United States

Touring Las Vegas' New Shining Hope

As the final construction took place, critic James Russell toured the newly-opened CityCenter. With 6,000 new hotel rooms opening in an already tanking market, will CityCenter sink Vegas or become its new star attraction?

December 11, 2009 - Bloomberg.com

Second Record Year for Foreclosures

By the end of the year, more than 3.9 million homes will have been foreclosed in the U.S., the second year in a row that figures have broken previous records.

December 11, 2009 - Business Week

Advice From City Cycling Celebrities

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, and rock star David Byrne recently offered their thoughts on making cities more bike friendly.

December 11, 2009 - THE DIRT

Moving Up to a Rental

Former homeowners forced out of their houses are becoming renters. It seems to be a good thing for them -- and the economy.

December 11, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Rendell On the National Infrastructure Bank

The Infrastructurist talks with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell -- "a friend of infrastructure" -- about the proposed National Infrastructure Bank.

December 10, 2009 - The Infrastructurist

Transit Agencies Without Open Data: We See You

A new site from the people behind WalkScore shows you where to track your commute, and singles out the transit agencies who are failing to let you.

December 10, 2009 - City-Go-Round

Do 'Megaregions' Make Sense?

The Urbanophile attempts to separate the hype from the usefulness of the concept of the 'megaregion', deciding in the end that it is a 'convenient abstraction for federal-level thinkers.'

December 10, 2009 - The Urbanophile

Historic Settlement With Native Americans For Land Trust Abuses

The U.S. Government has agreed to a settlement of $3.4 billion for failing to pay royalties on mineral and grazing leases to Native Americans.

December 10, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

When Architecture Goes Bad

Fast Company looks at six examples of architecture that rebelled, from SOM's Lever House to Boston's John Hancock Tower.

December 10, 2009 - Fast Company

How to Make Vacant Properties Disappear

Vacant properties are considered blight instead of potential, argues John Kromer of the Fels Institute. By acting strategically and thinking smaller, officials can revitalize their cities and attract new, more stable investment.

December 10, 2009 - John Kromer

'No Substitute for Physical Inspection of Rail Lines'

The newest transit safety bill was unveiled yesterday to cautious praise. While states are struggling to fund transit, FTA chief Peter Rogoff says the goal is to create a nationwide floor for transit safety.

December 9, 2009 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

130,000 Homeless Veterans

This article, by Dr. Ellen Bassuk of the National Center on Family Homelessness, explores the challenges faced by returning veterans in housing.

December 9, 2009 - The Washington Times

City Data to the Masses

A growing number of cities are opening up public data streams to computer developers. Some say the move will improve civic discourse, but the nascent trend is still developing.

December 8, 2009 - The New York Times

The End of the Middle Class?

The growing concentrations of the super-wealthy in America contrast sharply with the erosion of the middle class. It is time for a new set of rules to protect ordinary Americans, writes Elizabeth Warren.

December 8, 2009 - Huffington Post

Count Trouble Foreseen As Census Approaches

The recession, the housing bust and the rise in immigrant populations are cited as some of the main challenges facing the U.S. Census Bureau as it prepares for its decennial count in April.

December 8, 2009 - The Seattle Times

States Look to Claim Part of $69 Billion in Infrastructure Funds

The Obama Administration is set to announce a new jobs bill and state officials are clamoring to get their hands on some of the $69 billion the federal government is dedicating to the next batch of stimulus-related infrastructure projects.

December 8, 2009 - The Washington Times

Property Values Not Hurt By Proximity to Wind Turbines

According to a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the proximity of homes to wind turbines showed no average negative impact on property values.

December 7, 2009 - The New York Times

A Stoplight With A Countdown

Designer Damjan Stanković has proposed a stoplight with a "progress bar," the same sort of countdown that many walk signals have today. Zach Patton wonders if this is a good idea.

December 7, 2009 - Governing Magazine

Distilling the Best Practices for Sustainable City Planning

Planner Alex Aylett discusses the challenges municipalities face when trying to create a successful sustainability plan, and how to overcome them with a new toolkit that takes cues from New York City's PlaNYC.

December 6, 2009 - WorldChanging

Lobbying Up As High Speed Rail Funding Increases

Stimulus funds directed at high speed rail projects have inspired a flood of lobbying efforts across the country, according to this analysis from the Center for Public Integrity.

December 6, 2009 - The Center for Public Integrity

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.