United States
Evolving Beyond the Long Commute
Car commutes used to be long by necessity. But that's no longer the case, according to Richard Florida in this video from The Atlantic.
Trying to Fit In With the Cool Kids
This post from The Urbanophile explores the world of city branding, and argues that some cities are making the mistake of ignoring their own assets and focusing on trying to embrace the successful assets of others.
Cities Seek to Quantify Rise in Bicycle Ridership
Planners in cities across the country are installing electronic sensors to track how many people are making use of bike lanes and trails.
A Possible Dead End for High Speed Rail
Despite what seemed to be a gung-ho Federal government, high speed rail could flop in the U.S., according to this piece from The Infrastructurist.
Targeting Private Buildings For Energy Reduction
If cities want to curb energy use, they should focus on private buildings, according to this article.
How Sprawl Created the Gulf Oil Spill
This commentary from Urban Omnibus looks at how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a problem with roots in unsustainable land use.
Friday Funny: 'Rude and Inconsiderate' Environment
This article from The Onion looks at the Environmental Protection Agency's increasing frustration with a global environment that is not playing its part in environmental protection.
Want Rail? Let Private Business Build It
Christopher B. Leinberger proposes that privatized rail could stimulate the economy and help increase property values.
Enforcing Fair Housing - For Real
After a lawsuit in New York State, HUD has taken up the stick and is threatening to terminate funding to housing programs if civil rights fair housing regulations are not met.
Senate Climate Bill To Fund Transportation And Affect Fuel Markets
The American Power Act sets limits on greenhouse gas emissions, creates a cap, trade, and dividend program that rebates funds to energy bill payers, directs $6 billion yearly to targeted transportation programs, and curtails EPA's climate authority.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
