United States
Retrofitting Buildings in Bulk
Emily Badger looks at how a simple idea in energy retrofitting can be tailored to work for the largely untapped market of small to mid-size commercial properties.
Studies Shoot Down Concept of Food Deserts and Their Link to Obesity
Gina Kolata reports on the findings of two new studies that question the very concept of food deserts in poor neighborhoods, and the connection between fresh food access and obesity.
Why Some Electric Vehicles Are No More Green Than Gasoline-Powered Ones
Paul Stenquist analyzes the surprising influence that geography has on the carbon footprint of electric vehicles.
Is Walking a Liberal Value?
Will Oremus investigates an occurrence he noticed recently in Tom Vanderbilt's series on walking – that the cities with the highest "walk scores" were all liberal – and asks why conservative cities don't walk.
Who's Benefitting From Historic Preservation?
As wealthy communities learn to use historic districts to inflate property values, socially conscious urbanists must think twice about the purpose and place of preservation, Will Doig reports.
The Designers Behind a Landscape Revolution
Rebecca Messner looks at the groundbreaking work being done by the present generation of landscape architects, and wonders why the only one most people can name died more than a century ago.
Leading the Charge Against Public Investment in Mass Transit
A recent opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal on the reasons why "Americans don't want to live in Ray LaHood's car-free utopia" is garnering a lot of attention in the planning and transportation worlds.
Proving That More Bike Lanes Equals More Bikes
If you've always thought that the primary way to encourage more bicycling in your city was simply to build more bike lanes and bike paths, you'll be happy to read about a new study that finally proves your point.
Why Sense of Place is Worth Caring About
Edward T. McMahon explores the importance of community character, and why it is one of the key elements to a city’s economic success.
Is The Era Of Smart Growth Over?
Maybe not. But smart growth experts appearing at the APA in Los Angeles say it may be morphing into whatever the "next big thing" is.
GOP Up To Its Old Tricks on Transportation Bill
Tanya Snyder explores the recent horse-trading being proposed by House Republicans, in which they've expressed a willingness to pass the Senate transportation bill in exchange for Senate approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Planning to Walk
In the final installment of his series on "Walking in America" on Slate, Tom Vanderbilt looks at why so much of the built environment is hostile to pedestrians, and how planning can change that.
Studying the Surprising Correlation Between Big-Box Stores and Hate Groups
Emily Badger reports on an intriguing new study that shows big-box stores may be even more closely correlated with the presence of hate groups than many of the factors that have long been used to explain them.
Scoring Your Walkability
For the third installment of his series on America's pedestrian problem, Tom Vanderbilt profiles Walk Score, the venerable walkability website and evaluation system.
What is Gained When Sprawl Goes For Green Credentials?
Angie Schmitt looks at the greenwash being applied to new sprawl developments in Ohio, Indiana, and Texas as developers market to consumer preferences for more walkable urban environments.
Friday Funny: Preparing for the Zombie Apocolypse
Looking for a leg up on the walking undead in preparation for the coming Zombie wars? Map of the Dead from Doejo, may be just what you're looking for, writes Roberto Baldwin
How the Sharing Economy is Saving Municipal Governments Millions
Alex Howard discusses how trends in collaborative consumption, in which people or organizations pool limited resources to more efficiently access tools or services, are moving from the private sector to government.
What Determines Bicycle Share Usage?
A recent study synthesizes Capital Bikeshare data in order to help planners assess and improve bike sharing as a viable transportation investment. As the system expands into suburban DC, this research may help predict where it can succeed.
NYT Editorial Welcomes The End Of Sprawl
The NYT editorializes on the just-released April 2010-July 2011 census data that shows a notable slow-down in exurban growth as urban growth increased. Pointing to the problems that accompanied America's embrace of sprawl, they welcome the change.
How Walking Became a "Lost Mode"
To launch his new 4-part series on walking in Slate, Tom Vanderbilt describes the "public health nightmare" of a country that has forgotten how to walk.
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
