Planning

A Planner's Prayer

3 October 2008 - 1:48pm
A PLANNER’S PRAYER

Next week, Jews around the world (including myself) will spend the day in synagogue for Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.  On that day, we will pray for forgiveness for our sins.  One Yom Kippur prayer, the Al Chet (Hebrew for “for the sin”) lists a variety of sins, requesting Divine forgiveness for each. (One English translation can be found at www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/6577/jewish/Text-of-Al-Chet.htm )

Enough With the Planning, it's Time for Some Doing

28 September 2008 - 11:00am
Globe and Mail
This column from the Globe and Mail expresses some common frustrations with a slow-moving regional transportation plan.

More Two-Wheeled Parking

13 September 2008 - 7:00am
Cincinnati Business Courier
The city of Cincinnati is launching a new pilot program to introduce on-street parking options for scooters, mopeds, bicycles and other two-wheeled transportation alternatives.

Architects Say Planners Waste Their Time

18 July 2008 - 12:00pm
The Irish Times
According to a recent survey of architects in Ireland, 80% think that local planning decisions do not support good design and are essentially a waste of time.

Mexicans, Machines and Place

9 July 2008 - 1:23pm

The newest Drew Carey video at Reason.tvMexicans and Machines: Why Its Time to Lay Off NAFTA—is (IMHO) brilliant, and triggered more than a couple of thoughts about how technology and progress creates practical challenges for planning.

A Journalistic View of Cities

26 June 2008 - 9:19am

I was reading the New York Times Magazine special architecture issue a few weeks ago when something jumped out at me. On the intro page to the issue of the “Mega-Megalopolis” one of the by-line says “How does an architect plan for a city with no history? Or a city that just keeps growing?” Interesting questions particularly given the fact that to charge architects with the task of planning our cities is affording too much power to a profession that simply doesn’t have it.

Can Planning Happen More Quickly?

25 June 2008 - 12:00pm
BBC
Members of the British Parliament attempt to speed up the process for planning major projects. But some advocates and observers fear the public's voice will be muted.

Watch for Desire Paths

2 June 2008 - 5:19pm

My graduate school education left me with a lot of general ideas and a handful of specific ones. One that stuck with me is a concept from landscape architecture: the desire path. Technically, the term means a path where there isn't supposed to be one, a trail of wear and tear that wasn't planned.

Sealed Landfill Leaking 'Orange Goo' Into Residential Area

2 June 2008 - 7:00am
durhamregion.com
Oshawa, Ontario residents have noticed a suspicious substance leaking into their community. Development next to the former landfill almost didn't happen because city planners worried about this very possibility.

Students Bring Neighborhood's Plans to Life

1 June 2008 - 11:00am
Columbus Alive
Students in Ohio State University's City and Regional Planning department worked closely with the Franklinton neighborhood in Columbus to create a new vision for the community.

Best Buy Refuses to Conform to Design Standards

31 May 2008 - 11:00am
The Smoky Mountain News
Waynesville, North Carolina Mayor Gavin Brown is forced to give up on pedestrian-friendly design to save potential jobs from Best Buy.

New Life for Ebenezer Howard's 'Garden City'

22 May 2008 - 1:00pm
Western Mail, Wales
A campaign is underway in Wales to revive the "Garden City" concept, first brought to life in 1898. This time, supporters are claiming the radial, suburban plan is a sustainable alternative to cities.

Beneath the Bright Lights, But Not Talking Energy

15 May 2008 - 9:00am
Post Carbon Cities Blog
In a report back from the APA conference in Las Vegas, Daniel Lerch worries that planners are not concerned enough about planning for a constrained-energy future.

End Powerpoint Abuse

12 May 2008 - 8:04am

We’ve all been subject to them – the endless powerpoint presentations that extol the worst aspects of animated text and mind-numbing bullet points. While Edward Tufte has written about the horrors of powerpoint, I see it as just a tool and like any tool it can be used wisely or poorly. After all, David Byrne, the former Talking Heads front man, makes art with powerpoint so it can’t be all bad. But one thing struck me at the American Planning Association’s (APA) conference two weeks ago: some sessions would have been much better if the powerpoint presentation (or abuse thereof) didn’t get in the way. In actuality, some of the best presentations I attended didn’t use powerpoint at all.

An Interview With The New Dean Of Harvard's Design School

10 May 2008 - 7:00am
The Boston Globe
Planning students today care as much about the social aspects of cities as they do of their physical design, says Mohsen Mostafavi, the new dean at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.

New York Regional Plan Association Advocates 'America 2050' Plan

5 May 2008 - 9:00am
The Planning Report
According to RPA Executive Director Robert Yaro, global competition requires that the United States focus on regions for future infrastructure investment.

Green Buildings Need Green Cities

30 April 2008 - 12:00pm
BBC News
While cities are focused on promoting green 'buildings', planners and landscape architects need to advocate more green city planning.

When Professionals Plan Their Own Neighborhood

22 April 2008 - 8:00am
The Boston Globe
In Somerville, Massachusetts, a group of community residents -- many of them professional architects and planners -- have organized themselves to help the city address problems in their neighborhood.

Salt Lake City Takes Steps To Fix Dysfunctional Planning Department

22 April 2008 - 7:00am
Deseret News
After a recent audit revealed that long-time problems that have plagued the city's planning division, local leaders are taking action to remedy the situation.

City Hires Developer To Lead Planning Department

21 April 2008 - 2:00pm
Winnepeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba has selected a local developer to fill the city's top planning job, with some left wondering what direction the city's growth will take under the new director.
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