Best Practices
Boston Neighborhoods Asking for Slower, Safer Streets
Rather than focusing only on which streets are most dangerous, Boston officials asked which neighborhoods wanted safety improvements to slow traffic, 45 different communities around the city said they did.
Looking at Copenhagen with Jealous Eyes
Copenhagen's positive attributes are clear, but how transferable are they?
A Best Practice for Measuring Transit Performance
The New York MTA isn't the only transit system to spend valuable time evaluating ways to evaluate service, and it certainly won't be the last. TransitCenter suggests one metric to end these kinds of debates.
Has Planning Become Too Rational?
A recent study describes the evolution of planning has become far too sensitive to government thinking (i.e., fiscal conservatism and economic logic) instead of the emotional processes of citizens.
Process and Outcome Best Practices: Interviews with Exemplary Planning Practitioners
Well known planning scholar and theorist Dr. Karen Christensen, from UC Berkeley, introduces her findings from a decade of interviews with exemplary planners in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Six Helpful Apps for Urban Designers
Leslie Clagett shares a list of apps for urban designers (helpful to project managers, too) "to streamline design problems, decision making, and materials selection."
Why Are "Best Practices" So Hard to Copy?
Though studies of "best practices" are meant to produce a path to success, they're invariably hard to follow. What we like best about cities - their unique character and systems - is exactly what limits the reach of best practices, says Mike Pagano.
New Tool for Building Sustainable Communities Debuts
Kaid Benfield brings attention to HUD's new Sustainable Communities Resource Center website, which provides best practices case studies and other information resources.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.