A new pedestrian bridge, recently opened near a BART station in the San Francisco Bay Area, is an example of why the high price of good design can sometimes be worth it.
San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King offers a positive review of the new bridge.
"The 600-foot-long arc not only eases the way for pedestrians and bicyclists, it also sends a message naysayers choose to ignore: our society should aim to produce civic works on par with cherished landmarks from the New Deal or the Carnegie libraries of the generation before that."
The bridge connects an area of mixed-use developments to a 28-mile trail, and was designed by Arup.
FULL STORY: Footbridge an elegant new icon in East Bay
A Showcase of Innovative Climate Change and Resiliency Design Projects
A competition in the San Francisco Bay Area highlights projects considering new ways to design for impending environmental changes.
Subtle, Gentle Creep North for Development in San Francisco's SoMa
There is development life in San Francisco outside of SoMa (South of Market). Jim Chappell, former SPUR director, reviews some of the activity in this second installation of a series.
Now you can cross from Iowa to South Dakota on a pedestrian bridge
The Big Sioux Pedestrian Bridge connects a park and a golf course on the other side of the Big Sioux River.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association