United States
Proposing a New Model for Regional Stratification: 'The New Donut'
Aaron Renn presents a new model for conceptualizing the health of the many layers of communities that make up metropolitan regions, namely the "new donut."
When Designers Should Just Say No
The accouterments of modern life are heavily designed, replete with ostensible utility. But here's a radical suggestion: "Perhaps we’re solving the wrong problems — or inventing problems that don’t exist — as justification for our excessive output."
Hybrid Vehicle Sales Take a Dive
A new study revealed that more car buyers are choosing plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) while fewer are choosing traditional hybrid vehicles. Both types are considered to be electric vehicles, and hybrid sales far outnumber PEV sales.
Latest TIGER Grants Announced: $584 million to 72 projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced the sixth round of TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant funding.
How Cities Save Nature
According to Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resource Defense Council, the best way to save our natural wonders is by living and investing in cities.
Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces Bike/Ped Safety Initiative
Streetsblog's Tanya Snyder, attending the Pro-Walk Pro-Bike Pro-Place conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., reports that Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced a U.S. DOT pedestrian and bike safety initiative.
Uncertainty Ahead for Department of Transportation Funding
While projects funded from the Highway Trust Fund are safe through May, discretionary programs run by DOT from annual appropriations must wait for Congress to approve a budget, which just got more complicated due to Obama's anti-ISIS funding request.
Black Helicopters! Ohio County Considers Inspection Drones
Drones could inspect roofs for leaks, track heat loss from windows, and more say officials in Hamilton County, Ohio. They also say they would consider adding drones to their toolboxes once federal rules are in place governing their use.
The Option of Sensing the City
In his second Huffington Post article on "place-decoding," Chuck Wolfe argues for considered attention to enhancing people's abilities to discern the city around them.
America's Growing Data Divide
The opportunities from data-driven innovations are wide, but many communities experiencing the data divide are without access to or reporting of high-quality data, furthering them from these benefits.
Largest TIFIA Loan to P3 Goes to Florida's 'I-4 Ultimate' Project
Transportation Secretary Foxx announced the largest TIFIA loan to be awarded to a public-private partnership will be used to widen 21 miles of Interstate 4 in Florida known as "I-4 Ultimate" by adding four express or toll lanes in the Orlando area.
Crowdsourced App Finds Playgrounds for All Children
A new application, "Playgrounds for Everyone," has a growing database of 2505 inclusive and accessible playgrounds around the country suitable for children with special needs.
Now Available: Federal Grant Funding for Transit Oriented Development
The FTA has announced new funding (albeit, a small amount) through the "Transit-Oriented Development Planning Pilot Program."
The Important Role of Front Porches in Latino Communities
James Rojas explains the importance of front porches in Latino-American communities.
Shouldn't Transit Managers Actually Ride Transit?
Eric Jaffe lays out the case for why individuals in charge of transit systems should ride transit, and what problems stem from them not doing so right now.
Golf Joins Agriculture to Oppose EPA's Proposed 'Water of the United States' Rule
Laura Barron-Lopez reports on the golf industry's reaction to proposed rules that would expand and clarify the regulatory powers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Does the Evolution of Smartphones Come at the Expense of 'Spatial Thinking'?
Are smartphones supplementing the capacity of humans to think spatially, such that future generations might lose fundamental cognitive abilities?
Are Brutalist Buildings Too Obdurate to Preserve?
Famous examples of aging architecture styles, such as brutalism, are in need of renovations, sometimes requiring the public to pay the bill. But brutalist buildings are often obdurate and hard to adapt and reuse.
On the Future of Public Art
Public art can be personal, political, grandly scaled, or small in ambition. And, yes, there's a "new wave" of public art to be found in yard bombing, flash mobs, and tactical urbanism. Find out what the experts say about the future of public art.
Can the 'Sharing Economy Advisory Network' Help Cities and the New Economy Get Along?
The National League of Cities has created the Sharing Economy Advisory Network to develop best practices for cities in developing regulations while also allowing sharing economy businesses to expand and operate.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
