Save Beijing?
After an unstoppable run of megaprojects being built with an eye on the Olympics, architects are now designing smaller, human-scale projects in between the cracks.
The Most Expensive Cities in the World
This photo slideshow from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> looks at the 10 most expensive cities in the world.
Prince Charles Fails to Stop Modern Building
In a location near St. Paul's Cathedral, a new self-proclaimed "ultra-modernist" office and shopping complex is going up, despite the efforts of the Prince of Wales behind the scenes to squelch the project.
Solar Bus Shelters Debut
San Francisco has begun installing 1,200 new bus shelters that incorporate a solar array on the roof to power an LED display showing bus arrival times.
Renting the American Dream
Home ownership remains a major part of the American dream. But more and more people are beginning to question the wisdom of investing in a home and are leaning towards renting.
BLOG POST
New urbanists and old-fashioned Jews
<p> A few years ago, someone asked me the following question (loosely paraphrased) on a listserv: “Since the most tradition-minded* religious Jews are required by Jewish law to walk to synagogue on Sabbaths and holy days (and thus presumably prize walkability) why aren’t they a major market for new urbanist developments?” At the time, I didn’t have a coherent answer. But now that I know more about both traditional Jews and new urbanism, I do. </p>
The Costs and Benefits of the Canada Line
A new rail line connecting Vancouver to its airport is highly anticipated in the region. The costs and construction disturbances, are causing some concern, however.
The Shifting Tide of Public and Private Space
In Malibu, CA, private property extends to the high tide waterline, where public land begins. An unofficial group of "urban rangers" is giving tours and dance performances along that line to explore the absurdity.
Building Communities With Legos and Plastic Bottles
GOOD Magazine follows planner James Rojas as he engages a community in the act of planning in his own particular fashion, using everyday objects and building blocks.
Don't Just Blame the Cyclists
In response to the Vancouver Sun's recent editorial chastising cyclists for blocking traffic with Critical Mass rides, Gary Engle declares that the op-ed didn't go far enough: there are lots of other villains responsible for causing traffic chaos.
Feeding the World in 2050
Growing populations and diminishing land will make feeding people a challenge in the near future. This piece from <em>Popular Science</em> looks at eight strategies to keep the world fed.
First Small-Scale Urban Wind Turbines Rising
Developers in Portland has begun installation of a set of wind turbines atop a new tower in downtown Portland.
The Future of the Human Relationship with the City
A recent episode of the Australian radio program <em>Future Tense</em> examines how humans interact with the city and how it will likely change in the future.
The Problem With Coal
In his new book,<em> Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future,</em> author Jeff Goodell uncovers the damage the coal industry has done to America's landscape.
Homeless Shelters Go Unregulated
In Louisville, Kentucky, urban planning professor John Gilderbloom decries the lack of regulations on homeless shelters in the area.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
