The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
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Some Like it Hot: Adapting Los Angeles to Climate Change
Closing out the "Just Add Water" lecture series, four panelists came together to discuss climate change, cultural shifts for sustainability, and adapting Los Angeles's urban fabric for greater climate resiliency in the future.
Debate Continued: Supply vs Demand
Jim Russell is again taking to the pulpit to dissent from the popular view that supply problems are causing housing affordability crises in cities like New York and San Francisco.
The Dysfunction that is New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority bus terminal, located in Midtown, has been "stagnating as ridership has been rising" since the 1970s. Now a third of New Jersey commuters use the facility.
7 Essential Books on the Local Food Movement
Marianne Peters lists seven "classic, must-read" books about the evolving role of locally grown and sold food in the American economy.
Downtown Berkeley Getting the Permeable Pavement Treatment
The city of Berkeley is undergoing a pilot installation of permeable pavement for a road calming project by Berkeley High School. The pilot has better storm water drainage, a smaller carbon footprint, and less maintenance than traditional asphalt.
Austin Voters To Decide on Light Rail and Freeway Bond Measure
The Austin City Council unanimously approved a $1 billion bond measure on August 7, subject to voter approval on Nov. 4 to provide $600 million toward a $1.4 billion, 9.5-mile light rail line and $400 million for freeway improvements.
High Speed Rail Opponents Appeal to California Supreme Court
Recall that recent 'great news' for the embattled High Speed Rail Authority? The appeals court ruling breathed new life into the $68 billion project as it released the lower court's hold on $9.95 billion in bond funds. Opponents are not deterred.
Fighting Wildfires with Big Data
WIFIRE, a real-time and data-driven simulation, prediction, and visualization technology, combines satellite and remote sensor data to forecast the potential spread of wildfires.
The Solution to Overloaded Water Infrastructure? Urban Conservation
Cities and suburbs face billions of dollars in investments and repairs to comply with Clean Water Act standards. The NRDC outlines some of the urban water conservation methods municipalities can take to reduce stress on these infrastructure systems.
Plan B: Port of San Francisco Moves Forward with New Land Use Plan
Voters might not want big changes along San Francisco's waterfront—but one powerful agent there, the Port of San Francisco, is examining new ways to do the business of building in the face of pressures from sea level rise and opposition politics.
Income Inequality Worse in 2 of 3 American Metropolitan Areas
A new report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors highlights the growing income divide, breaking the data down to the local level and finding that income inequality grew in two out of three metro areas between 2005 and 2012.
The Death of Neighborhoods
In the same vein that Robert Putnam explored decaying community and social capital in American in his work, Bowling Alone, Brian Bethune discusses how the decay of Western communities shapes our health and political realms.
How Streets and Social Justice Intersect
A look at how streets affect health, social interaction, and economic development by Marissa Reilly, a Berkeley-based urban planner and Lillian Jacobson, a master’s candidate at MIT.
Decline or Dispersal? Standardizing the Size of American Cities
Ben Schulman and Xiaoran Li lead an interesting thought experiment about the populations of cities around the country. That is, what would happen to the population of American cities if all their sizes were standardized?
Increased Street Connectivity Improves Public Health Outcomes
A new study, "Community Design, Street Networks, and Public Health" published in the Journal of Transport & Health finds that increased local street connectivity improves public health outcomes, apparently by encouraging more walking and cycling.
Boston to Test Extended Parking Restrictions in Southie
An influx of new residents has also meant an influx of residential parking passes in the Southie neighborhood of Boston. Can a pilot program to extend residential parking restrictions (from four nights a week to seven) quell the "crisis"?
How the Twin Cities Transports its Aging Population
Dave Beal provides thorough coverage of the demographic and geographic challenges facing transportation for the aging in the Twin Cities region, where the need for such services is increasing as the population ages.
All Fracking Initiatives Pulled Off the Ballot in Colorado
When we last reported, two anti-fracking initiatives were circulating. Since then, two industry backed, pro-fracking initiatives were set to join them on the November ballot. Gov. John Hickenlooper struck an agreement to remove all four measures.
Mobile App Helps Battle Graffiti in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's Community Life Improvement Program is using Esri's Collector mobile app to empower their data collection in management. Prior to Collector, the anti-graffiti effort was driven by Excel.
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Millennial Fever: Taking Stock of Denver Placemaking
Denver's investments in placemaking—guided by the city's great appeal to Millennials—are a mixed bag of hits, misses, and open questions.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
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.
