Streets
'Death Wish' and the Life of Great American Cities
City streets need only few things to make them safe, according to the famous urbanist Jane Jacobs. She says safe streets need people walking around, places for them to go, things for them to do and other people for them to interact with. Simple as that. But Jane forgot one more thing: a sock full of quarters.
Neighbors Oppose Possible Street Sale in New York
One of New York City's smallest and least-known streets is attracting the eyes of private developers, and the city seems keen to sell. But neighbors say the tiny street is worth preserving.
Cities Seek To Reclaim Streets
American cities are increasingly making moves to reclaim their streets. In this column, Neal Peirce looks into the trend.
Friday Funny: Developers Bad at Naming Streets
Developers often see naming streets as their way of making a mark, naming streets after daughters, alma maters, or the family dog. But they often find themselves tangled up in regulations and the limits of their own creativity.
Manhole Theft Plagues Philadelphia
The rising value of iron and steel has prompted thieves to steal an alarming amount of manhole covers from Philadelphia's streets.
A Car-Free Avenue Grows in Brooklyn
New York City's car-free "Summer Streets" events are proving to be popular. A three-and-a-half minute video offers a look at Saturday's Williamsburg Walks event on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.
New Orleans Streets Updated
This story from NPR looks at a new bike lane in New Orleans, and other efforts the city is taking to update its street infrastructure.
Streets May Become Temporary Recreational Spaces in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is considering a plan to temporarily close down certain streets to car traffic, creating public space for pedestrians -- similar to the successful Ciclovia that takes place weekly in Bogota, Colombia.
German City a Model for 'Sane Transportation'
The German city of Bremen has lessons to teach North American cities about sustainable transportation, according to this article from The Toronto Star.
The New Street Thinking
Though congestion pricing was shot down, New Yorkers are thinking about new ways to experience and use their streets.
Why Liability Concerns Should Not Prevent Pedestrian-Friendly Streets
American commercial streets are often designed almost exclusively for cars; streets are often as many as eight or ten lanes wide, lengthening pedestrian trips and encouraging motorists to drive at speeds unsafe for pedestrians.
Best Ideas of the Week
Another week has passed, and some more exciting and interesting ideas have taken root in the world of urban planning.
Greening Streets
This piece from The Tyee offers ideas about how to recreate streets into lively public green spaces.
Best Ideas of the Week
We all know there's a lot of planning going on around the world. Much of it is poor, short-sighted and generally just no good. But there are also some really great ideas being developed and adopted, and they should be considered by cities and communities all over the world as instructive examples of good planning. Here are what I think are some of the best ideas in urban planning from the last week.
Miami Parks Plan Looks Beyond Parks
Officials in Miami-Dade County have just released their parks master plan, an ambitious proposal that looks to go beyond creating park space by redefining the region's public realm.
D.C.'s Green Parking Reform Takes Root
Washington D.C. has begun to make key green parking reforms that will plow parking revenue into neighborhood bicycling and walking improvements.
The Urban Nightmare Of Le Corbusier
The machine-city envisioned by Le Corbusier, and made into practice in decades of modernist bureaucracy, has ultimately produced, according to Simon Richards' essay, an antisocial environment, against which urban planning seems to be now reacting.
The Persistence of Bad Ideas, Part 1: The Devil Strip
(Prefatory musing: As the title implies, this is Part 1 in a series. I haven't yet mapped out any of the other parts, but considering the boundless errata that clutter American cities, I anticipate little trouble finding objectionables to raise my ire next time my monthly deadline approaches. I welcome my fellow Interchangers to follow suit.)
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
