Infrastructure

Obama's Renewable Energy Blunder

The President went out of his way to support Solyndra's cutting-edge solar technology. When the company declares bankruptcy this week, Jon Stewart anticipates the gaffes by Obama's opposition in a very funny segment on The Daily Show.

September 16, 2011 - The Daily Show

NYC Residents Suggesting Locations for New Bike Share Stations

Earlier this week, New York City officials announced a new bikeshare system that will be available to New Yorkers in 2012.

September 16, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Fed. Transpo' Extension Halted Over Bike Funding

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, came through with his promise to stop the clean extension of the transportation bill - and extension of the fed. gas tax, over the inclusion of what are known as 'enhancements' including bike/ped/livability programs.

September 15, 2011 - Steetsblog Capitol Hill

Participatory Budgeting Launches in New York City

In four New York City Council districts, residents will soon be able to propose and vote on capital projects to be funded by councilmember's budgets.

September 15, 2011 - New York Times

House Approves 'Clean' Transportation Extension Bill

After a mere 45 minutes of debate on the House floor, Obama's requested transportation bill extension was approved by voice vote - unanimously. The extension will be for six months (not four as Senate committee had approved) and extends the gas tax.

September 14, 2011 - DC.Streetsblog

Commuters Find Car-Free Lifestyle Easy in Washington D.C.

More than a quarter of D.C. households are car-free, federal data shows. The diverse options such as an efficient public transportation, bike share and Zipcar program make it easier for residents to ditch their cars.

September 13, 2011 - The Washington Post

Popular Complete Streets Policy Killed by City Council

According to Kari Petrie, a highly popular Complete Streets measure in St. Cloud, Minnesota couldn't get a majority of votes from the City Council.

September 13, 2011 - SC Times

Rethinking Cities "From the Ground Up"

Michael Totty of The Wall St. Journal says cities need to be rethought to be leaner and greener. His list of suggestions includes district-level heating systems, micro wind turbines, and walking and biking.

September 12, 2011 - The Wall St. Journal

Urbanism Without Effort

Chuck Wolfe says that urbanism that can readily occur in urban neighborhoods "without really trying" as people naturally come together in impromptu ways.

September 12, 2011 - myurbanist

Water Treatment Facility Turned Awesome

A new park in Toronto includes a water treatment tower that, with artist Jill Anholt's help, creates a beautiful water feature that some say will be a catalyst for future development in the area.

September 10, 2011 - Water Canada

IBM Releases "Commuter Pain Index"

A survey of over 8,000 commuters in 20 cities across 6 continents yields an alarming result. By and large, commuters in emerging economies face traffic conditions that are far worse than those who live in the U.S. and Europe.

September 10, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

L.A. Ousts a Car Lane for Bikes

The unfathomable happened this week in Southern California when L.A. converted 2.2 miles of road into a bike lane that stretches along 7th Street from Koreatown to Downtown.

September 10, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

Obama's 'Clean Extension' Clears Senate Committee

In advance of the President's key jobs speech Thursday, the Senate committee in charge of transportation approved a 4-month extension of the current transportation bill that expired Sept., 2009. It heads to the Senate floor next.

September 8, 2011 - Steetsblog Capitol Hill

A Closer Look at the Infrastructure Bank

The highly anticipated "job speech" by President Obama this evening will address, among other issues, the infrastructure bank. Michael Likosky argues that it is the only possible revenue stream for the nation's $600 billion infrastructure projects.

September 8, 2011 - CNN Money

Boston Bike Share Program Surpasses Expectations in Early Success

Boston's bike share program Hubway has attracted 2,319 annual subscribers and had 36,612 station-to-station trips after one month of being open, reportst Erick Moskowitz for The Boston Globe.

September 7, 2011 - The Boston Globe

Opinion: Being 'Smart' When Preparing for Hurricanes in New York City

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Fast Company's Boyd Cohen writes how New York City's preparedness for Hurricane's should include enhancing infrastructure in things like the Internet and transit.

September 7, 2011 - Fast Company

Do Bike Lanes Bring Gentrification?

With the not-so-secret understanding that white people are much more likely to bike, some ethnic minorities in Portland, Oregon see the coming of a bike lane through their neighborhood as a fast lane to gentrification.

September 6, 2011 - Shareable

Vermont's Top Priority In Wake of Irene: Road Rebuilding

While the photos of the flooded towns in New England captivated our attention, it is the devastation to the roads and bridges that has become the priority in the rebuilding effort - as they must be repaired or replaced to allow relief and rebuilding.

September 5, 2011 - The New York Times - U.S.

Railing Issues in the UK

The benefits of building a new $52-million HSR that connects London to northern England are plausible but not persuasive, says The Economist.

September 5, 2011 - The Economist

Making the Door Zone Safe for Bikers

The door danger zone- where cars and cyclists intersect - is getting a revamp in San Francisco, highlighting how little room there is on the streets for all users.

September 2, 2011 - Grist.org

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.