Massachusetts
Boston Area Cities Receive Smart Growth Funding
Each of the cities just north of Boston will use its federal funds however it sees fit to boost smart growth principles and local economic development.
Five Moves to Fix Boston's Housing Problem
In this post, John Keith suggests five methods to help Boston be more affordable to live in, including striking out the city's affordable housing program altogether.
Innovative Public/Private Model to Revitalize a Downtown
Quincy, Massachusetts is planning to clear out 50 acres of its city center and build $1.3 billion in retail shops, offices, parking garages and more, plus $300m in new infrastructure. A new financial model is making it possible.
New MIT Data Analysis Tool Aims To Rationalize Planning
Andres Sevstuk, lecturer at MIT and head of the City Form Research Group describes how the new Urban Network Analysis toolbox is "taking a much more rigorous approach to look at the work of urban design."
Boston Bike Share Program Surpasses Expectations in Early Success
Boston's bike share program Hubway has attracted 2,319 annual subscribers and had 36,612 station-to-station trips after one month of being open, reportst Erick Moskowitz for The Boston Globe.
The Many Faces of Exurbia
While the South is king when it comes to exurbs (low density, with workers who mostly commute to an urban area), the exurban experience has many faces, including small town New England.
All That Glitters in Provincetown, Mass.
With same-sex couples coming out in record-breaking number on the 2010 Census, West Hollywood and San Francisco are dethroned as the meccas of gay cities - at least for those who chose to settle down.
Last in the Walkability Ratings
Franklin, Massachusetts tied for last place in WalkScore's ranking of walkability in the state. Taryn Plumb says the city isn't taking the ranking in stride.
New MIT Data Analysis Tool Aims To Rationalize Planning
Andres Sevstuk, lecturer at MIT and head of the City Form Research Group describes how the new Urban Network Analysis Toolbox is, "taking a much more rigorous approach to look at the work of urban design."
Boston's Transit Achieves New Balance with Bike-Sharing Program
Mayor Thomas Menino declared that "the car is no longer king in Boston" as the Hubway bike-sharing system made its debut this week, putting the city abreast with Washington D.C.
A More Entertaining Transit Hub
In an effort to improve the visitor experience and boost business, operators of a busy transit hub in Boston are bringing in performers and various activities to entertain people waiting and convince others to linger longer.
MIT Develops New Fuel, Dubbed "Cambridge Crude"
A post at The Polis Blog asks the question, "how might Cambridge Crude change cities?"
New Electric Fuel Behaves Like Gasoline
Researchers at MIT have developed a radical new approach to electric vehicles: a liquid fuel carrying electrically-charged particles that could refuel cars just like gasoline.
If A Park is Beautiful But No One Uses It, Is it Still A Park?
Robert Campbell keeps hoping that the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway (the park built over the Big Dig site) will attract visitors. But even as it gets more beautiful, it still fails in terms of usage.
A Parking Lot is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Smart growth proponents are fighting a New Jersey transit agency plan that would lease out dozens of parking facilities to private operators for 30 to 50 years.
Bulldozing Quincy, Mass - and Building it Back Up
Most cities don't get the chance to start from scratch. But Quincy, Mass. plans to raze most of its 50-acre center and build it anew with the aid of a private developer's upfront funding - a plan that may rewrite the rules of urban development.
Preservation Challenges on Peddocks Island
At the 210-acre Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor Island State Park, two different visions prevail over preserving -- or destroying -- the 26 historic buildings on the island.
Rise of the Ethnoburbs
Timothy Egan describes growing American ethnoburbs, or "entire cities" (or suburbs) "dominated by a nonwhite ethnic group," and their implications for politics and power.
Cities To Lead The Economic Recovery
Innovation Districts are helping metropolitan areas around the country lead the way toward economic recovery.
Pagination
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
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