New York
Natalie de Blois, Influential but Excluded Modernist Architect, Dies
While working for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, de Blois helped design some of the most influential office towers of the 20th century. But, when it came time to open one of her signature buildings, she was told not to attend if she was still pregnant.
NYC Pushes Ahead With Plans for New Neighborhood Built on Landfill
A far-fetched proposal for Seaport City - a new landfill neighborhood on the East Side of lower Manhattan - is one step closer to reality with New York City's release of a request for proposals to study the idea.
What Makes a Place Feel Safe?
Utilizing an online tool that compares images from Google Street View, researchers have built a better understanding of the 'small, often imperceptible reasons' that make some streets and places feel safer than others.
Lessons for Repurposing Surplus Parking
Stuck with millions of square feet of superfluous parking like the Cascadian communities we examined yesterday? Joyce Law offers seven examples of creative repurposing of parking lots and garages for active uses in New York City.
When Will NYC Mayoral Candidates Get Serious About Transit?
Monorails, reinstating the 'commuter tax,' and a city takeover of the MTA are among the proposals being bandied about by the candidates vying to become New York City's next mayor. Just one problem: they're all pie in the sky, say observers.
Polluting 'Platinum' Tower Pierces LEED Balloon
When the Bank of America Tower opened in 2010 it was praised as the world's first LEED Platinum skyscraper. But data on the building's performance, post-occupation, show that it's actually an energy hog and massive greenhouse gas polluter.

Europe's Ugliest Train Stations
By renewing Madison Square Garden's lease for only 10 years, New York's City Council signaled that relief for passengers using the city's dreadful Penn Station may be in sight. Which of Europe's loathsome stations might be next?
The McMansionization of New York
With New Yorkers, and foreigners of means, increasingly smitten with the views afforded by the city's sprouting luxury residential towers, developers and brokers have found a novel way to sell lower-floor spaces - as 'mansions'.
Could Citywide BRT Slow NYC's Growing Transportation Inequity?
With five routes already in operation, New York City leaders are getting the taste for bus rapid transit. This week, one city council member introduced a bill that would require the city to develop a plan for a citywide BRT network.
Madison Square Garden Told to Find a New Home
The long quest to transform Penn Station got a major boost yesterday when the New York City Council voted to renew Madison Square Garden's lease for just 10 years. The Garden's owners had sought an unlimited extension.
To Remain Competitive, NYC Should Bolster Placemaking, Not Its Skyline
Michael Kimmelman comes out against the plan to rezone a 73-block area around Grand Central Terminal to allow the replacement of "aging commercial buildings with giant new office towers". The city should focus on planning, not zoning, he argues.
MTA Studies Millennials to Meet Their Transit Needs
When it comes to meeting the transit needs of millennials, real time information about train arrivals is as important as the transit itself. This is one of the key findings of a New York MTA survey conducted to inform strategies for the future.
What Would an Elderly-Friendly City Look Like?
London-based Transport for All bemoans the inaccessibility of our urban environs for older residents. In this article, they ask designer Neil Chambers how he would design a city to 'facilitate an active and flexible lifestyle for the elderly.'
New York's Abominable Affordable Housing Wait List
There are now 227,000 individuals and families on the NYC Housing Authority's wait list for subsidized apartments, more than the city's entire public housing stock. With only 5,400 to 5,800 units available annually, the list is a dead end for most.

The High Line Highway
One of Manhattan's most popular tourist attractions, the linear, elevated urban park that existed as a freight rail line as late as 1980, is also a means of commuting to work - but only for walkers as cycling is prohibited along the High Line.
What's Next for Bloomberg Admin's Star Planners?
Janette Sadik-Khan and Amanda Burden have been among the most visible proponents, and benefactors, of the progressive planning initiatives that've transformed New York City over the last decade. They'll take on the post-Bloomberg transition together.
NYC Mayoral Candidates Participate in Public Housing Pajama Party
For five Democratic candidates vying to become New York City's next mayor, a weekend sleepover in East Harlem's Lincoln Houses project was part reality show and part reality check.
Can a Temporary Park Change Lifestyles in Brooklyn?
A pop-up park in Williamsburg has brought bike tracks, an urban farm, an outdoor 'reading room', and other amenities to Brooklyn's historically industrial waterfront. Can the temporary oasis bring lasting change to its users?
Manhattan Upzoning Stumbles on Way to the Finish Line
NYC's revised plan for rezoning the area known as East Midtown met with a chilly reception from a variety of community and interest groups when unveiled last week. Planners are trying to finalize the controversial plan before Mayor Bloomberg exits.
Friday Funny: Citi Bike's Infernal Haters
If you're looking or a sign that Bike Share has hit the big time this may be it: Victoria's Secret Angels have come out firmly against it.
Pagination
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 Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions