United States
Bold Pragmatism of Urban Innovators
While Washington bickers over partisan issues, mayors in the rest of the country are showing strong leadership and innovation. Newsweek has compiled a list of the top cities pushing education reform, public safety, quality of life, and job creation.
And the Next EPA Administrator Will Be....
Several potential replacements for Lisa Jackson are said to be under consideration. One thing that person can count on is a very thorough, if not grueling, confirmation process. Unless the Senate changes the filibuster rules, 60 votes will be needed.
Watch Your Step Tomorrow
Please be careful if you're out walking late tonight and tomorrow: January 1st is the deadliest day of the year for pedestrians. The outlook for drivers isn't much better, writes Sarah Kliff.
Historic Homes Are Losing Visitors, But Perhaps There’s An App for That
Of the thousands of historic homes across the country, many are seeing steep declines in visitors, reports J. Freedom du Lac. Consolidation and new technologies, such as smartphone apps, may be the best alternatives to closing doors.
Lisa Jackson Leaves Behind Mixed Legacy at EPA
This week Lisa Jackson made public her decision to step down as administrator of the EPA. Despite many hard-fought victories, Jackson's tenure is also associated with a lack of significant action to address climate change.
Midwestern Drought Threatens the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River handles $7 billion in trade as one of the world's largest navigable inland waterways. A Midwestern drought has brought the river to water levels so low that they threaten to shut down shipping, reports John Schwartz.
Trainjacking America's Finance Industry
Acela has improved connectivity along the Northeast Corridor, but is that actually a good thing? Aaron M. Renn argues that high-speed rail has actually hurt America by giving the finance industry a stranglehold over fiscal and monetary policies.
How Smart Is Smart Parking - And For Whom?
Parking enforcers, not motorists in search of available parking, may be the main beneficiaries of 'smart parking' technology as they have the ability to immediately spot parking spaces where vehicles have overstayed their time limits and by how long.
Can Narrow Lanes Improve Traffic Congestion?
Comparing wide versus narrow lanes, Kenneth A. Small and Chen Feng Ng examine the relatively unexplored design of building more compact roads to alleviate traffic congestion.
Top Preservation Presents of 2012
As usual, 2012 has seen a host of prominent buildings threatened with demolition - from Chicago's Prentice Hospital to Baltimore’s Mechanic Theatre. But preservation has also seen some great successes. The National Trust tallies the top 10.
'Cycle to Work' Scheme Subsidizes Bikes for Brits
Sarah Goodyear reports on how Britain's 'Cycle to Work' scheme has decreased carbon dioxide emissions, and transformed the lives of individuals such as Toby Field.
Big Houses Return
Homeowners have been downsizing their homes in the last five years, but now 84 percent of homeowners want to stay put or move into a larger home. This change in trend can be attributed to growing families and their need for more living space.
Friday Funny: Traffic Jam 2013
From the satirical paper The Onion comes news of Traffic Jam 2013 -- a highway concert series that is either commentary on the placelessness of the country's vast highway system or just another way to poke fun at Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Coal Ascendant in the 21st Century
Coal burning is rising everywhere save the U.S. If no changes are made to promote alternatives, it will overtake oil as the world's top energy source within a decade according to a new report from the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA).
Infill Development Picks Up Speed Across the U.S.
A report released this week by the U.S. EPA finds that 71 percent of the country's large metro regions saw an increase in the development of infill housing over the latter half of the last decade. Greenfield development still dominates, however.
San Francisco Exposes Privately Owned Public Spaces
San Francisco's 1985 downtown plan required large new office and hotel developments to incorporate public spaces, but the city is only now updating the requirements and reinforcing the initial goal of opening up privately owned public spaces (POPOS).
The Year's Best in Big Data
The "Best of" roll continues with Emily Badger's list of the most useful tools, maps and data visualizations to make use of municipal open data over the past year.
Why are Americans Preferring to Stay Put?
Americans are less mobile than they were decades ago and it's unclear why. Possible explanations include the recession, habits based on family make-up, as well as telecommuting and job trends, but none of these proposed reasons can be easily proven.
The Promise and Perils of Modern Disaster Communications
During and after Sandy, transportation workers had the responsibility of informing riders of changing conditions and schedules. Ray Rivera compares the different communication approaches of New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road.
Planning for Movement Chokes Urban Health
In his latest entry in KCET's "Laws That Shaped LA" Series, Jeremy Rosenberg looks at the impact that the Functional Classification system has had on the urban form of Los Angeles and cities throughout the country since its adoption in 1973.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
