Recent protests throughout Spain and Europe over unemployment and governmental representation offer a unique look at how protests use and create public space and urbanity.
This op-ed from Domus looks at how the use of public spaces by the protesters resulted in a new temporary urbanism.
"It started as a small-scale protest against the misrepresentation of its participants in democratic institutions, both in Spain and across the EU. It then moved with calls like "YES WE CAMP!" into a 500-person protest-camp-with thousands engaged in its daily offline activities, and millions discussing online through the hashtag #spanishrevolution, making it a worldwide Twitter trending topic in only a few hours. After twenty-five days of protests that emerged in different fashions innumerous Spanish cities, sparking demonstrations in solidarity in several EU capitals, the "15M" (15 Mayo) movement soon evolved into a wide network of connected neighborhood assemblies. After all this process, and its successful social enrolment, 15M is still seen by many as an attempt at consensus in the normalized use of public space."
FULL STORY: 15M and YES WE CAMP! Controversy as urbanism
Denver to Shift Sidewalk Repair Work to City, Funded by Property Owners
The city is shifting from a piecemeal approach to sidewalk repairs that charged property owners with doing the work to a more streamlined, city-led process.
Madrid Uses Transit System for Parcel Delivery to Cut Emissions
A new pilot program uses trains to deliver packages at off-peak hours, lowering emissions from trucks.
Building a Greener Future: Youth Leadership in Climate Action
The L.A. County Youth Climate Commission empowers young voices to influence sustainable policies, prioritizing environmental justice and addressing top issues like cleaner air, green spaces, and green buildings.
How Would Project 2025 Affect America’s Transportation System?
Long story short, it would — and not in a good way.
But... Europe
European cities and nations tend to have less violent crime than the United States. Is government social welfare spending the magic bullet that explains this difference?
California Law Ends Road Widening Mandates
Housing developers will no longer be required to dedicate land to roadway widening, which could significantly reduce the cost of construction and support more housing units.
Reimagining the Space Beneath Houston’s Freeways
Opportunities abound for Houston to capitalize on otherwise unused space beneath its wide network of freeways.
Cincinnati Seeks to Repurpose Its Unused Subway Tunnel
City officials are looking for proposals to use Cincinnati's long-abandoned subway tunnels, but not for transit; they already tried that.
New Jersey Agrivoltaic Project Combines Solar Energy With Farming
A Rutgers University-New Brunswick demonstration farm will evaluate solar array designs to understand how they can best support grazing and agriculture on the same site.
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.
Placer County
Mayors' Institute on City Design
City of Sunnyvale
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP)
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
City of Portland, ME
Baton Rouge Area Foundation