North America
Altering Land Use For Healthier Food Access
This article from Smart Growth Online looks at the increasing concentration of fast food restaurants in many cities and the resulting impact on public health, and also offers some advice to communities for using land use strategies to limit the i
Green Buildings Make Kids Smarter, Healthier
A new report released by the American Institute of Architects has found that implementing green building techniques in schools has benefits beyond the environment. Test scores and student health have also been shown to increase.
Fat City: Questioning The Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Obesity
Researchers at the University of Toronto conclude that linking sprawl and obesity is misguided.
Mexico Furious Over Border Fence
President Bush approves plans for a 700km border fence between the United States and Mexico, to the dismay of the Mexican government and immigrant advocates.
Putting The Humanity Back Into Habitats
Grants, contributions, a collaboration with the Institute for Classical Architecture & Classical America, open minds, and tight budgets are helping Habitat for Humanity raise its design standards.
Bruegmann's Soft Spot For Sprawl
Alex Marshall rebuts sprawl arguments posited by Robert Bruegmann's "Sprawl: A Compact History".
News Summary and Analysis - September 2006
As part of monthly series, we present a summary and analysis of some of the most interesting news to appear on Planetizen over the month of September 2006. This is the transcript of an audio segment that originally aired on the nationally syndicated radio program "Smart City".
Causes of Sprawl: A Portrait from Space
Researchers calculate We calculate a 'sprawl index' for all metropolitan areas and then examine the reasons why sprawl differs across space.
U.S. Border Fence Threatens Biological Diversity
The proposed anti-immigration fence between the United States and Mexico could prove disastrous for the region's wildlife and ecosystems, environmentalists warn.
Public Housing Community Offers Model For Regional Centre
Built after the so-called Halifax Explosion 90 years ago, the highly regarded neighborhood that surrounds Canada's first public housing project is filled with gardens, alleyways, parks, shops, schools, and history -- all within walking distance.
Cooling U.S. Economy Good For Canadian Housing Market
Contrary to American housing markets, Canadian housing sales have continued to grow this year.
Universities Green For Many Purposes
Colleges and universities are finding innovative ways to be community leaders in waste reduction, renewable energy and green procurement. But their reasons are not selfless.
Should The Senate Bail-Out Amtrak?
This editorial from The New York Sun argues that a $1.6 billion bail out from the U.S. Senate is not the right way to fix the nation's perpetually struggling passenger rail system. International examples of success should be considered.
Universities Integrate Design Education, Environmental Practices
A look at six programs in the U.S. that are putting environmental principles to practice in education.
Will Deep Water Drilling Prevent The End Of Oil?
The new oil and gas field discovered in the Gulf of Mexico is of epic proportion -- not only in amount of oil (increasing US reserves by 50%), but the technology used to tap it. A new wave of deep water drilling is to be expected.
The Youngest Mayor In America
After the recent death of previous mayor Bob O’Connor, Luke Ravenstahl has found himself to be the youngest mayor of any major city in the Country.
Boise Light Rail: Fantasy or Reality?
Boise's proposal for commuter light-rail chugs along.
Six Achievable Steps To Confront Global Warming
A new report from U.S. PIRG identifies achievable strategies for the United States to reduce global climate impacts by 20 percent.
Avoiding Public Transit Cooties
Entrepreneurs and transit agencies are trying to help riders cope with their fears of germs on trains and buses.
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
