United States
$8 Billion for High Speed Rail? How Did That Happen?
What were the inside politics that allowed for the largest investment in high speed rail in the U.S? Politico reports on the Obama-Emanuel workings of the rail investment in the stimulus package - and no, it wasn't based on the LA to Las Vegas route.
Details from FTA on Stimulus Money for Transit
The Federal Transit Administration has released its preliminary calculations of how much each of the nation’s transit systems will receive from the overall stimulus bill.
Could Retired Oil Rigs Become Luxury Resorts?
Morris Architects seems to think so, taking first prize in a contest for hospitality design with their proposal to turn Gulf of Mexico drilling platforms into vacation destinations.
In Troubled Times, Roommates Becoming the Norm
More urban professionals are finding the only way to make housing affordable is to live with roommates.
Obama Names Director of Urban Affairs
Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion has been appointed to the post, which The White House says is tasked with "develop(ing) a strategy for metropolitan America."
Stop Building Homes, Stop Suburban Poverty
America's suburbs are no longer impervious to "slumming," as low income earners are forced into places that were once firmly middle class. Therefore, researchers say, anti-poverty measures should go beyond mere suburb relocation.
Is Rural Internet Worth the Cost?
This piece from NPR looks at the debate over plans to use more than $7 billion from the stimulus plan to expand broadband Internet access in rural areas.
Infrastructure Needs to Get Smarter
The Wall St. Journal reviews the latest in smart technology for infrastructure, from vehicle infrastructure integration to smart utility meters.
Obama's $75 Billion Plan to Save America's Homes
President Barack Obama has announced a $75 billion plan to help counteract home foreclosures -- a move that aims to allow more than 9 million Americans to refinance their troubled mortgages.
Out with the Trains
In this op-ed, Michael Andregg touts Personal Rapid Transit over 'financially unsustainable' light rail, which he blames politicians for encouraging.
The MTA As Stealth Development Agency
The 'Subway to the Sea' project in Los Angeles isn't just about transportation- it also opens up a world of development opportunity, say architects Ernesto Vasquez, AIA and Jeff Mayer, AIA of MVE & Partners.
Americans Prefer Sprawl-Light
NYT columnist David Brooks compares the dreams for a more compact, less car-dependent lifestyle of many urban planners with the findings of a Pew Research poll on the types of communities Americans want to live in, and they are not like Amsterdam.
Cities Are Cleaner Than Suburbs
When it comes to carbon emissions, dense cities are better for the environment than anything else, says economists Edward L. Glaeser of Harvard and Matthew Kahn of UCLA. And right now we're inhibiting building where we should be encouraging it.
Banks Exacerbating Foreclosure Crisis
Banks and financial institutions are making the foreclosure crisis worse, as lobbying efforts seek to block bankruptcy courts from gaining more power to reduce debt, according to this article from Der Spiegel.
Energy Revolution Needed To Solve Climate Change
Nobel laureate and new Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu is interviewed on what it will take to solve the climate change crisis - three major technological improvements plus carbon pricing. While no fan of coal, he acknowledges improvements are needed.
Lots to Plan for in the Stimulus?
If the list provided by Business Week is accurate, the Stimulus package includes many tens of billions of dollars for investments in sustainable energy and energy efficiency, infrastructure, rapid transit and the environment.
Obama About to Announce Housing Plan
David Axelrod, senior White House aide to President Obama, announced this morning that the President is about to present a new plan for to halt foreclosures and stop falling real estate prices.
Obama Seeks More Census Power
President Barack Obama is seeking greater control over the 2010 Census. This opinion piece from The Wall Street Journal looks at what it could mean for the upcoming count.
Troubling Wall
The border between the U.S. and Mexico is being built into 700 miles of wall in Texas. Architect Lance Hosey looks at the environmental, ecological and sociological problems it creates.
A 'D' for America's Infrastructure
That's the grade given by the American Society of Civil Engineers, in their 2009 Report Card on America's Infrastructure. This editorial argues argues that stimulus funding won't be enough to fix it.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
