Alabama

Using Instagram to Create a Blight Inventory

The Innovation Team in Mobile shows that sometimes innovation can be delivered through commonplace technology.

December 6, 2015 - Governing

FEMA Trailer

The Katrina Cottage Legacy

The New Urbanist Katrina Cottages initiative for the Gulf Coast appeared to be a failure but their legacy lives on in the SmartDwellings and in the Tiny House movement.

September 20, 2015 - Original Green

Alabama Road Signs

Alabama Bill Would Hike Gas and Diesel Taxes by a Nickel, and Then Some

A bill to increase both gas and diesel taxes by five cents in Alabama has passed its first committee on a voice vote and goes to the full House of Representatives on Thursday. The bill indexes both taxes using only two-cent increments.

September 16, 2015 - The Anniston Star

The Pioneers of Huntsville, Alabama

For some STEM-intensive firms, the cost of living in Silicon Valley is a deal-breaker.

September 11, 2015 - Bloomberg Business

Hopes for Restoring New Orleans-Florida Amtrak Service Pinned on Transportation Bill

Included in the draft version of the DRIVE Act: funding to study the restoration of Amtrak's Sunset Limited route along the Gulf Coast until Hurricane Katrina.

September 1, 2015 - The Hill

Desert Road

Restoring the First Cross Country Interstate in the Southern States*

Partly absorbed by 1-10 and party given over the ravages of time—the Old Spanish Trail was the first to highway to connect the East Coast to the West Coast through the southern states.

August 9, 2015 - Atlas Obscura

Record Environmental Settlement Reached in 2010 BP Gulf Oil Spill

While a judge must approve the historic $18.7 billion settlement reached July 2, the United States and the five Gulf States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have agreed to the settlement, along with BP.

July 6, 2015 - USA Today

A Bikeshare First in Birmingham, Alabama: E-Bikes

Electric-assist bikes, sometimes called e-bikes, are about to be added to the bikeshare mix in a city that might surprise you: Birmingham, Alabama.

April 27, 2015 - AL.com

Souto de Moura

6 Tips for Good Design in Your Town

Good design impacts tourism, jobs, property values and quality of life. What can we do to bring good design to small towns and rural communities? Here are a few good tips and inspiring examples.

September 8, 2014 - CommunityMatters

Atlanta Sprawl

Sprawl and the 'Death of the American South'

A post by Sustainatlanta reacts to the recent study that predicted massive, sprawling growth in the South in the next 50 years. The post's concern is that sprawl will "eviscerate' the Southern lifestyle.

August 24, 2014 - sustainatlanta

Good Design Sparks Rural Community Development

Now more than ever, creative professionals are turning their attention to community development. While this trend toward good design is exciting, it’s harder to find in rural areas. Here are a few ideas from the forefront of rural design.

August 14, 2014 - CommunityMatters

Atlanta Sprawl

Modeling the Explosive Growth of the Southern Megalopolis

A new study, "The Southern Megalopolis: Using the Past to Predict the Future of Urban Sprawl in the Southeast U.S." predicts urban sprawl and warns of its possible consequences over the next 50 years.

July 28, 2014 - CityLab

Agenda 21 Opponents Under the Microscope

Writing for Fortune magazine, David Morris examines the influence of the Anti-Agenda 21 movement, especially one of the movement's figureheads, Rosa Koire, who wrote the book "Behind the Green Mask: U.N. Agenda 21."

June 20, 2014 - Fortune Magazine

United Nations Flags

How Agenda 21 Trumps Planning

Agenda 21, a nonbinding United Nations resolution signed in 1992 by 170 world leaders, was developed to encourage "sustainable development." Now it’s a political talking point that kills planning efforts all over the country.

February 27, 2014 - Next City

Has Social Design's Most Prominent Experiment Succeeded?

Auburn University's Rural Studio program and other designers from across the U.S. have descended on Hale County, Alabama for two decades in an effort to improve the quality of life for the rural area's residents. What have they achieved?

January 20, 2014 - Fast Company

Lessons for Building a Better City After a Devastating Disaster

With climate change producing more extreme weather, the likelihood of a natural disaster impacting the world's cities is on the rise. New members of the 'disaster club' can look to these three places for lessons for turning tragedy into opportunity.

August 9, 2013 - Governing

Can Biking Build a Bridge to Transit in Birmingham?

Urban areas across the country have identified bikes as a fat-burning, congesting-decreasing, transit-supporting alternative to automobiles. And Birmingham – despite a need for all these benefits – has lagged tremendously behind.

August 9, 2013 - The Birmingham News

Should Birmingham Double Down on Downtown-Dividing Interstate?

A innovative approach to I-20/59 could thrust downtown Birmingham past other revitalizing cities, but the state has been reluctant to think outside the box.

June 25, 2013 - The Birmingham News

Birmingham Brothers Create a Template for Neighborhood Revitalization

Two entrepreneurs and brothers take urban development matters into their own hands. The result? Lured by a contest offering free rent, and the associated buzz, Birmingham's South Avondale finds itself in the midst of a cultural renaissance.

October 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Bleak Future for Huntsville's Historic Home

Preservation officials fight to save a storm-worn historic house, but the ongoing battle with local home owners leads to major negative impacts on the neighborhood.

June 27, 2012 - The Huntsville Times

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.