Exclusives

BLOG POST

On Pride

Cities are sized-up, measured and analyzed in countless ways. The Economist uses statistics to indicate how New York’s financial sector is faring against its London counterpart. Richard Florida measures the extant of the creative class. Allan Jacobs carefully records intersection densities and Jan Gehl simply counts pedestrians. Some, like Peter Calthorpe, go beyond the city line and take stock of the whole region.

April 17 - Mike Lydon

BLOG POST

Media Density Discussions are Needed for Cities

Can any North American city have a meaningful public discussion about sustainability, about its "green-ness" or ecological footprint, without having the challenging but necessary public discussion about the city's density? Many are still trying to. Many freely trumpet smart growth and sustainability without the tension and trouble that comes with discussing the "d-word" openly, and thus avoid the necessary heavy-lifting. Few politicians, and embarrassingly not enough city planners, are willing to tackle the density issue publicly, as it is still what Sustainable Urbanism author Douglas Farr calls the "3rd rail" of sustainable city building.

April 16 - Brent Toderian

BLOG POST

Time for Change? Skip the Change, I’ll Take Dollars!

I’ve been torn lately between two contradictory perspectives on the state of the country as it relates to providing transportation infrastructure and service.

April 16 - Steven Polzin

FEATURE

The United States of Gordon Gekkos?

The current housing crisis in America is a product of greed -- not just the greed of homebuilders and mortgage lenders, but also the greed of consumers. Could planners have done more to prevent this greed from crashing the market?

April 14 - Sriram Khé, PhD

FEATURE

Black-Tie Optional: 'Stepsister' Cities Flourish in the Shadows

Say you're a big city. But right next door is an even bigger big city. What do you do to stand out? Josh Stephens explores the unique plight of America's so-called stepsister cities.

April 14 - Josh Stephens

BLOG POST

A Next Level of Urban Achievement in Vancouver?

Long before I arrived here, I've been a fan and student of Vancouver city-building.

April 9 - Brent Toderian

BLOG POST

Why Liability Concerns Should Not Prevent Pedestrian-Friendly Streets

American commercial streets are often designed almost exclusively for cars; streets are often as many as eight or ten lanes wide, lengthening pedestrian trips and encouraging motorists to drive at speeds unsafe for pedestrians.

April 8 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

Best Ideas of the Week

Another week has passed, and some more exciting and interesting ideas have taken root in the world of urban planning.

April 4 - Nate Berg

BLOG POST

DIY Urbanism

I think many planners, in principle, agree that public involvement and grass-roots approaches to planning are necessary. The emphasis on the sheer numbers of people a plan "includes" is only one recent example of our profession’s emphasis on public involvement. But I think deep down, many colleagues see a distinctive split between involving the public and empowering them to implement. Involving is necessary and important to get any plan endorsed. But once that plan is complete, the public (residents, business owners, local stakeholders) is many times not regarded as an implementation partner except perhaps in roles of advocacy.

March 31 - Scott Page

BLOG POST

Pro-Pedestrian Policies Can Be Pro-Driver Too

Some transportation writers seem to believe that the interests of drivers and those of nondrivers are irreconcilable. For example, I just searched on google.com for websites using the terms “traffic calming” and “anti-automobile” together, and found over 60 such sites. But in fact, the interest of pedestrians in calmer, more walkable streets sometimes intersects (pun intended) with the interests of at least some motorists.

March 31 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

Managing Up: Your Thesis or Project Committee as a Trial Run for the World of Work in Planning

Completing any type of academic exit project in planning school requires more than writing a proposal and executing it. It also involves assembling and then managing a committee. “Managing up” involves working with your committee to achieve what is important to you while also doing what they see as essential. It is a vital part of the exit project and terrific preparation for later life. Those who don’t learn to manage up are doomed to frustration. They likely will spend extra time making revisions that could have been avoided. Even those who are skipping the thesis in favor of a group capstone workshop or studio will need some skills in managing faculty advisors.

March 31 - Ann Forsyth

BLOG POST

Pearl River Downturn

China's economic boom has often been compared to the West's industrialization, only running in fast-foward. IT looks as if the decline of Western industrial regions may be playing out in the China on the same accelerated time frame. BusinessWeek Asia is reporting on "<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_14/b4078078846220.htm?link_position=link1">China's Factory Blues</a>" this week on how a perfect storm of recent developments - from the decline in the US housing market to soaring commodity prices and new labor regulations - is shuttering factories in the Peal River Delta at an alarming rate.

March 31 - Anthony Townsend

BLOG POST

Celebrate (Transportation) Diversity!

Every person is unique. Every day is unique. Every trip is unique. As a result, an efficient and equitable transportation system must be <a href="http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm65.htm">diverse</a>, so people can choose the best option for each trip. For example, today you might prefer to walk or bicycle, but tomorrow find it best to use public transit or drive.

March 28 - Todd Litman

BLOG POST

What Flavor of TEA Do You Want?

The federal law setting nation transportation funding and policy, SAFETEA-LU, is set to expire on September 30, 2009. The huge bill has regulated everything from the New Starts transit program to thousands of pork-barrel transportation projects around the country. With unprecedented concern over global warming, a new president in November, and popular frustration with congestion on both transit and highways, there may be the opportunity for a major revision in federal policy. In this post I review some of the debate so far, and outline the proposals recently released by an independent commission.

March 28 - Robert Goodspeed

BLOG POST

Two Things People Hate: Density and Sprawl

We’ve been conducting public meetings for years. And it used to be easier. Present the plan. Discuss the plan. Talk about how your plan is better for the neighborhood/community/city/region and provide the conclusion. But things have changed.

March 26 - Barbara Faga

BLOG POST

Simple Cycling Solutions

Now that the weather in Los Angeles has gone from pleasant to perfect with the subtle advent of spring, I've been spending more time risking my life atop my bicycle as I wend my way to meetings and errands. As a faithful urbanist I have little trouble convincing myself of cycling's merits, which, as former California State Health Officer Dr. <a href="http://www.planningreport.com/article/1223" target="_blank">Richard Jackson</a> likes to say, can "improve your life span, lower your blood pressure, make you better looking, improve your sex life, and save you money." Sounds good to me.

March 26 - Josh Stephens

BLOG POST

Best Ideas of the Week

We all know there's a lot of planning going on around the world. Much of it is poor, short-sighted and generally just no good. But there are also some really great ideas being developed and adopted, and they should be considered by cities and communities all over the world as instructive examples of good planning. Here are what I think are some of the best ideas in urban planning from the last week.

March 21 - Nate Berg

BLOG POST

FCC Rules for Telcos Against Landlords

It's tough to say what the impact of a decision like this is for the US market, where there are already so many obstacles to making money on the last mile.

March 20 - Anthony Townsend

BLOG POST

The end of Neo-Liberalism?

The Federal Reserve’s bailout (arranged liquidation to some) of Bear Stearns over the weekend seriously calls into question the headlong march toward neoliberalism that has been ascendant for the past few decades.

March 18 - Lance Freeman

BLOG POST

Miami Moves Forward With Bicycle Planning

If you think of the most bicycle-friendly cities in America, surely you do not think of Miami. In fact, if you have ever been to the "Magic City," or perhaps live here, you probably shudder at the idea of using two wheels instead of four. That may be changing.

March 18 - Mike Lydon