Pennsylvania
BRT Planning Effort in Philadelphia: Launched by TIGER
The U.S. DOT's release of TIGER grant funding last weekend included funding for Philadelphia to begin planning a potential BRT route for snarled and dangerous Roosevelt Boulevard.
Philadelphia's Housing Incentives Shoot School Funding in the Foot
Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron is the latest to respond to an article in the Washington Post asking whether family-friendly cities make economic sense.
Philadelphia City Council Adopts Data-Driven Framework for Planning Decisions
Ashley Hahn reports on Philadelphia's "Community Sustainability Initiative," a data-driven process for evaluating public investments. Questions remain about how the new decision making framework will change planning operations in the city.
Study: Residents Living Near Fracking Suffer Negative Health Impacts
Self-reported respiratory problems and skin irritations were significantly greater for those living near natural gas fracking wells in southwestern Pennsylvania than those living more than two kilometers away, according to a Yale University survey.
Pittsburgh Reaches Deal for 'Transformative' Redevelopment of Lower Hill District
The old Civic Arena site, formerly the home of the Pittsburgh Penguin NHL team, will be redeveloped with the help of the city's largest-ever tax increment financing district.
Identifying Trends from Analysis of 7,000 PlanPhilly Stories
A meta-analysis of the archive of popular local planning website PlanPhilly provides insight into the issues and ideas that drive the planning conversation in Philadelphia.
The Reviews Are In: Philadelphia's New Dilworth Park
Calling it "a suit in a jeans-and-T-shirt world," Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron's review of the redesigned Dilworth Park in Philadelphia is more criticism than celebration.
Philadelphia's Waterfront Showing Signs of Life
After decades of promises of improvements along the Delaware River In Philadelphia with little to show for it, recent "small but powerful" public improvements are remaking the city's waterfront into a "welcoming, fun place to hang out."
Philadelphia's Grand New Dilworth Park—How a Public-Private Partnership Delivered
Dilworth Park, on the front door of Philadelphia's City Hall, made a splashy debut yesterday, but just as impressive as the design of the park is the work of a non-profit in achieving the grand vision for the park.

Friday Funny: A Mayor Dares to Dream of a Revitalized Waterfront
The satirical site The Onion once again checks in with the world of planning and urbanism—this time choosing Erie, Pennsylvania Mayor Joe Sinnott to present some crazy ideas about the city's waterfront.
A Protected Bike Lane for Penn Ave in Pittsburgh
Michael Anderson reports on a proposed road diet and bike lane proposed for Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh, along a historic and cultural corridor in one of the country's oldest downtowns.
Government Reform Proposed for Better Planning in Philadelphia
Geoff Kees Thompson digs into one component of this old city's proposed mayoral platform for Philadelphia: the need to organize the city's alphabet soup of planning agencies under one director and give the Planning Commission teeth.

A Primer on Innovative Parking Regulations
Writing for Smart Growth America, Neha Bhatt provides a survey of innovative parking regulation and management strategies in cities around the country.
Placemaking in Communities of All Sizes
A new article from Smart Growth America portrays the successes of placemaking in communities as diverse as Soldotna, Alaska (population 4,163), Orlando, and Philadelphia.
Mobile App Helps Battle Graffiti in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's Community Life Improvement Program is using Esri's Collector mobile app to empower their data collection in management. Prior to Collector, the anti-graffiti effort was driven by Excel.

Gehry Disappointing
The Philadelphia Museum of Art hired Frank Gehry for its new renovation, opening up the opportunity for an exciting old-meets-new architectural statement. But after six years of planning, the design that emerged is uninspiring.
International Effort Needed to Prevent Recurrence of Lake Erie Algal Bloom
On Monday, August 4, half a million people in the Toledo, Ohio metro region could once again drink from their water taps after a weekend without safe drinking water due to a toxin resulting from an algal bloom in the city's water supply, Lake Erie.
Housing Crunch Comes to Appalachia
Housing shortages are news in San Francisco and North Dakota, even if for different reasons. But parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania are facing the tough policy questions from their own, less documented fracking boom.
'Pop-Up Beer Gardens' Hack Pennsylvania's Alcohol License Restrictions
Some restaurants have found ways to circumvent the expense of liquor licenses in Philadelphia by opening pop-up beer gardens operating under a much, much cheaper catering permit. Cue state legislation to curb the practice.
Speed Cameras: Working in Chicago; Needed in Philadelphia
In Chicago, speed cameras are proving effective at reducing speeds; in Philadelphia, a police commissioner is lobbying the state to allow the implementation of the cameras.
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.
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