Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Reduces Crime with 'Slumlord Buy-Out' Program
At least some of a remarkable 49 percent drop in crime in a rough Pittsburgh is attributed to a new nonprofit-sponsored program designed to put slumlords out of business and get rid of their problem tenants.
Report Quantifies Displacement and Rising Housing Costs in Philadelphia
A policy report from the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities made news for recommending policies to disincentive, with taxes, real estate speculation. The report also includes raw data on the transformation happening around the city.
Luxury Condos Versus Philadelphia's Jewelers' Row
Downtown gentrification threatens to displace skilled artisans in a district where workshops go back five generations. Some of the jewelers own their premises, but the rewards for building pricey condos are tempting.
Planning for Climate Change on the Shores of the Great Lakes
Two academic researchers explain the planning and landscape architecture opportunities offered by the "dramatic fluctuations" and "emergent shorelands" of the Great Lakes Coasts.
The Economic Case for Converting Parking to Parklets
Emily Badger of The Washington Post Wonkblog writes about a new study showing the economic benefits of converting street spaces in front of storefronts to parklets. Other options for street spaces include bike lanes, bikeshare docks, and bus lanes.
Pittsburgh Launches $32 Million 'Envision Downtown' Initiative
The Envision Downtown Initiative will focus on street improvements to improve public interactions.
The Challenge of Redesigning an Accident-Prone Street
Philadelphia's Washington Avenue experienced 915 car crashes between 2010 and 2013. The city wants to minimize risk in its redesign, but lacks the space to install every suggested improvement.
Finding the Right Mix of Uses for Former Industrial Sites
The Philadelphia City Council is tinkering with a novel land use created by its 2012 Zoning Code update to help guide mixed use development on former industrial sites.
How a Philadelphia Mayoral Candidate Influenced U.S. Public Housing
Former HUD counsel and current Philadelphia mayoral contender Nelson Diaz laid the groundwork for "entrepreneurial" approaches to public housing. Whether the resulting projects were effective is up for debate.
A Call for Reimagined Schoolyards
In recent years, tactical urbanism has helped reinvent many streets and sidewalks in center cities, creating new public spaces. But many spaces remain untouched. Anuj Gupta argues that reinvented schoolyards can be the next great public spaces.
New Website Calls Out Philadelphia's 'Parking Wastelands'
It's unclear who exactly is behind the Philly Parking Wasteland website, but it is clear that the site exists to excoriate the mismanagement of land for the purposes of parking around the city of Philadelphia.
The Value of More Creative Play Areas for Children
As free-range children become an increasingly rare species, designers and psychologist are also questioning the effects of the sterile, innocuous playgrounds currently in fashion. How can play, and kids, get liberated again?
State Gas Tax Update: One Up, One Down
This has been an eventful week for gas taxes. To update two posts that appeared recently, Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa signed legislation that increases the gas tax by 10-cents on March 1. In California, a board voted to decrease the tax by six cents.
Coming Soon to Philadelphia's Center City: 3D Digital Advertisements
A Philadelphia City Council committee approved a controversial proposal to allow "Urban Experiential Displays" (i.e., large, 3D digital advertisements) in Center City.
704,000 Residents in the Shadow of Philadelphia's Crude-by-Rail Infrastructure
Two major rail lines provide crude oil shipments to refineries and terminals in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. A surprising number of residents would face evacuation in the event of a fire on the route.
A Coming of Age Story for Philadelphia's Revitalized Center City
A housing report by analyzing Philadelphia's Center City enunciates an obstacle facing many cities in the throes of downtown revitalization: What happens when Millennials don't come home to roost?
Planning Case Study: the Philadelphia2035 River Wards District Plan
Philadelphia planners are halfway through the Philadelphia2035 River Wards District Plan, which will help guide development and investment for a broad swath of troubled neighborhoods proximate to the Delaware River.
Pittsburgh Approves with Development Plans for 28-Acre Civic Area Site
A large mixed-use development plan for Pittsburgh's former Civic Area site now has full approval from the city.
Philadelphia Announces 'Indego' Bikeshare System—Opening this Spring
Indego will officially launch this spring with over 60 stations and 600 bikes. The city is already making plans to expand the system after its initial launch.
Proposal would Lower New York's Gas Prices by Cutting the Gas Tax
Call it $2 gas price envy. Though New York gas prices have dropped $1.20 from a year ago, they are also 25-cents above the national average. State Sen. Jim Seward hopes to spark a statewide movement to reduce prices by reducing state gas taxes.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
