The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Co-Housing Grows in Brooklyn
A group of Brooklyn residents has taken over an unfinished 40-unit development site and plans to create a co-housing community with a courtyard and 6,000 sq ft of common space for meals, work and play.
Dublin the Number of Taxis Was a Mistake
With thousands more licensed taxis than New York City, Dublin Ireland is facing a glut of idle cabs.
3 Plans to Rescue the Economy and the Earth with Public Transportation
Treehugger.com talks to Andy Kunz of urbandesign.org, The Apollo Alliance, and Transportation for America about their proposals to move America forward with expanded public transportation initiatives.
BLOG POST
Grad School: Like a Conference, but With Less Sex
<p> Most of the time it’s not that hard to kind of forget that I’m a grad student. It often feels like a long, ongoing conference, but without nametags: We hear speakers (sometimes known as professors), have long lunch breaks, do exercises, then retire to the bar at night to talk about all of it. </p> <p> More similarities: None of our classrooms would be mistaken for hotel conference centers, but a bunch of them <em>are</em> windowless and characterless. People are cordial, but also kind of angling for a job. Everybody’s friendly, and sometimes, people hook up. </p> <p> Then reality comes crashing down like a pile of books: oh yeah. Exams. We have to take those. </p>
Mumbai After Terrorist Attacks
As Mumbai recovers from the recent terrorist attacks, social worker Katia Savchuk reflects on how cities can be resilient to terrorism.
Architects Still Find Work in Latin America
A South American building boom can be credited for the steady demand for projects by American architecture firms.
Greener London Ahead
The mayor of London has announced plans to make the city greener than ever. He stated that opportunities abounded not just for emissions reduction, but for green job creation as well.
Intercity Bus Use Highest in 40 Years: Study
A new report from the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development finds that a combination of high gas prices and airline industry woes have contributed to a dramatic increase in intercity bus ridership.
Energy Companies Get No 'Parting Gift' from BLM
The Bureau of Land Management hasn't gone through with its plans to auction off leases on land, apparently intended to be explored for oil and gas.
Cities: Use What You've Got
According to Philip Myrick, communities that will fare the best economically are the ones that think locally and employ placemaking strategies.
RAND Corp. Offers SoCal Short Term Congestion Fixes
Author Paul Sorensen details the findings of a recent RAND study recommending short term (i.e., within five years) fixes for rampant congestion in Southern California.
NOLA Medical Campus to Replace Historic Buildings
A proposed New Orleans hospital will have to be built on top of an historic neighborhood that some residents feel that they have just regained. Those in favor of the project insist that the selection of that site was necessary.
In Light of Violence, Student Subway Passes Reconsidered
Subway violence and crime in Philadelphia have been unofficially traced to truant students, who are enabled by unlimited rides on the SEPTA throughout the week. Whether or not the student TransPass system should be eliminated is being debated.
Transportation Secretary Will Have to Hit Ground Running
Outdated funding mechanisms and systemwide maintenance issues ensure that the next transportation secretary will have a full plate during the Obama administration.
BLOG POST
Smart Economic Stimulation
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Economic stimulation is an important issue these days. Let’s be smart when choosing economic stimulation strategies. </span> </p>
BLOG POST
Skills in Planning: The Planning Portfolio
<p class="MsoNormal"> With the return to prominence of physical planning and increasing use of GIS, planning students are becoming interested in developing portfolios of their work. This blog entry provides tips for this process exploring why portfolios are useful, who they are aimed at, and how to design the portfolio. It provides many of the resources needed to design your own! </p>
From Garbage Hole to Park
Turning a New York landfill into a park may just reorganize the way people think about public parks in America.
Inland Empire Prepares for 350,000 Foreclosures
Local and regional governments in Riverside County, California, have assembled a "Red Team" task force to mitigate the impacts of the foreclosure crisis in the fastest growing region in the state.
Can L.A. Go Solar?
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has an ambitious plan to get L.A. to go solar. Still, without a proper financial analysis, skeptics find it too lofty to be true.
Pagination
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.