Signs
Smoke Signals
Could smoke rising from a barbeque pit be considered a sign, and thus be controlled under sign regulations? Zoning officials in East Berlin, PA say yes.
Finding the Hidden Logic of a Place
Metropolis Magazine interviews David Gibson about his new book, The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places.
Bright Lights, Big City?
I missed the APA national conference for the first time in 15 years -- but I quickly heard reports that one of the hot topics focused on banning electronic message boards. I dissent. What would Times Square be without the colorful, multi-message, oft-changing signs? Would Las Vegas have become the tourist definition that it has without the colorful signs? I am not a huge fan of Las Vegas, but I certainly think it has the right to define itself as it wishes.
Relaxing Sign Rules
The city of San Angelo, Texas bucks a regional trend towards stricter regulations for signs used as advertising.
Giant Signs Could Be Fire Hazards
Giant 'supergraphics' drape over the sides of buildings in Los Angeles, usually advertising the latest blockbuster. Almost all of the signs are in violation of sign laws, and building inspectors think they may be fire hazards.
Roadside Memorials Taken Down in Wyoming
The State Department of Transportation fears that makeshift memorials for killed motorists will distract drivers, and has offered families public signs as alternatives.
Neon Signs Fading in Chicago
Chicago preservationists are urging owners of the last of the city's neon signs to keep them intact.
Electronic Signs May Need Different Rules
Officials in Abilene, Texas, are trying to pass an electronic sign ordinance "proactively" but are facing great resistance, as has been the case for other cities.
Corner Store Signs: Are They Blight?
Dallas's city council passed an ordinance restricting the percentage of window space a storefront can use for advertisements. Council members say the signs are creating or adding to blight.
L.A. Erasing Murals
Murals are under fire in Los Angeles, as city officials are painting over what they see as "illegal signs".
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
