Sprawl
Smog Follows Hungary's Appetite for Sprawl
Sprawl around Budapest has created a major smog problem for the Hungarian capital.
South Parked
James Howard Kuntsler muses on how the end of cheap oil will mean the parallel decline of the suburban sprawl economy of the South and its NASCAR subculture.
A Lonely Fighter Defending Sprawl
Libertarian economist Randal O'Toole has become notorious for defending sprawl in recent years. This article from The Toronto Star wonders if he might have a valid point.
Developed Agricultural Land May Become 'The Next L.A.'
Farmland in Central California's San Joaquin County is replaced with development more than any other county in the state -- a wasteful pattern that could create the "next L.A.", according to a new report.
Is a Sprawling Future on Tap for Melbourne?
The city of Melbourne, Australia, is on track to surpass Sydney as the country's most populated. But the expected population growth may push the city into a sprawling and unsustainable future.
The Bridge to Nowhere, Sprawl, and the Alaska Senate Race
Alaska's "bridge to nowhere" would really be a bridge to sprawl -- and that's why it'll be a crucial issue in the upcoming Senate re-election campaign of 84-year-old Ted Stevens against Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.
Small Town Approaching its Final Days
A proposed development in rural Southern California could erase one of the area's few remaining small towns, replacing it with a massive subdivision that would extend the sprawl of Los Angeles even farther north.
Redirecting Sprawl
Reining sprawl may require "redirecting" it.
An Algorithmic Antidote To Sprawl
How could a new chamber of commerce algorithm drive decisions about employer locations, improve mobility of workers, while reducing pollution accruing from longer daily work trips? The answer is simple, says the chief economist of the Greater Dallas Chamber, Lyssa Jenkens, “You change the data system to deliver information people never got before.”
Smart Growth at the Grassroots, Part 1
Matching Obstacles and Techniques (Part one of two) Creating Smart Growth in our metropolitan areas is generally more complex than conventional auto-oriented development, more expensive, and requires more public involvement and coordination. The strong policies and regional cooperation planners desire to coordinate development have proven politically challenging. Unless planners are able to create systems that overcome these obstacles our efforts to encourage Smart Growth will be stymied. Luckily solutions are available, but they must be as nimble and resourceful as the forces they hope to counter.
Top Ten Reasons...
Over the past three months, my girlfriend and I have made three trips to the suburbs of Miami. Twice to the Whole Foods we desperately lack on Miami Beach (Yes, Wild Oats is okay, but for us food snobs it just does not compare) and once to the brand new, soul-killing, 283,000 square foot IKEA to partially outfit our 450 square foot South Beach studio apartment.
City of the Future: Houston?
Thanks to Planetizen, I found “Opportunity Urbanism,” a report that posits Houston as “an emerging paradigm for the 21st century.” (There's a related op-ed here.) The report, regrettably, is a manifesto as empty as the title -- which Kotkin clearly hopes will become a catchphrase. So why is it important?
Smart Growth, Bad Air
Locating residential development closer to city centers comes with a price: increased exposure to air pollutants.
If You Build It, They Will Come...
The planned expansion of Interstate-5 in San Diego County would finally complete the Southern California metropolis. Los Angeles and Orange Counties became wall-to-wall sprawl development decades ago, erasing all traces of their rural heritage and the scenic outdoors. Northern San Diego County, with its quaint beach towns, is tenuously holding on to the last vestiges of agricultural land and breathable open space. But these areas too are rapidly developing. It is no surprise then that I-5, the only north-south route along the coast, is increasingly traffic clogged. The county’s solution? Invest $1.4 billion to expand the freeway from 8 lanes to 12 or 14 lanes along a 26-mile stretch of the north county coast.
The Fiasco Of Suburbia
Author James Howard Kunstler takes an incisive look at the dilemma of open space conservation as a means of salvaging community.
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
