Spain
Turning Disaster Into Opportunity
Brian Phelps reports on the power of urban landscaping to revitalize a flood-devastated city - Valencia, Spain.
Excuse Me, the Sidewalk is Trying to Tell You Something
Boyd Cohen reports on iPavement, an invention out of Spain that may be ominous or promising, depending on whether you see a benefit in every surface of a city becoming "intelligent."
Is Controversial Megacasino the Best Cure for a Spanish City's Economic Woes?
As leaders in Madrid and Barcelona slug it out to lure a new megacasino to their cities, some are questioning the economic, environmental, legal, and moral compromises being offered.
Using Public Art to Highlight Government Misdeeds
John Metcalfe profiles the work of Spanish art collective luzinterruptus, who have used public art pieces to highlight the failings of Spanish authorities, such as Madrid's dysfunctional drinking fountains.
California High Speed Rail Could Use Some Spanish Lessons
Tim Sheehan investigates the lessons -- both successes and mistakes -- that can be learned from Spain's 20-year history with high speed trains.
Madrid Park Reconnects Once Divided Neighborhoods
Madrid Río, a six-mile long park in the heart of Madrid, replaces the blight left over from a highway that once disconnected neighborhoods and reclaims a neglected waterfront.
Spain's Six-Mile Madrid Rio Park Replaces Freeway
The NYT chief art critic, Michael Kimmelman, reviews Madrid's almost complete six-mile long park, Madrid Rio, that is having a transformative effect on the city. The park was made possible by the under-grounding of the M-30 ring road.
Spanish Cities Saddled with Half-Completed Infrastructure Projects
Marc Herman writes that cities in Spain used the housing bubble as a way to finance major infrastructure projects that now, after the real estate crash, they really can't afford.
Brownfield Playground
Ecopolis Plaza is a former industrial site that has become an inventive children's park, located roughly 12 miles from the center of Madrid. Nicole Jewell checks it out.
The Urbanism of Protest
Recent protests throughout Spain and Europe over unemployment and governmental representation offer a unique look at how protests use and create public space and urbanity.
New Plaza Preserves Unexpected Historical Find
Plans to build a parking garage below an old plaza in Seville, Spain, revealed underground roman ruins. So the city built a new structure to hover over the site and to emphasize the area's historic amenities.
Valencia Gets a "Central Park" of its Own
Spain's third largest city has chosen the winning design for a new urban park that is to sit atop nine rail lines, potentially creating the most important redevelopment project the country has seen in many years.
"Ghost Towns" Emerge from Spain's Economic Crisis
With tens of thousands of unoccupied housing units on the market, the full impact of "problematic" real estate investments on the country's economy remains to be seen.
'Zombie Buildings' Plague Spain's Economy
The burst of the housing bubble is still causing major economic turmoil in Spain, where 1.5 million "zombie" housing units sit empty.
Spain the Model Train Citizen
As the U.S. eases itself into a national system of high speed trains, other nations seem to be decades ahead, especially Spain.
Spain's High Speed Rail Uses Luxury to Lure
Spain's high speed rail system is consistently beating out airlines for inter-city travel. But it's not through low prices.
Public Trees: Landscaping, or Food Source?
An art group called Fallen Fruit promotes the idea of public fruit trees for general consumption by all. But on a trip to Madrid to plant trees, the government refused their intervention, saying that trees were architecture for the city, not food.
Sprawling Madrid
While Madrid's urban core is highly dense, the city has sprawled out over the last two decades much further than its growing population requires, says Madrid resident and planning consultant Marco Adelfio.
Reinventing Mobility in Detroit
PBS documents Detroit's attempts to overcome its history as "the Motor City" to create new ways of getting people around. Transit advocates play a big part in this preview, which includes renderings of projected transit options.
America's Spanish High Speed Rail Envy
Spain has rapidly developed high speed rail system, leaving many U.S. politicians -- including President Obama -- wondering how the U.S. can catch up. This article and video from PBS looks at the Spanish model.
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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
