Missouri

Road Funding: Doing More With Less

Roads and bridges are crumbling in America. The Highway Trust Fund is broke and new revenue other than stimulus funds are unlikely, so some state transportation officials are applying innovative methods to spread the road funding they have secured.

March 10, 2009 - Parade

Sewers Sink Affordable Housing

Developer Amir Ziv thought he'd received all the approvals he needed for a controversial affordable housing development in Columbia, MO - but failed to count on storm water regulations.

January 1, 2009 - The Columbia Tribune

Obama Plan: Stimulating The Economy Or Sprawl?

Obama has compared the size of the stimulus package he wants to the 1956 National Highway Act. If the states have their way, it may be just that -- a new highway bill with little left for transit.

December 31, 2008 - Bloomberg

Revitalizing the Arch

The national park under St. Louis' famed Gateway Arch has seen better days, and has always been a point of contention. Today, some residents want to build a cultural attraction in the park. The park service is resisting.

December 20, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle

Missouri Streets are a Little More Complete

DeSoto and Ferguson are the first two cities in Missouri to adopt Complete Street plans. The ordinances are in place to encourage walking and biking, and, ultimately, healthier lifestyles.

December 17, 2008 - Land Online

Water Quality Pact to Cross State Borders

The state governments of Missouri and Arkansas are expected to sign an agreement this year to create a watershed and aquifer protection pact geared at controlling water quality from sources that cross state boundaries.

November 17, 2008 - Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Kansas City Light Rail Plans Fail

A sales tax plan to fund light rail in Kansas City has failed.

November 5, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

Kansas City Pins Light Rail Plans on Sales Tax Hikes

In metropolitan Kansas City, two sales tax initiatives on the ballot in efforts to raise money for the region's long-planned light rail system.

October 24, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

Missouri Town Goes Off the Grid

Rock Port, Missouri, population 1300, has become the first community in the country with more wind power that it can use.

August 4, 2008 - National Public Radio

Brewer Sale Worries St. Louis Residents

St. Louis is a Budweiser town. But the recent announcement that brewer Anheuser-Busch had been bought out by a Belgian brewer has many in the city worried about the future of their most famous and most unifying resident.

July 16, 2008 - The New York Times

High Gas Prices Encourage Family to Buy Second Home

The increase in the price of fuel encourages one St. Louis family to purchase a second home near work.

July 14, 2008 - STLtoday

St. Louis Comes Back

Despite predictions that the city was dying, St. Louis has just won an "All-America City" award. Neal Peirce looks at how the city turned itself around.

June 24, 2008 - The Washington Post Writers Group

Federal Funding At Risk If KC Alters Plans

Streetcars and rail in place of bus rapid transit said to jeopardize federal funding.

June 11, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

A New Proposal For Kansas City's Transit System

Mayor Mark Funkhouser's new proposal calls for a regional transit system spanning 119 miles, though it relies on much less light rail than some transit advocates had hoped for.

May 27, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

Redevelopment Induced Sprawl

In Kansas City, many tax increment financing zones are simply luring existing business to move and creating new sprawling development.

May 18, 2008 - The Pitch

America's First Wind-Powered City

The city of Rock Port, Missouri, recently celebrated the fact that its four wind turbines produced more energy than the town needed, becoming the first community in America to be completely powered by wind.

May 11, 2008 - KOMU

Floodplain Development Plugs On in Missouri

Flooding in the Mississippi River floodplain in Missouri caused federal officials to call for the removal of buildings and homes in the threatened area in 1993. But now, development is being allowed in the same flood-prone areas.

March 20, 2008 - Grist

School Closings Hurt St. Louis Neighborhoods

Urban school closings in St. Louis are being blasted by community members for draining the souls of many of the city's neighborhoods.

February 25, 2008 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Study Says Traffic Growth Slowing In Metro St. Louis

A regional government report shows a slowdown in traffic growth in Metropolitan St. Louis, but state highway officials still plan to expand highways.

February 20, 2008 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ambitious Plans Unlikely, But Noble

This editorial argues that Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser's plans for a regional light rail system are ambitious and not likely to succeed, but they are a powerful example of the froward-thinking mindset more cities need.

February 17, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.