United States

Obama's Mortgage Rescue Plan a "Frankensystem"?

Mike Whitney at Alternet warns that, between a poorly-understood "frankensystem" of federal housing relief combined with an estimated 9-year "shadow inventory" of distressed homes, homeowners are facing a "lost decade."

May 14, 2010 - AlterNet

Greens Vs. HOAs

HOAs are mandated to protect the aesthetics of their community. That goal is clashing with many who want to install solar panels on their roofs. States are fighting back with laws prohibiting HOAs from banning panels.

May 13, 2010 - USA Today

Urban History, Coming to a TV Near You

In case your knowledge of urban history is a bit fuzzy, tune into the History Channel this week.

May 12, 2010 - History.com

Ceding Local Control to Highway Planners

Roger Valdez looks back at the history of highways, and the switch from local control to state and federal control due to the burden of financing and maintaining roads.

May 12, 2010 - Sightline Daily

New Housing/Mobility Measurement For Affordability Is 45%

The housing affordability rule of thumb is that you should not pay more that 30% of your income in rent or mortgage payment. Yet that ratio doesn't include the transportation costs that vary by community. What would it be if it was included?

May 12, 2010 - The Arizona Republic

Packing The Court -- With City-Dwellers

If Elena Kagan is confirmed, not only will the Supreme Court get its third sitting woman. It will also get its second woman New Yorker. Bill Fulton considers the importance of the urban experience in jurisprudence.

May 11, 2010 - California Planning & Development Report

Sharing Land, Not Property

Community land trusts are an unusual but growing method of ownership, where the land is shared but members own their own homes. According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, they're good for neighborhood stabilization and rarely foreclose.

May 11, 2010 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog

Transit and Car-Sharing Get Boost from Technology

The increase in transit ridership and carsharing isn't just due to the rise in gas prices, but also the rise in new technologies providing up-to-the-minute reports on location and ride availability.

May 11, 2010 - New Urban News email

Richard Florida and The Great Reset

The Urbanophile reviews Richard Florida's new book, defending his populist approach and tackling Florida's central arguments of investing in the grassroots, encouraging "rentership" and the fundamental societal changes coming soon.

May 10, 2010 - The Urbanophile

The Sustainable Transportation Divide

Grist's David Roberts attended a national conference on the future of transportation at Ohio State in early May and noticed a divide in the concluding discussion on how panelists approached the issue of sustainability in transportation.

May 10, 2010 - Grist

From White Flight to "Bright Flight"

The Brookings Institution finds that suburban America has reached a "tipping point" and is now home to more ethnic minorities, seniors, and lower income households.

May 10, 2010 - Huffington Post

U.S. Carbon Emissions Drop 7%

In the most significant decrease since 1949, carbon emissions in the U.S. fell 7% in 2009. Sadly, part of the falloff is the result of the economic crisis.

May 10, 2010 - Fast Company

Iron Man 2 and the Future of Energy

The plot of the summer blockbuster Iron Man 2 revolves around a fictional 1974 Expo, with the slogan "Better Living Through Technology." Managing Editor Tim Halbur says the film reflects the misplaced faith in technology and innovation that still drives Americans optimism.

May 9, 2010 - Tim Halbur

The Curse of the Cul de Sac

A new study found that residents in areas with interconnected streets travel 26% fewer miles by automobile than those in areas with lots of cul-de-sacs.

May 9, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

Looking Back at I.M. Pei's Plan for Oklahoma City

I.M. Pei's 1964 redesign of Oklahoma City involved the destruction of more than 500 buildings. It was abandoned in the 80s. A model now on display reveals the modernist ideal that Pei envisioned and eventually failed to inspire redevelopment.

May 8, 2010 - The Oklahoman

Mortgage Tax Breaks Encourage McMansions

Edward L. Glaeser says that the government policy of encouraging homeownership through tax breaks subsidizes Americans to buy bigger homes which waste energy.

May 8, 2010 - The Boston Globe

How to Fix the Highway System

Two major reports released in the last couple of weeks detail very different approaches to fixing the highway system in the U.S. At the National Journal, experts weigh in on who has the right approach.

May 8, 2010 - National Journal Online

Peak Hour Parking Pricing Working In Greenwich Village & Brooklyn

Marketplace reports on the parking market from NYC. Peak hour parking is being applied on Sixth Ave in Greenwich Village as a trial to increase parking availability and decrease congestion. Due to positive results, it's now being tried in Brooklyn.

May 7, 2010 - Marketplace (American Public Media - Radio)

Turning Freeways Into Parkways

Across the country, grey-to-green transformations are in the works, capping freeways to reconnect neighborhoods with urban parks.

May 7, 2010 - USA Today

Videoconferencing as Planning Tool

Former Planetizen managing editor Christian Madera proposes that videoconferencing could revolutionize the public meeting because the entire proceedings could be "broken up and digitized."

May 7, 2010 - Next American City

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.