United States
'Distinctive Destinations' for 2009
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released their annual dozen 'distinctive destinations', vacation spots that rank high in authenticity, beauty, and of course, preservation. Franklin, Tennessee is one of the lesser-known locales.
Putting a Furnace Under the Economy
If we're looking for a way to kick-start a green economy, we could do worse than investing in American-made, high-efficiency furnaces, argues Paul Loeb.
Seeking Sponsors As Infrastructure Dies
This piece from New Geography looks disparagingly at an idea in San Francisco to allow corporate sponsorship of the Golden Gate Bridge in order to raise money for infrastructure projects.
Electric Car Race Heats Up
It's clear that both domestic and international auto companies are gearing up to manufacture all-electric (battery-powered) vehicles, though whether the market goes for them is another story with gas prices at historic lows.
Blumenauer Sees Brighter Future As Bike Momentum Builds
"All of a sudden it's hot", says long-time bike advocate and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, who's hoping the country will ride this momentum towards a more sustainable pattern of development.
Recycling the Suburbs?
The question is no longer how to improve the suburbs, says Allison Arieff, but what we're going to do with all the leftover buildings and unfinished sites.
Exxon to Congress: Give Us A Carbon Tax, Please!
Exxon's CEO has joined Al Gore, Dr. James Hansen, and others on the forefront fighting climate change in requesting a carbon tax, though they make in clear it should be in lieu of cap & trade, the method favored by the Democrats.
The 'Undiplomatic' New U.S. Embassy in Iraq
The new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad embodies all of the negative connotations of the American presence in Iraq and provides an example of how not to build an embassy, according to Jonathan Glancey.
Bright Metro Futures Hinge on Transit
Creating transit, and planning around it, will be the key to success for metro areas, according to a new report from New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Stimulus Should Fund New, 'Transformative' Ideas
In this column, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer calls on the Obama Administration to direct its stimulus package towards innovative technologies and "transformative" projects, not just the status quo roads and bridges of the past.
Location, Location, Location: Brought To You By GIS
A new GIS-based service promises to improve on real estate agents by using GIS data to locate promising sites to locate for business.
Do Film Incentive Programs Work?
States around the country have delivered big tax breaks to film companies to shoot in their area, but do they pay off? A recent study in New Mexico says no.
The Force Pushing Green Jobs
The New Yorker profiles Van Jones, a leading environmental activist and the driving force behind the movement to create a green energy jobs policy in the United States.
Sanjay Gupta Discusses Livable Cities
Correspondent/neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, who has been tapped to fill the Surgeon General position by President-elect Obama, talks about 'livable cities' as they relate to climate change and public health.
Coal Ash Dumps Unregulated, Pose Health Risks
The catastrophic spill of coal ash sludge in Tennessee is a wake-up call: there are more than 1,300 such dumps across the U.S., and, as a result of coal industry lobbying, no federal regulations for safe storage, reuse or disposal of the waste.
An Argument for Congestion Pricing
In the first of two guest posts, UCLA researcher Eric A. Morris blogs on the logic behind congestion pricing.
Obama Knows Jane Jacobs
Last summer in Toledo, former mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski handed Barack Obama a book, saying it is the most important book about rebuilding cities. Obama responded, 'Is it Jane Jacobs?'
More Signage, More Business
Cities like Alexandria, VA and Agoura Hills, CA have taken to relaxing sign restrictions for the sake of boosting local business.
Are We Resuscitating a Dinosaur?
A panel of experts weighs in. Is rebuilding rail transit the way of the future, or just reviving a system that should stay extinct?
The End of the Age of McMansions
Fewer teardowns and new home starts back up the perception that the age of the McMansion is coming to an end.
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
