The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Houston: Peak Oil Metaphor?
<p>James Howard Kunstler attends the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) and finds downtown Houston a "ghastly" environment that shows that even without zoning a city can achieve "miserable" results.</p>
The Struggle To Clean Up Cairo's Air
<p>Cairo has one of the most severe air pollution problems in the world. Now efforts are underway to clean up the source of much of this pollution, the brick manufacturing industry.</p>
What Canada Can Learn From U.S. Cities
<p>An urban renaissance is underway in many American cities, one fueled by the "common sense" of focusing on fundamentals. Canadian cities are looking south to pick up some good ideas.</p>
Flashback: Ignoring Warnings, Feds Cut San Diego Fire Prevention Funds
<p>This past April, agencies responsible for fire prevention in the San Diego area were warning the Bush Administration not to cut funding for deadwood removal, saying it was only a matter of time before another major fire.</p>
The Ugliest City In America - The People, That Is
<p>Survey says: Philadelphians are the ugliest (and perhaps the fattest) people in the U.S, while the beach-loving residents of San Diego and Miami are the most gorgeous.</p>
The New American Dream
<p>Walkable neighborhoods will be the new American dream, according to land strategist and developer Chris Leinberger in this interview from <em>Smart City</em>.</p>
Not Putting Out The Fire With Land Use Planning
<p>As fires devastate Southern California and cause the evacuation of more than half million people, Bill Fulton laments how land use planning has largely been ignored as a fire risk reduction method.</p>
Urban Renewal For Whom?
<p>Urban renewal projects intended to help the poor in struggling neighborhoods really do the opposite, writes Timothy B. Lee.</p>
Soaking It Up In Seattle
<p>Permeable surfaces in Seattle offer ideas on how cities can best deal with the environmental problems of urban runoff.</p>
Cementing The Road To Climate Change
<p>The booming production and use of cement is the single largest material contributor to climate change.</p>
If The Youth Can't Rent, They Probably Won't Stay
<p>Low vacancy rates are threatening to push younger populations out of Vancouver.</p>
BLOG POST
Horsepower vs Horse Power and Sustainability
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">How sustainable is the internal combustion engine? The answer depends, in part, on your historical perspective. This point becomes startlingly evident in a recent article by UCLA doctoral student Eric Morris in the most recent issue of </font><a href="http://www.uctc.net/access/access30.shtml"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3" color="#800080">Access magazine</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">. The magazine publishes accessible versions of academic research and is published by the University of California Transportation Center at Berkeley. </font></p>
Space Race Is Over, But Russian Launching Pad Still Booms
<p>The Russian space program's launching pad is located in the remote Central Asian city of Baikonur, and as space tourism gains popularity, the city's economy is thriving.</p>
BLOG POST
The Future of Presence
<p> I spent a few days last week in Newcastle, England - a real gem of a town for tech history enthusiasts and urbanists. Newcastle is where the first steam trains and railways were built at the dawn of the industrial revolution. It was the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/launch_ani_rocket.shtml">demonstration</a> of Robert <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephenson's_Rocket">Stephenson's </a><em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephenson's_Rocket">Rocket</a></em> in 1829 in Newcastle that you might mark as the beginning of mass mechanical mobility.
Cities Also To Blame In Warming
<p>With many studies expounding on the urban 'heat island' effect, it seems that global climate change can be blamed on cities just as much as suburbs -- if not more so. Joel Kotkin and Ali Modarres explain, and propose a greener suburb for the future.</p>
Instant Shelter For Disaster Areas
<p>This slideshow from <em>Wired</em> shows some examples of temporary, quick-build housing that can be used in post-disaster situations.</p>
Fire-Prone Suburban Southwest Built At 'Catastrophic' Densities
<p>Burgeoning migration to the American southwest has resulted in suburban expansion into wilderness areas prone to fires, which are now more severe due to the impacts of climate change.</p>
Are Toll Roads The Solution?
<p>More and more states are looking to private investors to own and operate their roads and bridges as tollways, but some wonder if the government should really take such a hands-off approach.</p>
The Future Of Water
<p>This article from <em>The New York Times Magazine</em> takes an in-depth look at the water shortages facing the country.</p>
Take A Free Ride In The Suburbs
<p>Home builders and city officials are teaming up to offer temporarily free transit services for suburban residents.</p>
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
