The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Can Dimples Improve Fuel Efficiency?
A company called Fastskinz thinks so. They've created a vinyl car wrap based on the aerodynamic evidence from golf balls that an uneven surface creates less drag. Popular Mechanics puts the theory to the test.
High Speed Rail Funds on the Way for California and Florida
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said recently that California and Florida are likely to be the first recipients of stimulus funding for high speed rail projects.
Best American Cities for Walking
<em>Prevention</em> magazine has pulled together a list of the top 25 American cities for walking.
Stimulus Trickles Down For CDBGs
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has set aside $980 million for Community Development Block Grants, which will be split among 1,200 governments.
A City Without Cars
Michigan's Mackinac Island has been car-free since 1898. GOOD Magazine pays a visit to the island and finds that far from being Luddite, the island is very progressive, from extensive wifi to hydroelectric power.
Making the Case for HOT Lanes
In this column, CA Lt. Gov. John Garamendi supports a regional plan to create a HOT lane network in the Bay Area, permitting single occupant vehicles to buy into the fast lanes, creating a new source of regional revenue to fund express bus service.
Working Families Charged Rent to Live in New York Shelters
Families who have income will now be charged a small rent to stay in public housing shelters in New York City, part of a 1997 state law that had up until now gone unenforced.
Ground Zero Plans Taking Shape, But Still Troubled
The long-delayed and troubled design for Manhattan's Ground Zero site has undergone some improvements and been revealed in a new model. But as <em>New York Times</em> architecture critic Nicolai Oroussoff notes, the design is still lacking.
Don't Forget the Garbage
Using waste to create alternative energy is a strategy the Obama administration is neglecting, says North America’s largest garbage hauler Waste Management Inc.
Small Towns Work to Keep Young Population
Towns in East Texas have watched their children graduate high school and leave town for generations- in some towns, up to 90% of graduates flee. Job development is key to keeping the kids down on the farm, but older locals balk at growth.
The Legacy of Bucky Fuller
The results are in for the Annual Buckminster Fuller Design Challenge. The winning designs include robo-scooters, biocentres, and a "future map".
The Changing Demographics of the Suburbs
Anaheim, home of Disneyland, is the latest suburban enclave in California to become majority Latino. According to one expert, the shift is due to "two things: Latinos moving in and non-Latinos moving out."
BLOG POST
Why is it so hard to build a train?
<p>I received a newsletter in the mail recently about the <a href="http://www.purplelinemd.com/" target="_blank">Purple Line</a>, a light rail line in the planning process in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Like hundreds of other public transit projects across the country, the rail line is in the "planning" stages and nobody can really say exactly when it will be constructed or begin operations.<br /><br />The cause is simple: too little funds and a lack of political support both locally and from the federal government. Quite simply, we get more roads because our policies are structured to spend more money on them, and they're more popular with elected officials. Although the specific cause of the lack of transit investment is simple enough, its effect on the way transit systems are planned and perceived by the public is far from simple. The lack of funds has added complexity length to an already complex and lengthy process. As a result, project supporters and detractors alike are alienated from the planning, forced to navigate a morass of acronyms, plans, and steps.<br /><br />The problem lies in the fact that since there is some money available, local supporters of the <a href="http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/public/reports/375" target="_blank">roughly 400 planned projects</a> (with an estimated total cost of $248 billion) pretend they've got a shot at it. Time and again local boosters tell the media they'll just submit for federal funds and break ground after they complete the required paperwork. As we'll see, this couldn't be farther from the truth.<br /><br />
The Fall of Las Vegas
In 2006, Las Vegas was one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Today, that booming metropolis is crumbling and can't maintain its infrastructure. A new documentary from Current.tv takes a look at Sin City today.
Walking, Talking, and Remembering Jane Jacobs
Jane's Walk is a fledgling yearly festival following in Jacobs' esteemed footsteps. Participants in cities around the world like Winnipeg take people on walking tours of their neighborhoods, illuminating their local urbanism.
Electricity from Biomass More Efficient than Ethanol
A new study by researchers at the University of California, Merced suggests that using biomass to create electricity to power cars could be more efficient than using the same biomass to create ethanol to power cars.
Build Smarter: Learning from the Housing Bust
Builder Magazine presents six lessons for builders to learn from the housing bust, including 'limit your land holdings', 'build smarter', and 'diversify beyond new-home construction'.
Car is #1 Necessity, Say Americans
A new study from the Pew Research Center says that even though Americans are driving less, they still see a car as the most necessary item they own. Air conditioning and TV are a good 10% less necessary.
FEATURE
Capturing the Value of Transit
With stimulus funding creating new transit projects across the country, now may be a great time to use innovative methods for funding development around transit, say Nadine Fogarty and Gloria Ohland of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. Portland and Denver are just two communities that have seen property values rise around rail.
The Neuroscience of Architecture
Recent studies in neuroscience show that the design of the built environment affects the way you feel and your behavior. New brain scan technology is revealing emotional reactions to color choice, rounded corners, and ceiling height.
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.
