The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Tribe Appeals For Removal Of Dams
Dams have been decimating the population of salmon in Northern California's Klamath River for years, and now Native Americans who depend on the salmon are traveling to visit the owner of the dams to appeal for their removal.
India's Poor Displaced By Country's Industrialization
<p>Land is being grabbed up all over India in efforts to industrialize the country and bring in foreign investment. The country's poor in these primarily agricultural areas are disproportionately affected by these acquisitions.</p>
Focusing On Fuels As Opposed To Auto Dependency
<p>Two Bay Area 'voices' illustrate that lowering carbon content of fuel and increasing its efficiency hardly gets at the root of the transportation-global warming problem -- auto dependency, and offer three strategies to solve it.</p>
Will Miami Become The Next Great Walkable City?
<p>Through the use of a city-wide form-based code, the City of Miami and Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company are teaming up to create a more walkable, transit-oriented city.</p>
Placemaking and Public Libraries
<p>As public libraries take on more roles in their communities -- including acting as key public spaces -- librarians are adopting "placemaking" into their facility and service planning.</p>
New Urbanism Arrives In The Prairie
<p>In this editorial the <em>O'Fallon Journal</em> praises Dardenne Prairie, a growing suburb of St. Louis, for trying to create a downtown and a real "sense of place" in a community that does not have one.</p>
The Crisis In Affordable Housing
<p>There has been a great deal of press given lately to the crisis in the housing market. The real crisis, writes Alec Dubro, is shelter unaffordability and homelessness for low-income earners.</p>
No More Mandatory Retirement For British Columbia
<p>With Baby Boomers moving into their 60s and a significantly smaller population of younger workers, officials in British Columbia have passed a bill that will do away with the province's mandatory retirement age of 65.</p>
BLOG POST
Comfort Versus Speed
<br /> Most people that I know want to act responsibly, but when it comes to daily travel decisions they often choose driving over more resource-efficient but less comfortable and convenient alternative modes, such as walking, cycling and public transportation. As a result, they feel guilty, and communities suffer from problems such as congestion, infrastructure costs, consumer costs, accidents, energy consumption, and pollution emissions. <br />
Pasadena Takes Action On Affordable Housing Agenda
<p>The city council has moved to allocate $8 million dollars to pursue five initiatives recommended by a team of consultants designed to increase the supply of affordable housing.</p>
Governor To Live Off Food Stamps
<p>Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has undertaken an experiment and social commentary stunt to survive on food stamps. He hopes his $21-a-week food budget will raise awareness of the plight of the low-income residents of his state.</p>
Micro-Chic: The 76-Square-Foot House
<p>A designer in Munich has debuted what may be the smallest all-inclusive homes in the world. At just 76 square feet, the tiny cubes come complete with two double beds, table seating for five, a kitchen, storage space, a toilet, and a shower.</p>
Minneapolis Wants To Move Bus Stops To Fight Downtown Crime
<p>Increased crime in downtown Minneapolis around bus stops prompts the mayor, police and businesses to pressure the transit agency to move 7th Street's bus stops three blocks away from the downtown entertainment district.</p>
BLOG POST
Pulling Up Stakes On The 'Good Old Days'
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The 1950’s and 1960’s were boom times for planning and building in the northeastern United States. Projects were designed and built seemingly overnight. For those who idolize Edmund Bacon (Philadelphia's director of city planning from 1949 to 1970) and Robert Moses (New York City’s master builder from 1924 to 1968), that was the time to plan and design and implement and build --quickly. </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font> </p>
Induced Rain May Wash Beijing's Pollution Away
<p>China has announced plans to induce rain in Beijing in the days before the 2008 Olympics in an effort to clean the air. Scientists are wary about the effects of the process.</p>
Increased Fuel Efficiency Wreaks Havoc On Highway Trust Fund
<p>As vehicles become more fuel efficient, their drivers pay less in fuel excise taxes, the main source of road funding. Fuel efficiency will likely increase as a global warming reduction strategy, while fuel excise taxes remain largely stagnant.</p>
Plan To Increase Prison Capacity Meets Criticism
<p>Under pressure from federal judges, California has approved plans to build 53,000 new prison and jail beds as part of a $7.3 billion construction effort. Critics say increasing capacity does not address the reasons why prisons are overcrowded.</p>
The Paragon Of Sprawl Tries Its Hand At Urban Design
<p>The Los Angeles Planning Department has established an Urban Design Studio to tackle the city's thousands of miles of dead streets and aesthetic blight.</p>
2010 Is Right Around The Corner For World Cup Host
<p>South Africa has been tapped to host the 2010 World Cup, and though th event is three years away, preparations are already underway -- and progressing at a strenuous pace to try to stay on schedule.</p>
FEATURE
Paved Paradigm
Libertarian biases and assumptions keep Reason Magazine authors stuck in traffic.
Pagination
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.