Exclusives

BLOG POST

The Roots of Snowmageddon

Last week, many Atlantans were stuck in traffic overnight because of fewer than three inches of snow. What went wrong?

February 2 - Michael Lewyn

Traffic Jam 1970s

BLOG POST

How Should We Measure Traffic Congestion?

Transportation system performance is often evaluated using congestion intensity indicators, which favor automobile-dependency and sprawl. Strategic planning requires more comprehensive and multi-modal indicators which measure congestion costs.

January 30 - Todd Litman

Big Brother

BLOG POST

Jittery Places, Reducing the Right to Just Be

You’re being monitored. Everything you are is tracked and stored in a data centre. How do you feel about these digital and physical forms of regulation? Do they make you jittery? Do you feel more secure? Are you a wiser consumer?

January 29 - Steven Snell

Quito BRT

BLOG POST

End the Transit Commuter Benefit, And Replace It With This

If we really want more people to use transit, and we think it's a worthwhile goal to subsidize people's commutes, why go through all the trouble of tax deductions and employer control? Why not just subsidize transit passes directly?

January 29 - Shane Phillips

Don Draper

FEATURE

Lessons from Don Draper (for Planners)

Aside from inspiring a classy wardrobe, what can urban planners learn from characters like Don Draper and Peggy Olson? What cues should urban planners and policy makers take from the field of advertising to help pitch planning ideas?

January 28 - Georgia Sheridan


BLOG POST

Learning from Chicago's Schools

As the north side of Chicago has gentrified, many Chicago schools' test scores have improved- evidence that if a city neighborhood attracts enough affluent families, its schools will become more attractive as well.

January 24 - Michael Lewyn

Google Street View of Weaverville, CA

BLOG POST

StreetSeen: A New Tool for Understanding the Built Environment

Want an easy to use public engagement tool that helps you to understand the visual preferences of the public? StreetSeen (http://streetseen.osu.edu), a free online tool allows planners and others to simply construct and deploy visual surveys.

January 24 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley


New York Cycling

BLOG POST

More Bicycle Route Debate, Or Valuing Multi-Modalism

The best solution to many transportation problems is to improve transport system diversity so travelers can choose the best option for each trip. This requires more comprehensive and multi-modal planning. Not everybody is ready.

January 23 - Todd Litman

Seaside Entrance

FEATURE

Book Review: Visions of Seaside

A new anthology tells the story of Seaside like we've never heard it before–on its own terms.

January 21 - Vinayak Bharne

Ca73

BLOG POST

Urban Road-Building Linked to Poor Statewide Economic Performance

Besides wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, road-building may actually be holding back economic growth overall.

January 20 - Shane Phillips

BLOG POST

The Shared Dynamics of Obamacare and Public Transit

Seems like an absurd pairing, right? Perhaps so but please hear me out.

January 20 - Norman Wright

Tech Cocktail's Startup Mixology Conference, June 2011 Washington DC

BLOG POST

What are Transportation Planners Talking About?

Last week, the Transportation Research Board held its annual conference with < 10,000 people in attendance. We analyzed the tweets to generate a list of the hottest topics, links to transportation resources, and most influential people.

January 20 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Affordable housing

BLOG POST

Affordable Housing Is Two Separate Issues

The policies that create affordable housing for the middle class might not be those necessary to prevent homelessness for the destitute.

January 18 - Michael Lewyn

Truman and Apple

BLOG POST

How to Create a Mobile Enabled Plan

People are increasingly accessing information via mobile devices, so why not provide mobile enabled plans? Learn how to create a mobile ready plan that is readable in Kindle or iBooks at low to no-cost.

January 18 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

BLOG POST

Greetings from TRB!

Each January Washington DC hosts a huge gathering of the transportation planning tribe. What do we do? Read about it here.

January 16 - Todd Litman

child playing in Peavey Plaza fountain in Minneapolis

BLOG POST

Save that Funky Plaza?

Preserving urban landscapes can be just as important as preserving historic buildings. However, saving our design heritage needs to be balanced with the imperative that places effectively meet the functional needs of contemporary cities.

January 13 - Mark Hough

A stream of mobile apps

BLOG POST

The Best Planning Apps for 2014

We have compiled a list of mobile apps to support planning, as part of our annual update. Learn about exciting new ways to explore cities and enhance planning via mobile apps. Please feel free to add your own favorites.

January 11 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

BLOG POST

An Urbanist Tu'b'Shevat Seder

How to bring an urbanist slant to the Jewish holiday of Tu'b'Shevat next week

January 9 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

How Your Garage Designs Your Neighbourhood

Garages matter a great deal to the design & enjoyment of our neighbourhoods, well beyond that garage door. Perhaps it’s finally time to reconsider whether having garages out front is really more important than the character of our neighbourhoods.

January 6 - Brent Toderian

BLOG POST

The Wicked Problem of Urban Biodiversity, pt 1

Biodiversity is not something “out there”, studied in labs, outside of our cities. It is a borderless organism that resists complete solutions to the problems arising in such interconnectivity.

January 6 - Steven Snell

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.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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