Exclusives
FEATURE
Open Transit Design: Why Stations Designed for Non-Transit Users Are Most Successful
How many people go to Grand Central Terminal just for the experience? Peter David Cavaluzzi, FAIA describes a new approach to transit station design that, in its desired appeal to non-transit users, is indebted to the great stations of the past.
BLOG POST
Toward More Comprehensive Understanding of Traffic Congestion
Conventional planning tends to consider traffic congestion asignificant cost and roadway expansion the preferred solution. It evaluates transport system performance based on indicators such as roadway Level of Service (LOS) and peak-period traffic
FEATURE
A Brave New World: How Apps Are Changing Planning
Mobile applications (apps) are gaining in popularity as tools for increasing participation in local governance and planning, and are opening up new possibilities for planners to tap into the wisdom of the crowd.
FEATURE
Young People's Fascination With Detroit is Only Part of the New Story for the City
Stories of Detroit’s nascent comeback often highlight the Rust Belt city’s attraction as a destination for America’s young hipsterati. Jay Walljasper explores the role that native Detroiters are playing in the city’s revival.
BLOG POST
NIMBY Zoning And the Tragedy Of The Commons
<!--[endif]---->Decades ago, ecologist Garrett Hardin wrote about the "tragedy of the commons"- when an action that is rational for one person becomes irrational when widely practiced. <p class="MsoNormal"> For example, suppose that there are a few dozen cattle ranchers near a pasture open to all.<span> </span>It makes sense for each rancher to let as many cattle graze as possible on the pasture, so that the ranchers can feed their cattle without buying additional land.<span> </span>But if every rancher lets as many cattle as possible graze, sooner or later the land will be overgrazed and the cattle may starve. </p>
BLOG POST
How the Private Sector Just Might Revive Intercity Passenger Rail in the US
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Calibri">For those following the intense debate over intercity passenger rail in the US, the following recent news items might have a few planners scratching their heads:</span></span> </p>
BLOG POST
Be Careful With Statistics
Last week the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a report, In Search of the Global Middle Class: A New Index, by researcher Uri Dadush, which uses car ownership rates as an indication of the size of a country's middle class
BLOG POST
UK cities, mayoral powers, and "tall poppy syndrome"
<p> This morning over at Atlantic Cities, <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/08/has-london-mayors-office-been-too-successful/3024/">Richard Florida aptly refuted</a> an <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/aug/16/abolish-london-mayor-boris-johnson">opinion piece by Kevin Meagher</a> that appeared in the Guardian last week advocating for doing away with the position of Mayor in London. Florida lays out several strong arguments in favor of a strong elected mayor who can act as an advocate for his or her city. </p>
BLOG POST
A Timeline for Job Hunting in Planning
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: small">Many students are understandably worried about getting a job once they graduate. The slow economy has made this more difficult and also changed some of the parameters in terms of approach and timing. For example, many employers are hesitant to make early commitments, delaying some phases of the job search. In this blog I outline a strategy for using the academic year to find a job or a summer internship using the North American academic calendar as a base. </span></span> </p>
BLOG POST
L.A.'s Latest Park Marks a Shift in the City's Psyche
<p> Do we sense a subtle shift in the too often pedantic world of planning and design from private conceits to public conscious constructs, and in of all places Los Angeles, as evidenced by the heralded dedication this summer of a new downtown park? </p> <p> To be sure, the first phase of the 12 acre park is a promising space, linking in a series of terraces edged by select plantings and brightly painted seating, from the neomodern Music Center to the west to the neoclassical City Hall to the east. Helping in particular these dog days of summer is a refurbished memorial fountain that invites wading and splashing, as well as the office workers out of the adjacent government buildings. </p>
BLOG POST
A Tale of Three Lobbies
<p> In the early 1990s, transportation politics at both the state and federal levels was often fairly simple: an all-powerful Road Gang (made up of real estate developers and road contractors) typically got whatever it wanted, rolling over a much weaker pro-transit coalition of environmentalists and urban politicians. </p>
BLOG POST
Olympic Lessons for Host Cities and the Movement
<p> As Olympics excitement grows in the first week of the London 2012 Games, we in Vancouver watch with great interest, and occasional feelings of deja-vu. Last week in Atlantic Cities, <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/07/what-vancouver-gained-hosting-olympics/2695/" target="_blank">I wrote about</a> Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics experience with Olympic jitters and the host city funk, and the ability of the Games to change cities through the “power of the collective experience.” </p> <div style="text-align: center"> <img src="/files/u31521/city.jpg" width="400" height="225" /> </div> <p> </p>
FEATURE
Learning to Love Congestion
BLOG POST
What AASHTO, NACTO and other Acronyms Tell Us About the Future of Professional Guidance
<p> The recent release of the <a href="http://www.transportation.org/" target="_blank">American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’</a> (AASHTO) 2012 <a href="https://bookstore.transportation.org/collection_detail.aspx?ID=116" target="_blank">Update to the Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities</a> sparked an interesting discussion on the <a href="http://www.apbp.org/default.asp?" target="_blank">Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professional</a>’s (APBP) email listserv. <br />
BLOG POST
Blessed Are The Hipsters, For They Shall Inherit The City
<p> How much is a hipster worth to a city? Is she worth more when she's building an app, or when she's writing a blog? Is a hipster with a walrus mustache and a mean whiffle ball pitch worth more than one who wears a sarong and practices aerial yoga? How many of them can dance on the pull tab of a PBR? <br />
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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.
