United States
How the Suburbs Killed Our Connectivity, And How to Fix It
The deeper our sense of community, the better positioned we are to take on change, says Scott Doyon, but the leisurely lull of the suburbs may have killed our ability to work together.
Congressional Redistricting Leaves Cities Split
Urban areas have been historically shortchanged when drawing Congressional district lines, and some mayors are less than thrilled to see their municipalities "carved up." Michael Cooper reports.
Solving the Wastewater Problem with Natural Solutions
The EPA estimates the U.S. has $13 billion in wastewater infrastructure. Fast Company explains how innovations in wastewater management using natural processes will change everything.
Public Sector Jobs Feeling the Pinch
While the news appeared positive in last week's jobs report, the public sector was significantly worse, with 20,000 government workers laid off in November alone.
Doing it Old School with Physical Models
In this era of computer simulations, are models like the Bay Model (a giant replica of the San Francisco Bay previously used for research on estuary hydraulics and fluid dynamics) relevant? Janice Sinclaire says yes.
The Myth of the Elitist, Gentrifying Bicyclist
Will Doig asks, "Are urban bicyclists just elite snobs?" Turns out the answer is, basically, no.
Clustering Still Key for Industries
Hal Johnson argues that the idea that it can be beneficial to a city or region to inspire the growth of industry clusters is still an effective way to go, and creating a sense of place to inspire clustering is essential.
Why Transportation Projects Are Expensive
David Levinson poses some possible answers, such as inaccurate project scopes, insufficient economies of scale, and an increase in safety standards.
Gas Prices & Transit Ridership: New Report Details The Connection
Eric Jaffe reports on new research by urban travel behavior expert Bradley Lane of U. of Texas/El Paso on elasticity of gas prices and bus and rail ridership. Interestingly, rail ridership spiked twice as much as bus ridership when gas prices rose.
Pedestrian-Only Malls Failing, Opening Back Up to Cars
Tod Newcombe reports on pedestrian-only malls like Buffalo's, which after 25 years has been so unsuccessful that they want to turn it back into a road. So why are these ped malls failing?
Oil Biz Creating Jobs and Raising Home Values
A new report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency says that U.S. counties with a significant number of jobs in the energy sector have seen a rise in home prices that is unusual in this recession.
Art Creates a Sense of Place
Trail Towns, a program that promotes the economic potential of rails-to-trails systems, explains how art can create a sense of place and promote creative reuse along the trail.
U.S. Transit Vulnerable to Terrorism
Josh Stephens writes that while Al Queda seems obsessed with air travel, they have attacked transit in other countries and the U.S. system is vulnerable.
Walmart Talks Sustainability, But Keeps Sprawling
Walmart talks big about climate action, but its land-use strategy is anything but climate-friendly: It builds massive new stores on virgin land in sprawling areas, then abandons them in favor of still newer, still bigger stores, says Stacy Mitchell.
Richard Florida's Most Artistic Cities
Richard Florida ranks the top ten artistic cities in America. Los Angeles takes the 4th place spot competing competing amongst other cities including New York, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, and Santa Fe.
Best Smart Growth Projects in America
This year, the Environmental Protection Agency looked at "articulate" city plans that aimed for a more sustainable future. There were five plans across that nation that were awarded for "achievement in smart growth."
The Future is Renewable, Local Power
John Farrell of Renewable Energy World explains how a shift to local, renewable energy sources and away from the current system of long-distance, coal-burning utilities will
Apartment Prices Controlled by Computers
Landowners with fewer apartments units are starting to use software similar for pricing airline tickets and hotel vacancies to determine rental rates for their properties, reports Matt Hudgins for The New York Times.
America's Saddest Cities
Florida's five largest cities ended up in the top 20 of Men's Health list of saddest cities in the U.S. St. Petersberg took the top spot as saddest city.
Chicago Sells Out: Advertising on Bridges
Critic Blair Kamin speaks out against Mayor Emmanuel's decision to allow advertising on Chicago's iconic bridges to make up a budget shortfall. Kamin calls the move "the uglification of the City Beautiful."
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
