North America
GM's CEO says, "Increase the Gas Tax"
General Motors CEO Dan Akerson told The Detroit News that he wants the gas tax boosted to "nudge" consumers towards more fuel-efficient cars.
Good News for Metro DC, Says Richard Florida
The same economic reports from May (namely, the jobs report and the Home Price Index) that have led to some concern about the direction of the U.S. economy overall, tell a very different story about Wahington DC, according to Richard Florida.
Kotkin Compares California to Iran
Calling California's attempts at environmental responsibility a "green jihad," Joel Kotkin argues that the state's "ideological extremism" has led to illogical economic and political decisions - similar to those made in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Urban Planners as "Zookeepers"
At the National Building Museum's Intelligent Cities Forum, one participant compared creating healthy cities to creating healthy animal environments in zoos.
LaHood and DOT Employees Bike to Work (VIDEO)
This two-minute video features U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood discussing the merits of bicycling and bike friendly places as he and other DOT employees bike to work.
Section 2 of NY's High Line Park Opens
A slideshow from Good Magazine highlights the newly opened section of the popular High Line Park in NYC.
Companies Ditch Suburban Office Parks
Suburban areas were once strongholds of corporate campuses and office parks. But there's a shift underway that's drawing companies back to cities.
The Campsite as Place
This piece from Places delves into the history of the campsite, their use of space, and their role in modern culture.
Guerrilla Gardens Go Legit
"Guerrilla gardening" is a growing movement where urban gardeners tend to vegetables on unused public land. But the allure of the illegal may disappear in Vancouver as city officials declare it legal.
Killer Cities
Urban design is increasingly linked with poor health conditions. Grist's Sarah Goodyear explains how cities are literally killing people.
Jane Jacobs' Complex Legacy
On the occasion of Jane Jacobs' birthday (and the international "Jane's Walks" held in her honor), Stephen Wickens muses on Jane Jacobs' legacy and the ways in which her ideas are used -- and misused -- in an age of superficial mass media.
New Orleans as a Laboratory for Architecture and Urban Planning
An article in The Architect's Newspaper describes post-Katrina redevelopment plans and calls the city a lab for architecture and planning.
What Downtown LA Would Like Without Cars (VIDEO)
Three architecture students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo teamed to make this video which aims to show what an auto-free downtown LA could be.
Urban Mobility, 2025
This post from This Big City looks at how transportation needs to evolve, and some of the ways it could in the near future.
Seattle's Answer to Affordable Housing
Zach Patton details the effects of Seattle's zoning regulation which allows for the construction of "backyard cottages." These cottages, writes the author, are a viable way to increase urban density and provide affordable housing.
A New Way to Listen to Cities
A new website offers a compelling way to understand cities through sound. It combines audio feeds from city police radios with ambient music.
Defending New Urbanism
New Urbanism has been given a bad rap, according to co-founder Andres Duany. In this piece for Metropolis he sets the record straight.
Better Resource Management Helps Cities Go Sustainable
"Integrated resource management" practices could help cities operate more sustainably, according to this piece from Miller-McCune.
Will New Development Make it Better, or Worse?
Development, or no development? Nathan Norris writes that untouched landscapes always rate highly in comparison to development proposals, so it is important to use visual tools that can help quantify the tradeoff and find ways to compensate.
The False Debate Between Cities and Suburbs
The debate over urbanism often pits suburbs against urban areas. But the real debate is about walkable areas versus car-dependent ones, according to Christopher Leinberger.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
