United States

A Closer Look at the Infrastructure Bank

The highly anticipated "job speech" by President Obama this evening will address, among other issues, the infrastructure bank. Michael Likosky argues that it is the only possible revenue stream for the nation's $600 billion infrastructure projects.

September 8, 2011 - CNN Money

Mixed-Use Prevails in 2030 Land Use Projections

A new land use study based on the 2008 "comp plans" data reveals a significant shift toward mixed-use and transit-oriented developments (TODs) in the Twin Cities seven-county metro area.

September 8, 2011 - Finance And Commerce

Historic Preservation Jobs Are Local

With Missouri's Historic Preservation Tax Credit on the chopping block, Citiography outlines seven reasons the state should keep this program. Creating local jobs is just one.

September 8, 2011 - Citiography

Trabikewalking? Bikpedansit?

Tom Downs says that walking, biking and transit should be considered one mode of transportation, and that the demographic shift is showing a new-found preference for that mode.

September 8, 2011 - Citiwire.net

Best Cities to Wait Out the Recession

GOOD compiles a subjective list of the best cities to live a decent life cheaply while you wait for the jobs to reappear. Austin tops the list of "artsy, cheap, liberal oases."

September 7, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Top Cities With the Worst Drivers

Washington D.C. drivers are the most accident prone out of 200 largest U.S. cities, according to a study by Allstate Insurance Co. The greater a cities population increases the chance of drivers getting into accidents.

September 7, 2011 - Forbes

Refineries' High Hopes For Diesel Fuel

It may not be apparent to American motorists, but the U.S. oil refinery industry is ailing. Reduced VMT, mandated ethanol use, and escalating vehicle fuel efficiency standards caused a decrease of gasoline consumed. Diesel may revive the industry.

September 6, 2011 - Houston Chroncle

Mixed Emotions at 9/11 Memorial

James S. Russell walks the new memorial at the World Trade Center site, and finds it "a place of quiet dignity" that is saddled with an unnecessary $300 million museum and visitors center.

September 6, 2011 - Bloomberg

Jobs vs. the Environment: Can A Middle Ground Be Found?

The debate may be as old as the first environmental regulation on the federal books - do regulations kill jobs? Fresh from a Sept. 2 victory over EPA's attempt to strengthen smog regulations,Republicans will continue the effort to reduce regulations

September 6, 2011 - The New York Times - Business Day

Will Obama's Support of Advanced Batteries Encourage Sprawl?

The Obama administration has pumped $2.5 billion in stimulus funds into the advanced battery industry, with the goal of creating manufacturing jobs. But will supporting green cars mean supporting sprawl in the long-term?

September 4, 2011 - Think Progress

Why You See So Many Walgreens, Rite-Aids and Duane Reades

Net lease investors see drugstores as solid, no-nonsense investments, and with an unstable market that's music to an investor's ears.

September 4, 2011 - Retail Traffic Magazine

The Cardinal Rules for Climate Action Plans

Any prospect for the green initiatives to produce desired results requires more than just aggressive reduction targets, according to The Economist. It comes down to scope and suitability, the two factors that vary greatly from city to city.

September 4, 2011 - The Economist

Obama Axes New Ozone Rules

President Obama has directed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to drop proposed regulations that would have reduced ozone (smog), handing a victory to Republicans and industry that had opposed them, to the dismay of the environmental community.

September 3, 2011 - Bloomberg News

All That Glitters in Provincetown, Mass.

With same-sex couples coming out in record-breaking number on the 2010 Census, West Hollywood and San Francisco are dethroned as the meccas of gay cities - at least for those who chose to settle down.

September 3, 2011 - The New York Times

"Living Building" Vision Comes to Life

In a bold move to secure its place as the bastion of sustainability, Seattle sets out to build a series of the "greenest commercial building on earth."

September 2, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

Don't Fear the Renter

Kevin Klinkenberg looks at the fear of "alternative lifestyles": that is, those who rent.

September 2, 2011 - New Urbanism Blog

Melbourne Ranked as Most Livable City

With high scores in five broad categories, Melbourne, Australia received the highest spot in livability rankings from The Economist's research unit.

September 2, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Preservation Effort Defunded

Congress is likely to stop funding Save America's Treasures, a project that had contributed hundreds of millions of dollars for historic preservation efforts.

September 2, 2011 - The Art Newspaper

Obama Calls For "Clean Extension" Of Current Transportation Bill

Recognizing that the overdue transportation reauthorization bill would not pass Congress by Sept. 30, resulting in the expiration of the 18.4 cent gas tax, President Obama called upon Congress to pass a 'clean', extension of undetermined length.

September 1, 2011 - D.C. Streetsblog

Skyscrapers and the World of Tomorrow

Are skyscrapers the way to achieve great density, or a form of retro-urbanism that should be retired? With a debate simmering in the planning world over the energy efficiency and urban necessity of tall towers, Planetizen's staff decided to determine the answer once and for all.

September 1, 2011 - Tim Halbur

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.