The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Spanish Government To Green Houses
<p>Officials in Spain have announced billion-dollars plans to help homeowners retrofit and renovate houses to be more energy efficient.</p>
Cemetery Architecture Needs Improvement
<p>Some cemeteries are being planned and designed for uses beyond the funeral. But more should be done to improve the banal architecture of the cemetery, according to this article from <em>The Guardian</em>.</p>
Social Steps Toward Environmental Sustainability
<p>Toronto's poet laureate argues that environmental sustainability cannot be achieved until people become better neighbors and create better communities.</p>
D.C.-Area Governments Pushed To Build Green
<p>The regional association of governments in Washington D.C. is calling on its member cities to put more emphasis on encouraging environmentally friendly development.</p>
The Most Important Year In New Orleans History
<p>According to Mayor C. Ray Nagin, Louisiana's recovery has reached the tipping point, setting 2008 up as the year New Orleans will truly come back.</p>
The Marseille Model
<p>As racial tensions erupt across France, the diverse city of Marseille has remained calm. Many look to it as a model for the future of an increasingly ethnically-mixed France and Europe.</p>
Louisville Metro Stepping Up Its Planning for Pedestrians
<p>Jerry Abramson, mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, has announced plans to invest $100,000 in creating a pedestrian plan for his city.</p>
The New Suburban Ghetto
<p>High foreclosure rates are turning Charlotte's new starter home suburbs into bastions of crime and decay.</p>
Bangalore Techies Advocate For Bicycling Amenities
<p>As the city traffic grinds to a crawl due to the rising amount of vehicles on the road, techies in Bangalore have taken a liking to commuting on bicycles.</p>
Creativity Needed To Solve L.A.'s Traffic Problems
<p>This piece from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> takes a look at two big ideas for fixing L.A.'s congestion: subway and monorail.</p>
Walkability Report Raises Questions and Doubts
<p><em>California Planning and Development Report</em>'s Paul Shigley reviews the recent report on walkability released by the Brookings Institution and finds some of its claims dubious.</p>
Houston Makes Agreement With Advertiser To Cut 800 Billboards
<p>The City of Houston has come to an agreement with Clear Channel Advertising for the company to remove about 800 billboards from the city -- the result of a citywide plan to clean up the city's "visual clutter" that started more than 20 years ago.</p>
Main Street Preservation Aims Harm Economy
<p>This article from <em>Reason</em> looks at a regulatory system in Alexandria, Virginia, that seeks to maintain the city's historic Old Town neighborhood. But is the regulation burdening local businesses owners to the point of hurting the economy?</p>
Amtrak: Maybe Now?
<p>With increasing train ridership and more people shying away from the gas pump, Neal Peirce asks whether now might be Amtrak's time to shine.</p>
Cars Take Back Seat in Planned Transit-Friendly Street
<p>In Toronto, planners have unveiled a street design that separates a planned streetcar line from auto traffic, bike lanes, and parking. Many are calling it a first for the city -- making the street decidedly transit- and pedestrian-friendly.</p>
The Expanding Subway of Beijing
<p>This blog post from <em>Wired</em> takes a look at the expanding subway system of Beijing, China -- a system that is expected to become the world's second largest by 2015.</p>
Canada's Capital Errors
<p>Thanks to a series of "lousy" public policy decisions, Ottawa - Canada's national capital - is growing increasingly dysfunctional, writes Jeffrey Simpson.</p>
Lagos: Africa's New York City
<p>This video from <em>Current</em> profiles Lagos, Nigeria, the world's fastest growing megacity.</p>
Closing Schools Opens Doors
<p>On the tail of a recent announcement that Washington D.C. would decommission up to two dozen public schools, columnist Roger K. Lewis suggests that the closings can be a good thing, and that they open the door for adaptive reuse.</p>
Car-Free Days Flood London With Pedestrians -- And Commerce
<p>Temporarily pedestrianized streets in London brought nearly a million people out for a day of walking and shopping recently, resulting in more than $200 million worth of sales.</p>
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.
