United States

California and the Northeast Corridor are Key to High-Speed Rail's Success

Anthony Flint of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy says the way to save high-speed rail policy is to focus on getting the two trains with the best chance of success on track.

October 7, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

What Would Happen If All Public Transportation Stopped?

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released its 2011 Urban Mobility Report, which shows how many additional hours in traffic each commuter would be subject to if public transportation were discontinued.

October 7, 2011 - Urbanophile

A Place for "Potentially Offensive Place Names"

What's in a name? Apparently, reports Kim Severson, some not-so-subtle reminders of a segregated American landscape. And changing them is not easy."The United States Board on Geographic Names, the federal agency that maintains the official names of m

October 7, 2011 - The New York Times

Is The Creative Class Fading?

Scott Timburg labels Richard Florida overly optimistic and blames the media for not portraying the 'fading creative class,' because their recession pain has not been sufficiently dramatic.

October 6, 2011 - The Atlantic

Will Extreme Engineering Save The Planet From Climate Change?

More precisely, will "geoengineering" or "climate remediation" be able to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere? A new panel of climate experts will investigate.

October 6, 2011 - The New York Times - Environment

Looking to Catalyst Projects to Revitalize Cities

Atlanta's BeltLine is a great example of a big "catalyst project," writes Ryan Gravel, which repurposes a 22-mile railroad into a linear park. Other cities can follow suit.

October 6, 2011 - Fast Company

Supreme Court Rebuffs Natl. Assoc. of Home Builders

The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a request by the National Association of Home Builders to hear their lawsuit against the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's use of the 'indirect source rule', better known as a 'smog fee'.

October 5, 2011 - Mercury News

The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States

While many stories have been written about Detroit's turnaround, it took the top spot on Forbes list of most dangerous cities. Detroit had 1,111 violent crimes reported per 100,000 residents, which included 345 murders, writes John Giuffo.

October 5, 2011 - Forbes

APA Picks 10 Great Places In America: Public Spaces

Every year the APA reveals a list of great public spaces in America. Bicentennial Capitol Mall Park in Tennessee is just one of they have chosen. Other places include Milwaukee RiverWalk in Wisconsin and Monument Circle in Indiana.

October 4, 2011 - American Planning Association

New MIT Data Analysis Tool Aims To Rationalize Planning

Andres Sevstuk, lecturer at MIT and head of the City Form Research Group describes how the new Urban Network Analysis toolbox is "taking a much more rigorous approach to look at the work of urban design."

October 4, 2011 - The Boston Globe

Can the Building Industry Reinvent the Single-Family Home?

Allison Arieff says it is high time that the "dumb box" that makes up the majority of suburban housing be rethought to meet the needs of a new generation, presenting a small handful of homebuilders that are making an effort.

October 3, 2011 - The New York Times

Preservationists v. Urbanists

Preservationists are all about preserving our past. Urbanists are all about harvesting lessons from what the preservationists fight for -- to create better places in the future. Seems like these two groups would get along quite well. But no.

October 3, 2011 - PlaceShakers

More Drivers Pumping Less Fuel In California & U.S.

Since 2002, California has added 8.3% more drivers while reducing its gasoline consumption by 3.5%. And while taking the lead, they are not alone in this trend. Credit high fuel prices, economic stress and improved car technology for the reduction.

October 3, 2011 - Los Angeles Times - Business

An Infrastructure Bank? We Already Have One

A handful of Washington insiders argue that while Obama is calling for the creation of a national infrastructure bank, there is already such an entity in existence and ready to assume the role.

October 2, 2011 - The Washington Post

The "Suburbanization of Poverty" is a Decades-Long Trend

The current observation is that the urban poor are moving to the suburbs. Alon Levy says that this is nothing new, and the current effects of such movement is in fact just the "tipping point" of what's been happening for the last 50 years.

October 2, 2011 - Pedestrian Observations

Citi Gives $2.75m for Neighborhood Stabilization Programs

Multinational financial services company Citigroup was bailed out by federal stimulus funds after taking large losses on bad mortgages. Today, Citi Foundation is helping fund projects in 10 metro areas to increase stability and prevent foreclosures.

September 30, 2011 - Citi

Rethinking Suburban Design

Architect Alan Chang writes an extensive piece for PLACES on the need to rethink how suburbs are built and designed now, before the economy recovers.

September 30, 2011 - Places

Richard Florida Examines The Regional Variance In Unemployment Figures

Richard Florida examines the stark regional variance behind American unemployment figures. He finds that Bismark and Fargo in North Dakota have least unemployment, while the Californian Central Valley suffers the highest.

September 30, 2011 - The Atlantic

Introducing Empowerhouse, an Ultra Affordable, Efficient Home

Recent winner of the Solar Decathlon's affordability category, the Empowerhouse costs under $230,000 to construct and uses an estimated 90% less energy than the typical U.S. home.

September 30, 2011 - Fast Company

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.