An architecture critic comments on the psudo placemaking that commonly occurs with Disneyesque New Urbanist plans.
St. Paul, MN's new master plan for its West Side Flats area calls for the creation of a mixed use "urban village" in the spirit of New Urbanism. "However, the plan is flawed by its tendency to produce either very bland buildings or a nostalgic and highly scenographic architecture that can only be described as Disneyesque. Instead of creating real places, St. Paul seems more and more to be creating images of places, in which ultra-modern structures hide behind pseudo-historic facades."
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: St. Paul needs real places, not just images of places

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
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