United States
An Interview With the Director of NYC's Active Design Program
Joyce Lee discusses NYC's Active Design Guidelines and how they address the relationship between urban form and public health.
Planners and the Jane Jacobs Conundrum
When it comes to Jane Jacobs, planners pick and choose what they find useful, says Roberta Brandes Gratz, missing Jacobs central argument for grass-roots, bottom-up planning. Gratz reviews a new book "Reconsidering Jane Jacobs."
Why Intercity Bus Travel is Growing
Intercity bus travel is the fastest growing mode of travel for the third year in a row. This piece from New Geography looks at why.
Making Cities 'Age-Friendly'
Americans are getting older. But are cities responding to the needs of their older residents?
Sharing Ideas for the New City
A new series of posters connected to a conference on "the New City" presents ideas for improving our urban areas. Urban Omnibus presents some of the posters.
Parking and Prices
This video from Streetfilms looks into parking and explores why underpriced parking can be bad for cities.
Building A Healthier Environment
The built environment plays a big role in public health, and the professions involved in creating the built environment need to pay more attention to building healthy places, argues Clark Manus, president of the American Institute of Architects.
Sharing Water in an Age of Shortages
As water resources become increasingly important in the American West, new tactics for sharing among farmers, environmentalists and urban officials are showing how arid areas can withstand shortages.
City Attempts to Find "The Right Price for Parking"
This week the city of San Francisco will launch its SFpark Program in an attempt to appropriately price street parking and reduce traffic due to people cruising for available parking spaces.
Urban Farming on Brownfield Sites
At a national conference on brownfields, representatives from the EPA outlined how to safely farm an urban garden on top of a contaminated site.
The Chinese Alternative to Home Ownership
In this article the author describes the Chinese practice of assigning individuals apartments which are little more than shells. He claims that the act of customizing the shell creates a sense of ownership similar to that of homeowners in the U.S.
Why Public Art?
Does public art make a difference, and how? ASLA's The Dirt blog looks at all the ways public art is effective, from job creation and real estate value to cultural cache and tourism.
Urban Grocery Stores a Hot Market
Grocery stores are having a renaissance, with new, smaller stores being built in urban areas and new ideas in store layout and design to attract pedestrians, not just drivers.
Floating Solar Panels Open Up New Potential
In Napa Valley, California, land is at a premium. Startup solar companies saw potential in underused bodies of water and developed floating solar panel arrays to meet the need.
The Joy of Working in Coffee Shops
Malcolm Gladwell and others attest to the effectiveness of working in restaurants, coffee shops and bars, and why it works.
Are Local Businesses Making a Comeback?
Styled after Harper's Index, this "Localism Index" suggests that local economies and independent businesses might just be making a comeback.
Governor's Lawyer Misled FL Supreme Court in HSR Case
Rick Scott's general counsel, Charles Trippe, admitted that he "misrepresented a central fact" to support the governor's rejection of federal funds for HSR. This fact could lead to a reopening of the case, according to The Infrastructurist.
$100 Million for HUD Sustainability Program Survives Budget Cuts
Congressional budget cuts spare some favorite programs of transportation reformers and smart growth advocates.
EPA Moves Regional Head Quarters to the Suburbs
The EPA is moving its regional headquarters from downtown Kansas City (Kansas) to a suburb 20 miles outside the city, a move which "could nearly triple transportation carbon emissions associated with the facility," according to Kaid Benfield.
Urban Design Marathon Comes to Los Angeles
The 72 hour event is intended to challenge the idea that creating change in public space is long and difficult, explains the event's founder, Karem Halbrecht.
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
