The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BLOG POST
Yet Another Driver Subsidy: Inadequate Car Insurance Minimums
Insurance coverage hasn’t kept up with the cost of medical care and property damage caused by crashes. And whether we drive or not, when someone can’t pay for the damage they’ve done, we all have to pick up the tab.
A McDonald’s Case Study for Land Use Policies in Providence
James Kennedy examines a proposed development of a McDonald’s and a Family Dollar store in Providence, Rhode Island, for lessons about the city’s land use policies.
Lessons for Detroit—from New Orleans
Detroit recently replaced New Orleans as the American city with the highest rate of blight. As Detroit undertakes its plans to shrink, which includes a massive blight removal campaign, what lessons from New Orleans bear repeating?
America’s Fastest-Growing Cities
Forbes recently released its annual list of America’s Fastest-Growing Cities. The list considers both population and economy.
How Agenda 21 Trumps Planning
Agenda 21, a nonbinding United Nations resolution signed in 1992 by 170 world leaders, was developed to encourage "sustainable development." Now it’s a political talking point that kills planning efforts all over the country.
Crude by Rail Declared 'Imminent Hazard' by Federal Regulators
The full declaration on CBR by DOT regulators was “an imminent hazard to public health and safety and the environment." An immediate safety order was issued requiring vigorous testing of crude and prohibition of use of some tanker cars.
Georgia Cracking Down on Fast-Lane 'Slow-Pokes'
A new bill approved by the state of Georgia's House of Representatives makes it illegal to remain in the fast lane when a faster vehicle approaches from behind.
Strange Bedfellows: Germs and Architecture
A study from the University of Oregon has laid the foundation for a new level of architectural outcome: how the materials of buildings can facilitate healthy kinds of bacteria while managing the pernicious sort.
Ambitious Open Space Proposal for Silicon Valley
The board of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, based in Los Altos, CA, is considering a $300 million bond measure for the June ballot that would expand access to 62,167 acres of open space.
New Urban Math
To forge a coalition for urban places, let’s start by trumpeting an important fact: The value of cities and towns transcends simple arithmetic.
Ranking America's Safest Suburbs
Movoto Real Estate figured it was time to see just which suburbs can still claim to be safer than their big city neighbors.
Obama Pitching $300 Billion Plan to Fix Nation’s Roads, Bridges
The White House announced its intentions to propose a $300 billion plan to “address the funding crisis facing our surface transportation programs and to increase infrastructure investment.”
Lesson in Reduced Expectations: Dallas’ Trinity Lakes Plan
Like so many visionary plans for the restoration of public space, Dallas’ original intentions for the Trinity Lakes plan might have been “just a bunch of pretty pictures.”
Two Energy States Take Opposite Approaches Toward Regulation
PBS NewsHour reports on a new study that shows a lack of air quality regulations on fracking in the Texas Eagle Ford Shale play. NPR looks at new rules developed by regulators in Colorado, the first in the nation to restrict methane emissions.
Seattle's Growth Patterns Buck Century-Long Trend
According to Census data, the city of Seattle's population is growing faster than its King County suburbs—for the first time since 1910.
Why 'Google Buses' Are Bad for Cities
Tech buses deployed by companies like Google and Apple bring the benefit of more collective transportation. But there's an underlying dark side to these services that must be discussed.
The Case for Bus Rapid Transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is well known among planners as a cheap method to improve bus service and provide an alternative to rail, but BRT projects around the country have met resistance from an array of status quo interests.
Fight Fires with Funds: New Federal Funding Mechanism Proposed for Wildfires
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul” and “thumb in the dike” describe the way the federal government has been funding the cost of fighting the nation’s wildfires. President Obama’s new budget proposal could change the current arrangement.
Philadelphia’s Middle Class—Down But Not Out
A new report by the Pew Charitable Trusts tracks the demographics of Philadelphia between 1970 and 2010. Overall, middle class residents left the city during those decades, but there are reasons for optimism regarding the prosperity of the city.
BLOG POST
How Useful is Walkability: Are You Oriented to Walk?
The physical requirements for walkability—like narrow streets and wide sidewalks—aren't always enough to compel the activity of walking. How can we reorient toward the primal activity of walking?
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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.
