United States
Urban Planners as "Zookeepers"
At the National Building Museum's Intelligent Cities Forum, one participant compared creating healthy cities to creating healthy animal environments in zoos.
LaHood and DOT Employees Bike to Work (VIDEO)
This two-minute video features U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood discussing the merits of bicycling and bike friendly places as he and other DOT employees bike to work.
Section 2 of NY's High Line Park Opens
A slideshow from Good Magazine highlights the newly opened section of the popular High Line Park in NYC.
The 100 Best Cities for Doing Business
Area Development Online looks for the most desirable locations to locate a business, and finds that smaller cities are outperforming larger ones. Austin, Texas was the indisputable winner.
The Best Cities for Making a Living
U.S. News and World Report recently evaluated the cities where real income (what your paycheck can buy, considering the cost of living) is the highest. Des Moines, Iowa takes the top slot.
The History Of the Push for Interstate Highways
"The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways" by journalist Earl Swift examines the movement to build interstate highways well before Pres. Eisenhower's landmark legislation.
Where Have All The Children Gone?
Decreasing fertility rates of non-Hispanic whites and black women, plus the tendency of families with children to cluster, have caused declines in the '18 and under' population share in 95% of U.S. counties.
Underground Parking Emerges in the 'Burbs
Once thought to be only needed in dense inner cities, underground parking lots are being built now in suburban areas to reduce the use of space in tightening quarters.
New Jersey Gov. Scraps Rail, Invests in Mega-Mall Instead
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defunded the construction of the ARC Tunnel (connecting NJ to NY via increased rail service), claiming that it was fiscally irresponsible. Now, Christie is using state funds to finance the construction of a mega-mall.
Building Roads to Cure Congestion Is an Exercise in Futility
University of Toronto professors say that building more roads just encourages more driving. Building transit doesn't help reduce congestion either, though it still maximizes the value of the transportation system.
The Secret City that Helped the U.S. Build the Bomb
A city built secretly by the U.S. government to be a center for the design and development of the atomic bomb still stands today as an interestingly urban piece of U.S. history.
Density Can Drive Prosperity
David Roberts at Grist argues that density doesn't just have those hippie benefits like improving the environment or creating communities - it also can create engines of prosperity and economic growth.
New Report: Measuring Pedestrian Safety in the U.S.
Transportation for America (TfA), a campaign to strengthen the nation’s transportation network, released an update to its “Dangerous by Design” report, an analysis of pedestrian safety in the design and use of American streets.
Affordable Housing Gets Energy Retrofit in Boston
Castle Square Apartments in Boston is currently being retrofitted in what is said to be the largest energy savings project of its kind. The low-income housing towers are receiving $6.7 million from HUD's Recovery Act Green Retrofit Program.
EPA, DOT Release New Fuel Economy Stickers for New Cars
The new stickers offer significantly more useful information for comparing a new vehicle's gas mileage to other cars, including how much a year's worth of gas will cost you and the impact of that car on the environment.
Absurd Safety in Playgrounds Causing Accidents
Planner Sharon Danks says that as playgrounds become less challenging due to concerns over liability, kids invent their own, far more dangerous uses for the equipment.
How to Give Your Main Street a Facelift
Larisa Ortiz Pu-Folkes gives some tips for creating an effective facade inprovement program, focusing on making it easier for building owners and merchants to access and take advantage of the funds.
LEED-ND For The Layperson
The Natural Resources Defense Council has prepared a 44-page 'Citizen's Guide' to the green building principles contained in the LEED-Neighborhood Development rating system for the layperson and organizations to apply in their own neighborhoods.
BRT Boom in U.S.
A new study says that Los Angeles, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Eugene and Pittsburgh are leading the surge with the best bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in the nation.
Friday Funny: How to Pick Up an Urban Planner
Cartoonist Emily says that urban planners are "some of the sexiest, smartest, wittiest individuals you'll ever meet," and offers these tips for sly pickup lines that can't miss with the planning crowd.
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
