Infrastructure

Tea Party Candidate Nixes Transit Center

They mayor of Troy, Mich. chooses ideology over investment, The Atlantic's says Eric Jaffe.

December 12, 2011 - The Atlantic

For Luxury Apts, City May Exceed Parking Maximums

As plans move forward for luxury apartments on the site of Greenwich Village's former St. Vincent's Hospital, the city is divided over whether to allow an oversized parking garage on-site. The Municipal Art Society particularly cries "fuzzy math."

December 11, 2011 - Streetsblog New York

"Civic Action" Examines Art's Role In Development

The Noguchi museum in New York has asked four artists to take a crack at city planning by offering a new way of interpreting the construction of urban fabric. Martha Schwendener evaluates the results.

December 10, 2011 - The New York Times

Ambitious Effort to Urbanize India

The Indian government is betting big with simultaneously building a massive high speed freight corridor between Delhi & Mumbai as well the physical infrastructure for 24 new cities that will become an industrial corridor.

December 9, 2011 - Global Post

Public Parks to Cover Highways in Hamburg

The City of Hamburg, Germany is planning on building elevated public parks on sections of the to-be-expanded A7 (Highway 7), which is considered one of the most important north-south connectors in Germany.

December 9, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

HUD Announces Sustainability Grant Winners

The 27 communities and regional planning organizations selected will receive a total $96 million to achieve their economic and environmental goals.

December 9, 2011 - Smart Planet

A Pedestrian Plaza for Outer Brooklyn

Public plazas aren't just for Manhattan. As part of DOT's Public Plazas program, one outer Brooklyn neighborhood has seen a traffic island turned into a pedestrian plaza. Matt Chaban reports on the praise it has earned.

December 8, 2011 - The New York Observer

London's "Pop-Up" Shopping Mall To Be One of a Kind

British entrepreneur Roger Wade has built "[t]he most environmentally friendly shopping mall ever built." 'Boxpark,' which recently opened, is composed of 60 standard size shipping containers stacked two stories high by five rows wide.

December 7, 2011 - CNN

Public-Private Partnerships Don't Solve Everything

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo touts private investment as a solution to New York's transportation funding woes. But a conference of infrastructure experts agree that private partnerships aren't a substitute for public funds.

December 7, 2011 - Streetsblog

How the Suburbs Killed Our Connectivity, And How to Fix It

The deeper our sense of community, the better positioned we are to take on change, says Scott Doyon, but the leisurely lull of the suburbs may have killed our ability to work together.

December 7, 2011 - PlaceShakers

Solving the Wastewater Problem with Natural Solutions

The EPA estimates the U.S. has $13 billion in wastewater infrastructure. Fast Company explains how innovations in wastewater management using natural processes will change everything.

December 6, 2011 - Fast Company

Massive Mixed-Use Transit Oriented Development To Hit White Flint

In Maryland, the Washingtonian Tower has been the tallest skyscraper in Montgomery County. Developers in White Flint are proposing an even taller building that will incorporate mixed-use, transit-oriented, and retail/office development in one plan.

December 6, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

Revitalization For Downtown Wheaton

In Maryland, the Montgomery County Park and Planning Commision received a $200,000 grant to study moving its offices. The County Executive, Ike Leggett says "its the best way to kick-start the revitalization of downtown Wheaton."

December 6, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

Obama Uses 1906 Act to Declare Fort Monroe a Natl. Monument

In declaring Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia a National Monument, President Obama circumvents Congressional approval - which would be required to make it a National Park.

December 6, 2011 - City Parks Blog

Freight-Oriented Development To Be Implemented Along the Red Line

In Charlotte, N.C, planners are looking at ways to appeal to freight users. In addition to transit-oriented development, their plan is to allow freight trains to run on the same tracks as passenger trains promoting the use of the Red Line.

December 6, 2011 - the transport politic

Janette Sadik-Khan, "Street Fighter"

MSNBC gives the NYC Transportation Commissioner the kung fu-like title, as well as calling her "The High Priestess of People-Friendly Cities." [VIDEO]

December 6, 2011 - MSNBC

Doing it Old School with Physical Models

In this era of computer simulations, are models like the Bay Model (a giant replica of the San Francisco Bay previously used for research on estuary hydraulics and fluid dynamics) relevant? Janice Sinclaire says yes.

December 5, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Regional Planners Sued for Promoting Sprawl

The Cleveland National Forest Foundation is suing SANDAG over a $200 billion transportation plan that purportedly only promotes sprawl through freeway extensions.

December 4, 2011 - KPBS

Actualizing Seasteads

Brainchild of libertarians, seasteads are brand new cities built upon the ocean. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds, according to this article's author, but it will have to overcome the myriad engineering, energy, and legal challenges.

December 4, 2011 - The Economist

Assessing the Visions for Mumbai

Various reports detail how Mumbai can become a world-class city by listing infrastructure and development goals, but, as Nayantara Kilachand points out, "cultural and social nuance" need to be--but aren't--factored in.

December 3, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

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.