Infrastructure

Pop-up Infrastructure Makes a Street Green and Complete

Imagine converting a downtown street into a bicycle, people, and eco-friendly one - for just one week, by a crack team of urban design graduate students. Such an undertaking was done by Kent State U.'s urban design collaborative. Watch and learn!

June 8, 2012 - Streetsblog Network

The Tragedy of America's Woeful Infrastructure Spending

In light of dismal jobs reports and a lending environment in which the U.S. is "paying better rates than when George Washington was running unopposed for the presidency," Jordan Weissmann rants about the country's lack of infrastructure spending.

June 7, 2012 - The Atlantic

San Diego's Sorry Streets Become Campaign Centerpiece

Facing a staggering backlog of necessary street improvements after years of neglect, San Diego's potholes have emerged as a defining topic in this year's mayoral campaign, reports Tony Perry.

June 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Hard Road Ahead

Michael J. Coren has a preview of an MIT report that lays out the economic and environmental benefits of stiffer pavement.

June 5, 2012 - Fast Co.Exist

Can V-Poles Replace Urban Clutter?

Vancouver will attempt to address urban clutter with innovative multifunctional utility poles that house Wi-Fi and telecom services, as well as other amenities, designed by none other than famed novelist Douglas Coupland.

June 5, 2012 - National Post

Gov. Brown Points To Similarities In Golden Gate Bridge, HSR, And Water Project

Joseph Strauss' dream of spanning the Golden Gate is remarkably similar to Gov. Jerry Brown's of spanning the Golden State with high speed rail, and providing fresh water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Public opposition is the common link.

June 2, 2012 - KTVU.Com

New York's Unbuilt Future

An underground nuke-proof second city, a massive 24-lane bridge across the Hudson, an elevated railway to the Statue of Liberty - these are amongst the futuristic visions for New York City shared by Web Urbanist

June 1, 2012 - Web Urbanist

Lights Out for Detroit

As Detroit struggles through major economic and population losses, the mayor plans to turn off approximately half of the city's streetlights, Chris Christoff reports.

May 27, 2012 - Bloomberg

Gas Tax 'Swap' Results In More Potholes In California Cities

The annual budget for Paso Robles' road maintenance fund went from $400,000 to $38,000 after Gov. Schwarzenegger and the legislature agreed in 2010 to a complicated gas tax maneuver dubbed the "fuel tax swap" to balance the budget.

May 26, 2012 - The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune

Remembering Golden Gate's Grand Opening

On the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, Richard Gonzales visits with those who made the first crossing on foot.

May 26, 2012 - NPR

Thirty-Four Bold Ideas for Transforming Toronto

The Grid solicited ideas from some of Toronto's smartest people for how to make the city better, no matter what the cost or feasibility. David Topping and Katie Underwood deliver the inventive results.

May 24, 2012 - The Grid

Can a City Have Too Much Transportation Network?

Yonah Freemark critiques a planned expansion to Dallas' already-extensive highway network, arguing that it undermines billions of dollars in light rail investment and sets its downtown on a path of stunted growth.

May 21, 2012 - the transport politic

History Repeats Itself in California Infrastructure Debate

As the Golden Gate Bridge approaches its 75th anniversary, John King pens an incisive comparison between the arguments against the bridge's original construction and those that have challenged subsequent high-profile projects.

May 19, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

What Will It Take to Make the Electric Car Affordable?

Even as auto manufacturers roll out bigger, better technology for electric vehicles, high production costs – particularly from battery manufacturers – are keeping sales figures low, Tim Fernholz reports.

May 18, 2012 - Good

New Urbanists Duke it Out With Mayor Over Expressway Conversion

"We should not let the lame be the enemy of the perfectly adequate," says one critic of the New Haven mayor's proposal.

May 17, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

Onward, Singapore: Setting the New Standard for Urban Innovation

Boyd Cohen takes us through a brief tour of the Lion City's many progressive and wildly successful programs, from affordable housing to traffic management and beyond.

May 17, 2012 - Fast Company

What Are (Realistic) Options For Federal Transportation Funding?

With the unlikely possibility of the Congressional conference committee agreeing to a new transportation bill, much less an agreement to address the decreasing gas tax revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Kathryn Wolfe looks at the remaining options.

May 16, 2012 - Politico

Top 10 Websites - 2012

Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.

May 15, 2012 - Abhijeet Chavan

America's Mass Transit and Renewable Energy Delusions

Michael Lind argues that the version of the nation's infrastructure priorities we've been sold is a fallacy, and he has some suggestions for the kind of infrastructure we really need.

May 14, 2012 - Salon.com

Transportation Reauthorization: Being Responsible Means Not Raising Gas Tax

Responsible funding for transportation may no longer be the conventional "pay-as-you-go" user fee system whereby drivers pay for projects through gas taxes. House Transportation Chair Mica wants to fund the bill responsibly, but rules out new taxes.

May 11, 2012 - The Hill's Transportation Blog

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.

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.