Regeneration professionals use the power of "placemaking" to bring real, concrete benefits to city.
"The move reflects a growing belief in 'placemaking': the regeneration of neighbourhoods not directly through jobs or wholesale redevelopment, but through altering an area's character to make it more attractive to people. Dreamier still was the initiative instigated last summer by mayor Bertrand Delanoe, in which 3.8 kilometres of inner-city expressway was converted into an urban beach. Seventeen city agencies worked together creating a ribbon of sand and equipping it with 80 imported palm trees, 22 blue and white striped changing tents, 150 parasols and 300 blue canvas deckchairs. Some 600,000 people visited the beach on its first day, displacing the 200,000 motorists who would normally have used the expressway. New York is also getting in on the dreaminess act..."
Thanks to Harriet Festing
FULL STORY: Allure of living the dream

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

LA County Leaders Seek to Increase Penalties for Rent Gouging
Landlords who raise rents sharply after disasters could face fines of up to $50,000.

How ‘Anti-DEI’ Efforts Impact Sustainable Transportation Studies
Research into accessibility, transit equity, and traffic safety is losing federal funding at an alarming rate.

River Seine ‘Teeming’ With Life
Decades of restoration efforts are yielding positive results as dozens of species of fish return to the once-polluted waterway.
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 Brookings
City of White Salmon
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
M-NCPPC Prince George's County Planning Department
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service