The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
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.
Train to Run on Sunshine?
An Arizona company is proposing a solar-powered elevated train running between Tucson and Phoenix.
BART Planning Huge Investment in New Cars
BART is set to embark on a $3.4 billion project to replace its existing trains with 700 new cars that will carry more people, move passengers through stations faster, and meet the needs of suburban and urban riders.
FEMA Trailer Foreclosures
FEMA has sent eviction notices to thousands of people in emergency trailers in New Orleans. The temporary shelter was designed to house homeowners while their homes were repaired, but many remain unfinished.
D.C. Considers Retail in Train Stations
Washington D.C. transit officials are planning to allow retail vendors to set up shop in some of the city's train stations. Proponents say the move could aid security by putting more "eyes" on the system.
Obama's High Speed Rail Plans
Neal Peirce looks at President Barack Obama's ambitious plans for high speed rail and the significant obstacles that stand in its way.
Reviving the Rust Belt
<em>Smart City</em> talks with grass roots and civic leaders about how to revitalize flagging Rust Belt economies.
Cities Call Sustainability a Top Priority
Five out of every six major U.S. cities claims sustainability is one of its top priorities.
10-Cent Gas Tax Needed for Dallas-Fort Worth Transit
It would take at least an additional 10-cent tax on gasoline to fund transit and transportation projects in metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth, according to city officials who want to ask voters to allow the increases.
Dukakis (Hearts) Rail
'Dukakis is a rail man,' says Alex Marshall, after the man speak on his history with Amtrak and promoting and building rail in Boston. The cure to our transit woes, according to Dukakis, is competence.
1/3rd of U.S. Freeways in 'Poor or Mediocre' Condition
A report released today by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) details the deteriorating state of American interstates and highways, and how much it's costing us.
Working With Local Business to Take the Poo Out of Parks
Frustrated with dog poop in his neighborhood park, a Denver resident has initiated a program that places locally-sponsored poop bagging and disposal kiosks in parks throughout the city.
Washington, Stop Promoting Homeownership
Steven Malanga looks back at a century of efforts by Washington to promote homeownership, which he says 'has produced one calamity after another.'
High-Speed Rail Means Real Estate Boom
Peter Gertler of HNTB says that the Obama administration's high-speed rail investments will attract new development around stations.
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.
