United States
Nuances Of NIMBYism
Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes' recently issued a plea to "stop hating on NIMBYs." But the righteousness of NIMBYism, or the "hatred" thereof, depends, in large part, on whether opposition takes place in an urban or rural setting.
Did Advocates Overreact to Bike Safety Report?
When I read the subtitle to the recent GHSA bike safety report, "Adult Males and Urban Environments Now Represent Bulk of Deaths," I took an interest as I fit that demographic. I was surprised to read here about the dispute that erupted from it.
Brookings Study Maps Freight Traffic in the United States
A new report by the Brookings Institution "analyzes domestic and international goods trade data from 2010" toward the goal of better coordinating freight policies and investments between regions.
U.S. Water Use Hits 45-Year Low
Recent data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows that the country is using less water even as its population grows.
Election 2014 Roundup
Following on on our earlier coverage of the Nov. 4, 2014 election, here is a supplemental list of election reporting and analysis on land use, infrastructure, and transportation. Please add anything we missed in the comments.
Campaign 2014 Results: Transportation, Energy, Conservation Measures
We've covered a wide variety of ballot measures that appeared on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot. While the media has focused greatly on Congressional and gubernatorial outcomes, we'll look at the results of the state and local measures we've covered here.
HUD Report: Progress in the Fight Against Homelessness
The Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress shows substantial decreases in the number of homeless this year, especially homeless veterans.
Working Adults More Likely to Live with Roommates
Recent data by Zillow suggests that we might all soon be living like the Golden Girls (original author's joke).
Adapt and Reuse: Transforming the Old to the New
Adaptive reuse can help the old become the new, honoring our history and desire for efficiency along the way. This piece highlights 10 examples of adaptive reuse projects from around the west, depicting them in their before and after states.
The High Revenue Potential of a Mileage-Based Driving Fee
Based on a comparison to a list of federal revenue options to make the Highway Trust Fund sustainable, one stands out far above the others—a mileage-based user fee which, surprisingly, is also one of its disadvantages, writes Eric Jaffe of CityLab.
Why Self-Driving Buses Hold More Potential than Self-Driving Cars
An article by Greg Lindsay and Anthony Townsend takes the shine off of self-driving cars and identifies a preferable avenue for autonomous vehicle technology: buses.
How Affordable Housing Can Compete
With the backing of powerful nonprofit and for-profit investors, the Housing Partnership Equity Trust is making waves with its triple bottom line approach to affordable housing. More importantly, it’s making money.
Cities Don't Have to Damage Hearing
Henry Grabar writes of the movement to design better sounds for urban environments.
The Twin Cities Offer Free Election Day Transit—Does it Matter?
There is little, or no, evidence that offering free transit on election day improves voter turnout. Today the Twin Cities will do it anyway for the sake of, hopefully, improving the democratic process.
Irony and Inevitability: Stumbling Toward Accountable Public Policy
U.S. politics are "...beginning to sound like a mash-up of Greek tragedy and Groundhog Day. All hubris and irony, over and over again. But the pragmatism required in cities and states is starting to look like an exit strategy."
Height Limits as a Catalyst for Development
Charles Marohn proposes height limits as a catalyst for development. Yes, you read that correctly.
America's Crumbling Water Infrastructure
The country's aging water infrastructure is growing more wasteful and expensive to fix with every year. What will it take to re-engineer our drinking water supplies?
The Best Sentences of the Week (Volume 4)
By no means authoritative or comprehensive, here's a collection of noteworthy phrases, paragraphs, commentaries, observations, and more from the recent week in the planning and urbanism discussion.
Are Single Family Teardowns a Sign of Suburban Gentrification?
Luxury condos are often identified as the culprit in urban gentrification, but could it be that teardowns of single family homes that give way to much larger single family homes is a driver of suburban gentrification?
Campaign 2014: Rolling Back Gas Tax Indexing
Massachusetts voters will decide on Question 1 on Tuesday—an initiative petition to eliminate the automatic, annual indexing of its 26.5-cent gasoline excise tax to inflation, implemented with a three-cent gas tax increase last year.
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
