United States

Keeping Rail On Track

Rail projects throughout the U.S. are hard hit by the downturn in the economy. The agencies behind them are trying to find ways to keep the projects from falling apart.

July 12, 2011 - Architect Magazine

Is Biking an Exclusively White Activity?

The rate of workers who commute by bike continues to increase, but it reflects a decidedly white demographic, specifically men. The Washington Post examines biking through the lens of race and gender.

July 11, 2011 - The Washington Post

Why California Should Increase Car Tax

George Skelton of The Los Angeles Times contends that one of Schwarzenegger's biggest blunders as governor of California was lowering the vehicle license fee to 0.65%.

July 11, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

The 9/11 Memorial: A Different Kind of Public Space

Scheduled to open in two months on the day after the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, project architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker discuss their masterpiece.

July 11, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

More Lanes Means More Traffic

U. of Toronto economist Matthew Turner discusses his study that shows that building more traffic lanes attracts more traffic. Likewise, providing more transit may lure motorists out of their cars, but those motorists are replaced.

July 11, 2011 - NPR:All Things Considered

The Dichotomy of Global Home Prices

Hong Kong and Singapore experienced a double-digit growth in the housing market. And so did Ireland - albeit in the opposite direction. In the U.S., prices dropped about 5% from last year. What gives?

July 11, 2011 - The Economist

Cleaner Air for East Coast Residents

The EPA announces new emissions standards for power plants that will "improve air quality for 240 million Americans living in states where the pollution is produced or where it travels downwind."

July 8, 2011 - The New York Times

Rental Market Rebounds

A new report indicates that the average rent went up while vacancy rate fell in the second quarter of this year. Based on the data from 82 markets around the country, San Jose, California experienced the highest rent increase.

July 8, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Ideological Clash Over Transportation Bill

A proposal to cut transportation funding by chairman of the House transportation committee John Mica (R-Fla.) received wide criticism from the Democrat counterpart.

July 8, 2011 - The Washington Post

Obama's Housing Policy Expanded

At a town hall meeting this week, President Obama proposed a new initiative that would give unemployed homeowners more wiggle room on their late mortgage payments.

July 8, 2011 - The Washington Post

Running on Red Ink, Cities Across U.S. Shut Down Public Pools

As anemic budget becomes a new reality rather than a mere interlude, cities like Atlanta, Houston, and Sacramento close down pools to cut back expenses. School-age children with downtime in the summer suffer most.

July 8, 2011 - The New York Times

600,000 Jobs Depend on New Transpo Bill, Says US Senator

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) says that the US economy could lose up to 600,000 jobs if a transportation reauthorization bill is not passed by September 30.

July 8, 2011 - Streetsblog

"Carmageddon" Hits L.A.

Shutting down the Interstate 405 corridor for two days on July 16 and 17 is akin to clipping L.A.'s mobility wings. Commuters and residents in the region are making contingency plans to circumvent heavy traffic congestion next weekend.

July 7, 2011 - The New York Times

Discrimination Case Over Katrina Housing Settled

A discrimination lawsuit filed against the federal government and the state of Louisiana was settled this week in favor of homeowners who claimed that the way funds were distributed was biased against the poor.

July 7, 2011 - The New York Times

Cities and Suburbs Converge into New Economic Generators

As the downturn in the market physically reshapes the metropolitan regions of the United States, the shifting populations and economies of its cities and suburban areas are becoming increasingly intertwined.

July 7, 2011 - The Atlantic

Landscape Architecture Driving Change in Cities

The projects across the country having the biggest impact on the feel and function of cities are more often than not the work of landscape architects, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects.

July 7, 2011 - THE DIRT

The Just City

Can a city be driven by the noble goals of democracy, diversity, and equity? Harvard professor Susan Fainstein thinks so, and outlines how in her new book, The Just City. Victor Negrete has a review.

July 7, 2011 - Victor Negrete

The End of the Great American Highway

The American highway is in shambles, and there is not enough money to fix it, reports Zach Rosenberg of Car and Driver Magazine.

July 6, 2011 - Car and Driver

US DOT To Distribute $527m in Next Round of TIGER Grants

The US Department of Transportation will begin accepting applications for the transportation grants on August 22nd.

July 6, 2011 - Governing

Suburbs or Cities: Which Has More Crime?

A Brookings Institute report shows that the difference between crime in the suburbs and cities has drastically decreased, and argues that the current drop in crime rates weakens the correlation between ethnic groups and crime.

July 6, 2011 - The Brookings Institution

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.

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.