Television
In Planning, Reality Can Be Worse Than Fiction
The Showtime Series Penny Dreadful portrays a bleak vision of 1940s Los Angeles. But, unencumbered by regulations and zoning laws, it also displays what great urban neighborhoods can look like.
'Vida' Examines Gentrification in East L.A. But Now Faces Backlash from Real-Life Protesters
A show about the impacts of gentrification in a working-class immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles is generating controversy among those it represents.
Why Can't Public Transit Get a Role on the Silver Screen?
Or even Netflix, for that matter.
The Pop Culture Verdict: Transit Is Hip
Several decades ago, public transit was a distinctly low-quality way of getting around. Now, if we can believe TV and movies depicting the near future, all that has changed. Transit has become aspirational.
The Golden Age of Television's New Subject: Public Housing
A new miniseries on HBO, from the creators of the seminal series The Wire, will spend the next weeks addressing issues raised by public housing and desegregation in Yonkers during the 1980s.
How Popular Television Predicts Urban Trends
Christopher and Lisa Leinberger present a history of popular television shows reflecting and predicting how Americans chose to live.
Friday Funny: The Most Epic City Council in North America
Community Cable 9 has outdone themselves with this trailer for the weekly broadcast of Whitehorse, Canada's City Council meetings. Don't you wish your council meetings were this epic?
Fantastic Floor Plans of TV's Fictional Abodes
Ever wonder how the layout of some of television's most famous domiciles might be depicted in the hands of a professional? Look no further, interior designer Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde has you covered.
John Lautner: Architect for Evil
The homes designed by architect John Lautner have appeared often in films, many times as characters themselves and many times associated with villains. Adam Baer examines what it is about Lautner's designs that inspire associations with evil.
Simulating Urbanity
HBO's The Wire has wrapped its last season of urban criticism disguised as a cop show. Dan Hill, who creates simulations of cities in his day job, is fascinated by The Wire's simulation and deconstruction of Baltimore.
'Reality's' Reveal
With the Olympics nicely coinciding with my vacation, I think I’ve watched more coverage of the games than the average human should. Prior to the start of the games, I followed with interest the story of how Beijing was re-fashioning itself to host the games. Much has been written on this subject from the loss of the city’s “hutongs” to the “distorted” messages conveyed by the starchitecture. Some have referred to Beijing as a “Houston on steroids.”
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 Oxford
Caltrans - District 7
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
