Regional Planning
Whither the Regional Planning?
Over a year ago I blogged about a conference of urban historians where the group debated a talk, titled "Whither the Region?," where historian Greg Hise observed the group was talking about regional history less. In my response, I suggested several causes: limited decision-making at the regional level in America, center city biases among historical sources like newspapers, and metropolitan areas growing to encompass entire regions due to urban sprawl. I also observed that although it may go unstudied by the group, a good number of regional planning organizations and agencies do exist.
Innovative Regional Government
Envisioning a form of government more efficient to strategically invest scarce local, state and federal dollars is at the heart of such a proposal.
California's Biggest Land Use Story Is Not The Housing Market
The deepening of the housing market crisis is certainly a big deal in California. But the land use story of the year was the Legislature's passage of a measure mandating regional planning.
Make No Little Plans, 100 Years Later
As the 100-year anniversary of the writing of the Burnham Plan for Chicago approaches, the city and its suburbs are thinking big about how to improve the city.
The Origin of New Urbanism's Persistent Image Problem
Decades after its founding, New Urbanism design movement retains a serious reputation problems among American urbanists.
Where's the planning in metropolitan transportation planning?
Randal O’Toole’s recent policy study from the Cato Institute, “Roadmap to Gridlock” is s worthy read for all professional planners, no matter what their ideological or professional stripe. Undoubtedly, most planners probably consider someone who maintains a blog called the “Antiplanner” more of a bomb thrower than a serious policy analyst. But this dismissive attitude throws an awful lot of good work by the road side, and a good example of that is O’Toole’s “Roadmap to Gridlock.”
Trading Planning Tips With Shanghai
While the city's regional approach is the envy of many American planners, Shanghai is also guilty of top-down planning that may end up encouraging sprawl.
Planning For The Sun Corridor
A new report focuses on the expected growth of the Phoenix-Tuscon "Sun Corridor" to 10 million residents by 2030, and highlights the challenges and opportunities for this megapolitan region.
A Final Plea For Transit In Southwest Michigan
If local officials don't come together with a workable plan, Detroit may just blow its last chance to implement a regional transportation system.
Regional Approach Lauded as Key Stretegy for Economic Development
The greater Toledo area needs to think harder about creating regional development if it wants to compete in the globalizing economy, according to this editorial.
Georgia Considers Regional Taxes for Transportation
Lawmakers in Georgia are considering a plan to ask voters in rural areas to decide whether they want to pay a regional sales tax to fund transportation projects -- a response to the state's few funding sources for transit projects.
Planning a Smart Transit Future in Tampa Bay
With a newly formed regional transit authority, Tampa Bay, Florida, may be ready for a regional transit system. Many want to do it right.
The Regional Approach to Fighting Poverty
This article from the Albany Times Union looks at the importance of using a regional approach to addressing poverty, crime and inner city blight.
Is Now the Time for an MPO in Melbourne?
With government plans to increase the amount of land used for affordable housing in Melbourne, Australia, some say it's time for a regional planning entity.
Ontario’s leaders look for “Places to Grow”
Think big.That’s what the people of Ontario and the Toronto region set out to do more than 5 years ago when they began a visionary planning process for the area known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe in southern Ontario, Canada. (The Greater Golden Horseshoe is the area around Lake Ontario that stretches from roughly Peterborough to the east, west through metropolitan Toronto, and around the west tip of the lake to the southern side and Niagara Falls — hence the horseshoe shape.)
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
