Exclusives
BLOG POST
Of Plans and Prose: Tips for Planning Journalism
Having served on the editorial board of Plan Canada for more than four years now, I've gained a pretty good sense of what makes a solid article on planning practice, and the common pitfalls to which authors often fall victim. As such, I offer below some guidelines that should assist prospective authors interested in submitting to the practitioner literature in producing the most suitable submissions requiring the least amount of revision.
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Yes You Can (Get Groceries Without A Car)
Shopping for bulky items can be one of the challenges of living car free. Here are three of the best ways I've found for dealing with the problem.
FEATURE
The Emerging Asian City: An Interview with Vinayak Bharne
The publication of the 24 chapter volume “The Emerging Asian City: Concomitant Urbanities & Urbanisms”, brings together some of the most significant emerging voices and thoughts on the forces and phenomenologies shaping urban Asia today.
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Smart Transportation Funding
Governments need money to finance transportation system improvements, but revenues from traditional sources are flat. This is leading to debate over how best to generate new funds. There are many possible options, some better than others, because in addition to raising revenue, they support other strategic objectives. Politicians will be tempted to choose the easiest funding options. It is up to planners to point out the best options, taking into account all impacts.
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There's a Planning App for That
For my annual update of the apps that support planning I've compiled a list of the latest applications for sharing information, visualizations, sensing, predicting, supporting decision making, crowdsourcing, and engaging.
FEATURE
Who Teaches Planning?
What role does the background of planning faculty, and the institutions from which they earned their degrees, have on the training of future planners? Tom Sanchez examines the profile of the nation’s planning faculty to help advance this discussion.
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Hold off on Zipcar’s Eulogy: Planners are Key to Carsharing’s Next Act
The recent purchase of Zipcar by Avis is just the latest sign that carsharing is in a period of flux. As shared-mobility evolves in the next few years, planners can play a crucial role in ensuring that the industry serves those in need of alternatives to car ownership, generates revenues for municipalities, integrates with public transportation, and delivers wider benefits.
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Good Urban Parks and Our Wellbeing
Broadening our definition of parks to recognize their role in preventative health care and promotion will only expand our awareness on how important they are to good neighbourhood design.
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Density Reduces Driving (Even At Pretty High Densities)
Research supports the argument that increased densities reduce vehicle miles traveled, even in areas with minimal transit service.
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Measuring Transport System Efficiency
There are various ways to define transport efficiency which can lead to very different conclusions as to what transport policies and projects are best overall. Conventional planning tends to evaluate transport system performance based on mobility, which assumes that faster travel is always better. A new planning paradigm evaluates transport system performance based on accessibility (people's ability to access services and activities) which leads to very different definitions of efficiency and very different conclusions about how to improve transport systems.
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A New Year's Eve Call to Action for Urbanists
We've known for decades the better ways to do things, for greater urban health, sustainability, resiliency, vibrancy and economic success. So this year, let's resolve to have the will and skill to get past the short-term politics, the rhetoric, the market momentum, and the financial self-interest that has kept our better solutions from being realized.
BLOG POST
Tactical Urbanism: A Look Back at 2012
From guerrilla wayfinding to future-tising, these are my top five, perhaps lesser known, highlights of a banner year for Tactical Urbanism.
FEATURE
Top 10 Books - 2013
Planetizen is pleased to release its eleventh annual list of the ten best books in urban planning, design and development published in 2012.
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Do Environmentalists Feed The Fire of Climate Change Denial?
Despite the extreme weather events of the past year, most Americans are still not persuaded that climate change is primarily the result of human activity. Why not?
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Better Living through Information: Big Data and Urban Systems
The emerging methods of urban governance, planning, design, and management made possible by technological advances in data collection, analysis, and communication promise to make our cities better, and more efficient, places to live. The Urban Systems Collaborative, a unique gathering of voices from academia and industry, is fostering a discussion about improving our cities through technology.
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Green Building in Affordable Housing Reaches Critical Mass
Green building has become a fundamental element of many states Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs), which guide the distribution of the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
FEATURE
Top Twitter Feeds 2012
We've augmented our comprehensive list of Twitter's top sources for news and observations about urban planning, design and development by recognizing this year's Top Ten Feeds.
BLOG POST
Toward Comprehensive and Multi-Modal Performance Evaluation
One of planners’ most important jobs is to help develop the indicators and frameworks use to define problems and evaluate potential solution. Often, a particular solution will seem cost effective and beneficial when evaluated one way, and wasteful and undesirable if evaluated another. It is important that we help develop comprehensive evaluation frameworks that effectively inform decisions.
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TechniCity: The most fascinating technologies shaping cities
Course explores how the increasing availability of networks, sensors and mobile technologies allows for new approaches to address the challenges that our cities face.
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No, Cars Are NOT Greener than Buses (Even Almost-Empty Ones)
Even in cities without world-class transit systems, transit can reduce car ownership to some extent.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.
