United States
Ports Weather Recession as Investments Pour In
The entire country is in recession, but the nation's ports are experiencing a flood of interest from investors, according to this article from Reason.
Brookings to Congress: Integrate Housing and Transportation Planning
In this testimonial to Congress, the Brookings Institution's Robert Puentes argues that housing and transportation are irreversibly linked and that, in the face of the current recession, more integrated planning is needed.
Water Problems Call for Action from Obama
Global water shortages are an issue the Obama Administration will need to address, according to this piece from Citiwire.
Smart Grid Not As Complicated As Some Say
The smart grid is not as hard to define as some have suggested. Jesse Berst, managing director of Global Smart Energy says making it work will be tough, but it's really just a matter of coordinating three crucial aspects, according to Worldchanging.
Starting Up Small
Though typically centered in bigger cities, this piece from Business Week looks at the best small cities to locate startup businesses in every state.
Funding Street Networks, Not Sprawl: A Conversation With CNU's John Norquist
Streetsblog speaks with CNU President John Norquist about how federal policy can live up to the promises of "sustainable communities" coming from DOT and HUD.
ARRA Lowers Transit Expenses
With all the 'shovel-ready' talk focused on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, gone unnoticed by many was the huge increase in the transit costs that can be included in the pretax program to assist commuters - $230/month can now be included.
Charging Motorists For Crashes They Cause
Cash-strapped towns in California are resorting to what opponents dub an "accident tax". At-fault, out-of-town drivers involved in a crash are sent a bill for the public services sent to clean-up the incident. Local motorists are spared.
Walk Score and Water: How Location Affects Pedestrians
Eric A. Morris takes a look at pedestrian-oriented cities with an economist's eyes.
What Can Cities Do About 'Property Outlaws'?
More homeless people are squatting in abandoned suburban housing. Eduardo M. Peñalver, co-author of the forthcoming book "Property Outlaws" thinks cities should acquire these properties and allow the former owners to live in them as renters.
Huge Wilderness Conservation Bill Passes House
A bill heading for an expected signature on the President's desk will effectively protect 2 million acres of wilderness in the U.S. Conservationists are applauding the move, while others worry the bill will hold back alternative energy plans.
Shantytowns, USA
The economic crisis is leading to a surge in homelessness and the growth of tent cities in many U.S. cities.
Reinventing Infrastructure with Tech
According to Kazys Varnelis, architects should spend less time worrying about the little funding that the stimulus allots to highways and rail, and spending more time focusing on new technologies that supplement typical infrastructure.
Amory Lovins and the 2,000 Watt Society
WorldChanging interviews Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, discussing the 2,000 watt lifestyle proposed by the Swiss and his recent letter to Secretary Steven Chu.
Sustaining the New Urbanism
New urbanists ponder how they can adapt to the new economic climate and avoid the fate of their predecessors.
2010 Census Outreach to Target the Foreclosed and Immigrants
Increased ethnic and language diversity, combined with widespread housing abandonment will make data gathering for the 2010 Census especially challenging.
Signs of Spring for Smart Growth
The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that President Obama signed on Feb. 17 left advocates of compact and transit-oriented development practically biting their tongues.
Rectilinear Grids Make a Comeback
In these austere times, some urbanists are advocating greater use of the traditional rectilinear grid — an efficient, less expensive, but also challenging pattern.
O'Toole Says Trains Are For Tourists
Randall O'Toole- in a curiously non-audio opinion piece from NPR- says that trains around the world are fun but are otherwise overly expensive transportation systems used mainly by the elite.
Governor: Toughest Job in America?
Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer says that as a result of outmoded industrial and funding models, state governments are facing grave financial problems.
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
