United States

Friday Funny: 'Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet'

This just in from The Onion.

August 1, 2008 - The Onion

'Tolls Not Gas Tax', Says Bush

Keep gas and diesel taxes stable and add new road tolls and private investment, and the road funding deficit will be solved, according to the new Bush transportation plan released July 30.

July 31, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

Watch WalMart Spread Across the American Landscape

Flowing Data used zip codes and other data to create an animated map showing the growth of WalMart from the first store in Arkansas in 1962 until today, when the map is covered with stores.

July 31, 2008 - Flowing Data

Daily Show Looks at 'The Big Sort'

Author Bill Bishop discusses the "big sort" that's resulting in increasingly homogeneous voting patterns in the segment on Comedy Central's Daily Show.

July 31, 2008 - The Daily Show

Homelessness Drops 30% from 2005 to 2007

The amount of people living in homeless shelters and on U.S. streets has dropped roughly 30% since 2005, according to recent statistics compiled by the federal government.

July 31, 2008 - The New York Times

Rebel Without a Car

Want to be a rebel, a real counter-culturalist? This commentary says it's easy: ride a bike.

July 31, 2008 - Globe Gazette

Urban Agriculture is Growing

Allison Arieff reports on the latest happenings in urban agriculture, including the planting of a full-scale edible landscape in her own backyard.

July 30, 2008 - The New York Times

Bush Signs Housing Bill

President George W. Bush signed into law a package of housing legislation intended to ease the burden on thousands of borrowers who face losing their homes. The legislation will also bail out major mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

July 30, 2008 - The New York Times

Americans Reduce Their Driving by 3.7% in May, Transportation Funds Plummet

At a time when highway infrastructure is already facing challenges such as the rising costs of concrete and steel, a change in driving habits is causing a major reduction in available funds.

July 29, 2008 - The Wall St. Journal

What Should The Carbon-Free Futurama Look Like?

The Futurama exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair excited an entire generation about suburbia. At a meeting of the Citistates Group, policy wonks wondered whether it's possible to create a new vision of a Carbon-Free Futurama.

July 29, 2008 - California Planning & Development Report

Can Small Town America Survive the End of Cheap Gas?

With few local job opportunities, residents in small towns have grown accustomed to long commutes to cities. But with high gas prices making those commutes unaffordable, some economists wonder how much longer small towns can retain their populations.

July 29, 2008 - The Kansas City Star

Time for Government 2.0

With increasing amounts of data collected and held by governments, there's a lot of opportunity to make use of it for the betterment of communities, according to this column from Neal Peirce.

July 29, 2008 - Citiwire

A Greener Fannie and Freddie?

Friends of the Earth president Brent Blackwelder and journalist James S. Henry believe that the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac needs to come with some very green strings attached.

July 28, 2008 - The Nation

Thousands of Bridges Remain in Disrepair

Some states have made progress in repairing old bridges since the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse, but many states still have thousands in disrepair. Billions are needed to get them up-to-date.

July 28, 2008 - USA Today

Yellowstone National Park, 2011

This editorial cartoon from Mother Jones offers a look at a possible future for Yellowstone National Park.

July 28, 2008 - Mother Jones

Exurbs Hit Hard by Housing Crisis

Exurban developments are struggling to control their rampant foreclosure rates and plummeting housing values.

July 28, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Columnist Neal Peirce Discusses the Past and Future of the Metropolis

Planetizen talks with journalist and syndicated columnist Neal Peirce about the trends he's seen over the course of his career and the future of America's metropolitan regions.

July 28, 2008 - Planetizen

Does HUD Need To Be Modernized?

Professor Sudhir Venkatesh of Columbia believe it is time for HUD to be replaced by a more nimble agency capable of responding to the 21st century city.

July 27, 2008 - The New York Times

T. Boone Pickens Announces Alternative Energy Plan

Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has announced his plan to reduce America's dependency on foreign oil, emphasizing the extensive transfer of wealth out of the country it has caused. His plan relies on natural gas vehicles and increasing wind power.

July 27, 2008 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Not As Poor As You Think

This segment from NPR looks at results from a new study that show many poor neighborhoods actually have the potential for vibrant economies.

July 27, 2008 - NPR

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.

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.