United States
Two Pessimistic Outlooks on Fixing the Nation's Bridges
Brian Naylor of NPR and Stephen Lee Davis of Transportation for America examine different aspects of the government's inability to ensure that bridges are in a state of good repair.
America's Appetite for Big Homes Returns
The recent reversal of America's historic trends in city growth, driving rates, and home sizes have urbanists wondering about their long-term prospects as the economy recovers. Recent data indicates one of those trends didn't have staying power.
Senator Frank Lautenberg, Friend to Transit, Dies at 89
New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg, the last World War Two veteran to serve in the body, passed away on Monday. Kate Hinds looks at the record of 'the driving force between some of the country's most transformative transportation policies.'
Feds Clear the Road for Self-Driving Cars
This week, the NHTSA issued the federal government's first directive on the benefits and hurdles related to the introduction of self-driving cars. The guidelines should make it easier for companies to develop autonomous technologies.
Upending Trickle-Down Techniques for Creating Public Space
Michael Kimmelman looks at the wave of 'cheap, quick, temporary and D.I.Y.-style approaches' that are introducing a more successful means of creating public space than traditional trickle-down techniques.
A More Accurate Measurement of Community Connection
To better understand a city's size, look not to its resident population total but to its daytime population. 'Commuter-adjusted populations' have implications for everything from emergency evacuation procedures to transportation infrastructure.
Civic Tech Leader Joins Obama Administration
Jennifer Pahlka, the founder and executive director of civic tech leader Code for America, has announced she's taking a year-long sabbatical to join the staff of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House.
Is the U.S. Ready for Fuel Cell Vehicles?
Toyota is set to introduce its first fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. in 2015, which are expected to cost between $50,000 and $100,000. But will the U.S. be ready for it, i.e. will there be hydrogen fueling stations? Yes, say public officials.
Maximizing Your City's Friendship Dividend
If Jane Jacobs's theory that face-to-face encounters make for better cities is correct, a new metric that measures the ability of a city to encourage random social interactions could prove essential in shaping urban policy.
Cycling's Diversity Belies Infrastructure Divide
A new report documents the diversity of America's cycling community, countering the stereotype of the "spandex- or skinny jean-clad" white rider. However, minority communities suffer from a deficit of cycling infrastructure. Can this be changed?
Power Monopolies Lose Their Utility
With electricity demand slowing, the model of continued growth that has kept public utilities in operation for the last century needs rethinking. David Roberts examines how utilities will need to change to suit the coming ‘century of electricity’.
Housing Rebound Gains Strength
For the third consecutive month, each of the 20 cities tracked by Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller home price index is showing higher housing prices over last year.
How to Road Diet Cheaply and Easily
Provoked by the excessively wide road in front of his home to ponder the options by which cash strapped cities might place suburban streets on road diets, land use attorney Bill Adams comes up with one possibility - give away the excess.
Wash. Bridge Collapse Exposes Nation's Vulnerable Infrastructure
In a pair of articles, four Wall Street Journal writers delve deeper into the May 24 collapse of the I-5, Skagit Valley Bridge in Washington state and its relationship to our nation's aging transportation infrastructure.
Public Transit Gets Bipartisan Voice in Congress
Congress has an Animal Protection Caucus, a Hockey Caucus, and a Kidney Caucus, so it's about time the millions of Americans who rely on public transit for their daily transportation needs had a voice in D.C.
Does Public Housing Need an Ad Campaign?
Perceptions of public housing are contradictory. Most approve of it for their communities, but most don't want to live near it. A new public relations initiative seeks to educate the general public on the benefits of public housing to everyone.
The Ten American Cities Most At Risk from Climate Change
Grist has compiled a list of the ten U.S. cities most likely to be affected by climate change.
Urban Ruins and the High Line Next Door
Chuck Wolfe suggests we all have the inspiration within us to envision how to remake our cities--from the conjecture of a Seattle restauranteur about Seattle's monorail to neighborhood examples of "we used this before, let's use it again".
The Geography of America’s Industrial Renaissance
After a sharp decline during the recession, an industrial expansion is helping to drive job growth in many of America’s metropolitan areas. New analysis outlines the country’s best manufacturing ‘storylines’.
America’s Top Arrested Developments, In Honor of Sunday's Season 4 Premiere
After a seven-year hiatus, Netflix is bringing back the critically acclaimed television series Arrested Development, and with it memories of the Great Recession.
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
