Pennsylvania
Do the Facts Support Fracking Opposition?
Susan Brantley of Penn State University and Anna Meyendorff of University of Michigan pen this op-ed to assess the pros and cons of fracking for natural gas. How does fracking compare to obtaining energy from other sources? Do the facts warrant bans?
Philadelphia Pioneers Energy Efficiency Innovation
In last month's State of the Union address, President Obama described his desire to increasing the efficiency of homes and businesses throughout the country. Philadelphia is already ahead of the game, reports Laurie Actman.
The Remarkable Story of How Philly Turned Around its Transit Agency
Over the last two decades, SEPTA has transformed itself from debt-mired subject of federal investigation to "the best damn transit agency in the U.S. of A." Dan Geringer explores how the agency's chairman has turned the ship around.
Innovative App Calculates the Benefits of Planting Trees
With more than 10,000 downloads in the U.S., i-Tree calculates the environmental and economic benefits of planting trees.
Lack of Diversity Plagues Jacobs's Vision of Urban Change
Fifty years after Jane Jacobs published her seminal book, "her vision of urban change [has] won the day," says Inga Saffron. Though her vision of physical diversity has prevailed, "that vision is also giving us a new kind of sterility."
Philly RFQ: I-95 Runs Through It
The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation seeks qualifications to plan an open space connection between Center City and its waterfront. I-95, which runs parallel to the Delaware River inside the city, currently cuts off waterfront access.
Philadelphia Looks to Revive its Champs-Elysees
“More Park, Less Way” is the title of a new plan to revitalize Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which was fashioned after Paris's famous boulevard but falls short by almost any measure, including its unwelcoming pedestrian environment.
State Gas Tax Attention Turns to Pennsylvania
Continuing our focus on the need to invest in transportation infrastructure and unwillingness to raise state gas taxes, the most recent proposal comes from Gov. Tom Corbett: Reducing the excise tax while increasing the wholesale gas dealer tax.
State Gas Tax Outlook Grim - Or Is It?
Two articles from non-profit organizations - a think tank and an advocacy group, seemingly arrive at the same conclusion: the future of the state gas tax is grim due to lack of political will to raise it. However, some states are bucking the trend.
Will Changes to Philly's New Zoning Code Hurt Development?
Only five months after the city passed the long-overdue update to its 1962 zoning code, City Council members are once again tinkering with the ground rules. Two months after moving to revise parking requirements, they're now focused on outreach.
Amtrak Gives Ultimatum to States
States with Amtrak routes less than 750 miles (excludes lines within Northeast Corridor) will need to subsidize the budget shortfalls - the difference between fares and operating costs, or lose the route. States may cut some lines to prop-up others.
Parking Privatization Efforts Not Spreading Smoothly
In the wake of the problem-plagued privatization of Chicago's parking meters in 2008, two WSJ reporters assess conversions (or attempts) in Indianapolis (2010), Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and New York, as well as what went wrong in Chicago.
Once Dumping Grounds, Pittsburgh's Rivers Now Eyed by Residents and Developers Alike
Once controlled by "industrial behemoths", Christine H. O'Toole examines the role that Pittsburgh's three rivers - its genius loci - have played in spurring the redevelopment of the city's downtown.
Who Should Pay for Parks?
Philadelphia spends $64 on parks and recreation facilities per resident, one of the lowest totals in the nation. Ryan Briggs uses the city as a lens to examine the growing impact of budget cuts to park systems on their surrounding communities.
How Light Helped Remake Downtown Philadelphia
Neal Peirce looks at how Philadelphia has used light to help transform the image, and fortunes, of Center City.
Swaying Jaywalkers with Humor
When it comes to enforcing laws like jaywalking, strictly imposed tickets and fines motivate people to change their behavior. John Cichowski discusses whether light-hearted, even humorous, suggestions can be as effective as heavy-handed prosecution.
Downtown Pittsburgh: Back and Better Than Ever
Mark Belko traces downtown Pittsburgh's rejuvenation since bottoming out three decades ago. The area's recent comeback, marked by a surging office market and residential renaissance, has some claiming that Downtown is better than ever.
Philly Establishes New Office for Civic Innovation
Following Boston's visionary lead, this week Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter formally created the city's Office of New Urban Mechanics, "a civic innovation tool for urban transformation.”
After Long Road, Bike-Share Gets Boost in Philly
The bike-share bandwagon is getting awfully full! On Friday came news that Mayor Nutter will ask Philadelphia's city council for $3 million to help fund a city-wide bike-share program that could hit the streets by early 2014.
Millennials: They Came, They Saw... They Stayed?
According to Haya El Nasser, cities across America have succeeded in attracting young professionals for over a decade. “They came, they played, they stayed,” she writes. But, she asks, will these Millennials stick around as they age and have kids?
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
