During the holiday season, cities go to great lengths to turn their streets, homes and businesses into festive places. But underneath the streets, subways tend to look to same day in and day out. French artists have brought the holidays underground.
"A French artists’ collective gave the people of a Paris an unexpected Christmas present late last week: a giftwrapped metro train," reports Feargus O'Sullivan. "Armed with rolls of wrapping paper and tape, a group from production company Sisaprod descended on the Paris Metro’s Line 8 on Friday morning. Smothering every surface in fuchsia-colored paper, within minutes the group had transformed a car into a festive photo opportunity."
"The purpose of the action? Simply 'to enjoy ourselves and to give other people pleasure,' according to Sisaprod lynchpin Clea Polar."
Read the full story: A Paris Metro Car, Gift-Wrapped
Subway (and Subway Riders) To Heat Apartment Building
Heat emitting from riders of the Paris Metro and from the subway trains will heat 17 apartments in a new system debuting in France.
The Olympics are the perfect excuse to build LA’s dream bike network
With no guaranteed funding for transit, LA should be looking to take as much strain off its Metro system as possible. A vast, interconnected bike network would do just that.
An inspiring look at how women leaders are transforming cities
Book review: “Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation” brilliantly demonstrates how feminist urban planning creates spaces that serve everyone.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority