Massachusetts
Planning in Second Life
Planners in Acton, Massachusetts used Second Life as a pr and outreach tool to engage citizens in planning a key commercial area.
The Promise of the Big Dig Unfulfilled
Causeway Street, formed by the Big Dig in Boston, is in the plans as a vibrant new center of streetlife. With the Big Dig construction long over, planners say now is the time.
Six States' Attempts To Increase Fuel Taxes
A new 21-page report evaluates the efforts of ID, NH, MA, MN, OR, and VT to raise state fuel taxes from 2006-2009. Why did only two succeed? This analysis looks only at how the debates were played out in print media in each of the states.
Chinatown: The Video Game
"Participatory Chinatown" is a computer game designed to increase public participation in the planning process in Boston.
Planning for Development Around Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is looking to inject some life back into the area surrounding the relatively empty park atop the city's infamous Big Dig.
Rose Kennedy Greenway is a "Placeless Desert"
Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway is an urban park built over the "Big Dig" highway tunnel, and as Robert Campbell of the Boston Globe puts it, "a design disaster."
Controversial Offshore Wind Farm off Massachusetts Approved
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today approved the first offshore wind farm in the United States, a project that faced vocal opposition from local tribes and others.
Living the Car-Free Life In Order to Plan It
New Urbanist Jeff Speck has moved his family to Lowell, Massachusetts without a car in order to experience the perspective of a carless household.
New Twist on Eminent Domain
Boston uses the threat of eminent domain to force a developer to build on a site that's become an eyesore.
Smart Growth Worries School Board
The school board of Chicopee, Massachusetts is concerned that a proposed smart growth district would overwhelm the school system.
Boston Proper Cheaper Than Burbs
A new report from ULI maps out the 'housing plus transportation' costs in all Boston neighborhoods. Turns out living in the heart of the city is cheaper than the outer neighborhoods.
Transit Fan Takes the Helm
Last week, Richard A. Davey Jr. was appointed the new general manager of the MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The Boston Globe's transportation reporter rides the T with him and talks transit.
Boston Neighborhood Transforms Church into Housing
How grassroots organizers beat out commercial bidders, and overcame zoning hurdles to redevelop Catholic church into affordable housing.
OP-ED: Make "High-Speed" Rail Speedier
Train writer Christian Wolmar argues that the best application for high speed rail funds would be to upgrade the Washington D.C. to Boston, 150 mph Acela line to true, high speed rail status and used as a showcase for American rail technology.
Representing and Understanding the City Graphically
Columnist Jeanne Haffner goes hands-on to learn how graphic representation is used in the day-to-day work of planning.
Turning an Ethnic Enclave Into An Asset
Lowell, Mass. has one of the largest populations of Cambodian immigrants in the country. City officials want to create a "Little Cambodia" neighborhood to capitalize on that strength without exploiting it.
Revitalizing a City With Technology
The town of Holyoke, Massachusetts has hired Cisco to create a technology-led urban revitalization plan.
Underground Theater - No, Literally Underground
The winner of the SHIFTboston Ideas Competition is a proposal to turn the unused Tremont Street Subway tunnel under Boston Common into a network of underground cultural venues.
Good Bones
That's what a consultant told Robert L. Hubbard, city director of planning and community development of Gardner, Massachussetts, about the city's infrastructure. Gardner intends to build on those bones with an urban renewal plan.
The Preserved Underground Past of Boston's Subway
A video from The Boston Globe takes a look into the world below the city's subway system.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
