The Polis Blog presents a huge list of "urban favorites" -- songs, movies, initiatives and places that explain or highlight the best of the world's urban areas.
Dozens of music videos, books, city initiatives, projects and websites are listed in this collection.
"Cities are collections of places within places - at the same time accidental, designed, and constructed through collective action. As 2010 comes to an end, it's a good time to consider the factors that shape urban experience. In this spirit, we present a list of momentary favorites with no requirement that they came about this year. It includes ours as well as those of others sent via comments and e-mails. The results contain insights about the kinds of places, experiences, and initiatives that make great cities.
The questions called for favorite city-related music videos, places, books, movies, designs, and initiatives. We've collected the responses and organized them into the following groups: 1) places as indirect experience, 2) places as direct experience, 3) action and results (including but not limited to art, design, planning, advocacy, and development)."
FULL STORY: A Collection of Urban Favorites
Great Album Covers with Urban Planning Themes
Album covers that evoke urban themes.
Safe for Now, Brooklyn Music Mecca Sees a Cloudy Future
More than 20 percent of New York's smaller music venues have closed in the past 15 years. Although Brooklyn institution Barbes was recently saved by a crowdfunding campaign, its founder is pessimistic about the future of New York's independent arts.
On the Perpetual Crisis of American Cities
A long and ranging article in the New Yorker surveys non-fiction, art, and other manifestations of intellectualism for insight into the plight of the city—to always be cast in some manner of morality tale.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.
Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution
The French city’s air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, coinciding with a growth in cycling.
Why Housing Costs More to Build in California Than in Texas
Hard costs like labor and materials combined with ‘soft’ costs such as permitting make building in the San Francisco Bay Area almost three times as costly as in Texas cities.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
San Diego County experiences a rise in urban coyotes, as sightings become prevalent throughout its urban neighbourhoods and surrounding areas.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Santa Clarita
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