The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A Worrying Future for Urban Water

Climate change is expected to create major shifts in the amount of water and rainfall in cities in the near future. A recent symposium in Philadelphia on urban water delved into this emerging problem.

April 8 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Aging Infrastructure Will Cost Canada Big

Canadian cities are facing major backlogs in terms of maintaining and updating infrastructure. Putting off the work is expected to cost cities billions.

April 8 - The Vancouver Sun

How An Inner-City Freeway Disappeared

A "crazy idea" to remove an inner city freeway in Seoul, South Korea turned to reality. This piece tells the story about how this unlikely event came to be.

April 8 - Grist

Making Venice Work

The city of Venice, Italy, is a complex, historic, watery, tourist-filled place. This video explains how the city works.

April 8 - Open Culture

Understanding L.A. in Dark and Light

This piece from <em>Places</em> discusses Los Angeles as a place difficult to wrap one's head around, and how light and darkness are so important to the city's identity.

April 8 - Places


America's New Ghost Towns

Depopulation and empty houses are creating modern day ghost towns throughout America. This piece introduces the latest class of emptying areas.

April 7 - 24/7 Wall St.

Turning a Foreclosed Community Into A Sustainable Neighborhood

In the housing crash of 2007, Atlanta's Pittsburgh community was a focal point for mortgage fraud, mortgage defaults, and foreclosure. By forming a nonprofit community land trust, Atlanta is working to turn the neighborhood around.

April 7 - Shelterforce


Revitalizing Mountain View

The former City Manager of Mountain View explains how a city once known as a second-class dormitory community turned its downtown area into a lively, successful, and loved place.

April 7 - New Urban Network

FEATURE

Every City For Itself: Adapting to Climate Change

What cities are best prepared for climate change, and which will falter? Josh Stephens reviews <em>Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in a Hotter Future</em> by Matthew Kahn.

April 7 - Josh Stephens

Videos Critique Twin Cities' Skyways

Skyways in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been a major part of the two cities downtowns for years, but are also blamed for killing their streetlife. A new video competition challenged filmmakers to explore that dichotomy.

April 7 - MinnPost

Pop Star's Statue Leaves English Soccer Fans Confused and Angry

The unveiling of a statue of musician Michael Jackson outside a soccer stadium in England has confused and angered some fans.

April 7 - The New York Times

Brooklyn Undercounted, Officials Claim

With millions of dollars in federal funding on the line, Brooklyn officials are calling foul on new Census numbers that set the population at 8.175 million people rather than the 8.4 million that locals supposed.

April 7 - WNYC

The Good and Bad of London's "Boris Bikes"

According to Joe Peach of <em>This Big City</em>, London public transit finally got something right with its cycle hire scheme, now known as "Boris Bikes."

April 7 - This Big City

Should Car Pool Lanes Require Three-to-a-Car?

Jarrett Walker of Human Transit writes that car-pool rules need to be updated to effectively deal with congestion on the country's highways.

April 7 - Human Transit

Wall Street Journal Ranks U.S.' Most Miserable Cities

The WSJ's annual Misery Index looked at unemployment rates, gas prices, and changes in home values to determine the rankings of 20 major US cities.

April 7 - The Wall Street Journal

Traffic Calming: Making Streets Safer

The concept of "traffic calming," in which urban streets are altered in order to make them feel slower for drivers is discussed in this video from Street Films.

April 7 - StreetFilms.org

Rethinking Retail Strategies in an Urbanizing U.S.

Writing for <em>Retail Traffic Magazine</em>, David Lynn claims that a renewed urbanization movement in the United States will drive retailers and investors to change their strategies to fit a more urban market.

April 6 - Retail Traffic

Holland, Michigan's Heated Sidewalks Bring People Together

A small town in Michigan created a network of underground pipes to divert waste heat from its power plant to downtown streets and sidewalks. Today, the community benefits from sidewalks that remain clear and dry no matter how cold it gets.

April 6 - Metropolis Magazine

Schizophrenic Urbanism

A new exhibit in Poland celebrates the urban designs of Jan Gluszak, a "poet and philosopher, architecture visionary, dreamer and idealist" who envisioned new ways of living.

April 6 - Vernissage TV

Americans Prefer Smart Growth Neighborhoods, Study Finds

A recent study by the National Association of Realtors found that 56 per cent of respondents preferred walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods over neighborhoods that required more driving between home, work, and recreation.

April 6 - Market Wire

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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.

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.