Pennsylvania
Parking Privatization Idea Has Pittsburgh Officials Seeing Green
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is considering a plan to raise extra money for his city by leasing public parking spaces and garages to a private company.
Pittsburgh Looks to Transit For Rebirth
Officials in Pittsburgh are hoping that expanding transit-oriented development will spur growth in struggling and decaying neighborhoods -- and they have the voter-approved legislation to help.
Post-Industrial Pittsburgh On the Rise
After decades of restructuring, Pittsburgh is doing significantly better than other cities attempting to recover from the loss of industry. Here's how they did it.
Giant Boxes Take Over Philly Streets
'Fridge-sized units' are being installed around Philadelphia to control traffic lights. Why so big? Columnist Inga Saffron investigates the morass of requirements that led to the oversized street furniture.
Philadelphia Trains to Try Out Quiet Cars
Starting Monday, some SEPTA trains will launch a pilot program that discourages too-loud talking, a problem now prevalent during rush-hour.
Reviving a Hardscrabble Steel Town
Mayor John Fetterman of Braddock, PA struggles with the challenges of reviving a former steel town that has lost 90% of its peak population.
Roads or Police?
A bi-partisan PA bill with considerable support seeks to redirect funds from the Motor License Fund, paid by motorists, that currently go to the State Police to roads. The police budget would have to compete with other needs from the general fund.
In Light of Violence, Student Subway Passes Reconsidered
Subway violence and crime in Philadelphia have been unofficially traced to truant students, who are enabled by unlimited rides on the SEPTA throughout the week. Whether or not the student TransPass system should be eliminated is being debated.
ACLU Takes RLUIPA Case in Pennsylvania
Evangelical pastor Rev. Jack L. Wisor was giving shelter to four homeless people in his church in downtown Brookville, PA. When he was ordered to move them on a zoning violation, Wisor - and the ACLU - sued the city.
Op-Ed: Legislature Blew It By Not Leasing PA Turnpike
In this op-ed, the former Secretary of the PA D.O.T. bemoans the lost opportunity to lease the PA turnpike to receive $12.8 billion from a private investor group, placing the blame squarely on the state legislature and the Turnpike Commission.
'Self-Motivated Activism' Behind Park's Beautification
Thanks to the ambitious clean-up efforts of a few residents, a neglected, unofficial park on city land is now maintained daily and is on its way to being a greenway.
Pittsburgh's Urban Wilderness
This piece from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review looks at the rising amount of wildlife being seen in urban Pittsburgh. According to local experts, this trend has both good and bad implications.
When Smog Kills - Museum Opened To Commemorate 1948 Disaster
Sixty years after twenty people died from air pollution spewing from a steel and zinc mill in Donora, PA (just outside Pittsburgh) in perhaps the worst air quality tragedy in the U.S., a museum has opened to commemorate and learn from the tragedy.
Scranton, PA - Not What You Think!
In this election, Scranton has come to symbolize blue-collar America, with visits by all four national candidates, parodied on Saturday Night Live, as well as the scene of NBC’s The Office. But the city is in a turnaround after decades of decline.
More and Better Parking Needed for Philadelphia's Cyclists
As cycling increases in Philadelphia, more bike parking is needed. But the common upside-down U-shaped rack won't provide enough for the city, according to this piece from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Urban Supermarkets, Suburban Designs
Supermarkets are moving back to urban areas like Philadelphia. But their big box designs are decidedly un-urban, according to architecture critic Inga Saffron, who calls for more relevant urban designs.
Loan Program Brings Independent Grocery Stores to Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) has provided $42 million in grants and loans to finance 58 locally-owned grocery stores, combating fresh grocery shortages in areas of rural and urban Pennsylvania.
New Philly Slots Site May Help Gambling Fit Better
Philadelphia is still trying to figure out where to put its two approved casinos as it prepares to become the nation's biggest city to host gambling. In this piece, Inga Saffron says a new proposed site could make gambling work for Philly.
Friday Funny: SeXXXercise Thwarted
The ACLU is helping a woman in Pittsburgh sue the city for violating her right of free expression. The city denied her occupancy permit to open a pole-dancing studio, teaching classes in "power lap dance" and "seXXXercise".
PA Turnpike Lease Saga Coming To A Head
The mother of all toll road leases appears to come to a head next month, and though the chances of the near $13 billion lease of the the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike to Citigroup-Abertis team are most uncertain, the PA saga is worthy of study.
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 Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
