United States
Preparing for the Next Housing Boom
Richard Reep explains how developers, contractors, and even home-buyers in Florida contributed to the growth for growth's sake attitude which has left the Florida landscape littered with poorly built condos and plenty of lessons to be learned.
The Bus and The Train Are Friends
Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.
Report Exposes Wisconsin Governor's "Highway Boondoggles"
Since rejecting $800 million in federal funds for HSR, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed four new highway projects (estimated at a potential cost of $2 billion).
Urban Life, In Dance
Choreographer Jenni Bregman studied human use and interaction in urban areas to create her latest dance piece, "Intimate City."
Making Safer Streets for Aging Populations
As aging populations grow, more cities and design organizations are looking at how to make streets safer for older residents.
U.S. Builds Roads That Kill Pedestrians
A new report from Transportation for America says that more than half of pedestrian fatalities happen on arterial roads that lack ped-friendly design - and therefore are preventable.
Swimming Pool Heated by Waste Heat from Cremations
Crematories produce a lot of waste heat. Is it sacrilegious to recycle that excess heat to warm a swimming pool, as is the plan in Redditch, England?
Data Reveals Big Cities Safer Than Ever Before
Even amid a stalled economy, new data from the FBI reports that big cities, those with a population of at least one million, are seeing huge declines in crime.
The Expense of Tax-Increment Financing
A new report from the Cato Institute says that tax-increment financing (TIFs) costs taxpayers $10 billion a year and the practice is growing by the minute.
Gas Prices Fueling Political Squabbles
The highest gas prices since the summer of 2008 have the two political parties taking separate approaches toward the oil industry - each showing how effective they are at killing each other's plans.
A Sea of Humanity
A look at the pedestrian scramble in the Shibuya District of Tokyo, Japan.
When Jobs are Temporary, How Does Economic Development Create Them?
Bill Fulton writes about the shift from permanent, full-time jobs to "1099 jobs": hourly, contract work that is becoming more and more common. If 1099 jobs take over the economy, how can economic developers do their job?
Strategic Planning for Stagnating Strips
Deteriorating commercial strips are commonplace in today's auto-oriented suburbs. Errin Welty outlines her strategy for turning stagnating strips into vibrant shopping districts.
The Myth of Zoning and Property Value
Old Urbanist argues that zoning has never effectively preserved property values, but has done exactly the opposite by not allowing more valuable uses to replace less valuable ones.
The Importance of Immigrants in America
Keeping America innovative means maintaining its power to lure in immigrants, according to this article. But as it argues, that lure is fading.
Why Honolulu Tops Best Transit List
Jarrett Walker looks at a recent "Top Cities for Transit" list that ranks Honolulu #1, and says the criteria that the Brookings Institution used are "especially perverse".
Data and Maps Aiding Police
Geomapping data is helping police in cities address problem areas, improve unsafe intersections and improve overall efficiency.
Monorails of Yore
Maggie Koerth-Baker digs into the history of monorails, and finds examples in the United States as early as 1876.
Pole Dancing in the Street
The Urban Guide for Alternate Use points to a campaign by a group called Varsity of Maneuvers that reuses street poles for pole dancing.
Arena Promises Turn to Burdens for Small Cities
Construction of a multi-use event arena in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, was supposed to be a boon for the city. But when events dried up, costs mounted and a big building became a big mistake.
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
