United States
Expert Voices 2016: Urban Policy and the Presidential Election
Penn IUR Faculty Fellows and Scholars weigh in on the 2016 Presidential election. What urban issues should the candidates be focusing on?
Reports Ranks U.S. 26th for Environmental Performance
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks performance on environmental issues in two areas: protection of human health and protection of ecosystems. "The U.S. falls in between Canada and the Czech Republic."
#NoNewRoads Campaign Wants to Spend Less, Get More
Strong Towns, the same organization that runs the #BlackFridayParking campaign every year, is back with another social media campaign meant to raise awareness about the effects of car dependence.
An Appreciation of the 'Edgy Outskirts'
Long abused by those who favor more urban settings, the suburbs of major metropolitan areas should receive more credit for their cultural capital, according to this article written for Zócalo Public Square.
Home Builders Creating Space for Nontraditional Households
At a building industry trade show held last week, the new trend was for houses constructed with extra space for renters or extended family. In other words, depreciation comes standard.
First-Time Homebuyers Making a Comeback
After a long absence, first-time buyers are finally returning to the real estate market.
The Big Debate: How Urban Is Job Growth?
Jed Kolko, former Chief Economist and VP of Analytics at Trulia, and Joe Cortright of City Observatory dug deep into a debate that gets at the heart of recent trends in how and where the United States works.
Who Killed the Electric Car (in Georgia)?
Until this past summer, the Atlanta metro region was ranked second in electric car use in the United States. The generous state tax credit of $5,000 made electric vehicles (EVs) particularly attractive. But what happens when the credit is withdrawn?
Students Submitting Ideas for the Hyperloop
As a part of a competition sponsored by SpaceX, university students and independent engineering teams are building scale-model Hyperloop pods.
Data Plus Community: A Winning Formula for Green Infrastructure
These days, Big Data is the topic at hand, but Arup's Vincent Lee says data analysis can only go so far. He uses his work on the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program to illustrate why a "human element" is crucial to finding solutions.
New Studies Reveal 5 Reasons Policymakers Should Prioritize Local Business in 2016
A raft of recent research finds that small, local businesses are critical to overcoming many of our biggest challenges. This article rounds up the new studies and what they say about why local business should be a focus of planning in 2016.
The Dutch Junction Explained
Cars and cyclists have issues at intersections. A new type of intersection design from the Netherlands offers improved protection to cyclists. The solution is based on the four islands near each corner of the intersection.
Friday Funny: A History of Political Cartoons on the Subject of Gentrification
Cartoonists have been satirizing the issue of gentrification for almost a century. Witness the evolution of gentrification political cartoons in an article by The Guardian.
On the Surprising Efficiency of Big City Commutes
Logically we might assume that as cities grow larger, commutes get harder. It can certainly feel that way. But research points to structural factors that actually make commuting in big cities more efficient.
Demographic Changes Spell Trouble Ahead for Auto Industry
It's not only young adults who are delaying in getting drivers licenses, but a drop in licenses among all age groups according to a new analysis of license data from 1983-2014 by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Reading List: Walking in the City
Sometimes, city walks can mean more than just getting from place to place. Author and book critic David Ulin discusses his favorite accounts of that rich experience.
When Bike Lanes Get Snowed In
After heavy snow, protected bike lanes can be caught in an unfortunate position between roads and sidewalks. More public awareness may help keep them clear for winter cyclists.
A New Metric for Community Resilience
Though the need for resilient communities is obvious, exactly how to measure resilience is less obvious. Edward J. Jepson, Jr. provides a new metric of the evidence of a community's resilience and produces a corresponding ranking of 30 U.S. cities.
Study: Transit Agencies Should Respond to the Haters
Here's a counter-intuitive proposition for transit agencies: feed the Twitter trolls.
New Evidence of the Superiority of Bike Lanes Over Sharrows
A study presented last week to the Transportation Research Board shows that the quality of the bike infrastructure has a significant effect for commuting rates and safety.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
