Infrastructure

Phoenix Wants to Triple its Light Rail Mileage

Hot on the heals of studies about residents ditching their cars and a new complete streets ordinance, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is setting lofty goals for new transit capacity.

August 15, 2014 - AZ Central

'Midway' Plan to Transform Cleveland's Old Streetcar Routes to Bike Paths

A coalition of bike advocates and planners have proposed what would be one of the country's most ambitious bike infrastructure projects: transforming the former rights-of-way of Cleveland's street car system into protected bikeways.

August 15, 2014 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Mystery Solved: White Flags on the Brooklyn Bridge a Celebration of Public Space

Back in July, white flags appeared atop the Brooklyn Bridge, sparking speculation about the meaning of the gesture. Was it about gentrification? Was it a warning of a forthcoming act of terrorism?

August 15, 2014 - New York Times

Testing the Many Aspects of Waterfront Resilience—In New York City

Principals from the Rebuild by Design competition, focusing on Red Hook in Brooklyn and Hunts Point in the South Bronx, discussed their designs and philosophies regarding New York City's resilience at the Center for Architecture.

August 14, 2014 - ASLA The Dirt

Permeable Pavement

Downtown Berkeley Getting the Permeable Pavement Treatment

The city of Berkeley is undergoing a pilot installation of permeable pavement for a road calming project by Berkeley High School. The pilot has better storm water drainage, a smaller carbon footprint, and less maintenance than traditional asphalt.

August 13, 2014 - Berkeleyside

The Solution to Overloaded Water Infrastructure? Urban Conservation

Cities and suburbs face billions of dollars in investments and repairs to comply with Clean Water Act standards. The NRDC outlines some of the urban water conservation methods municipalities can take to reduce stress on these infrastructure systems.

August 13, 2014 - The Natural Resources Defense Council

Downtown Denver

Millennial Fever: Taking Stock of Denver Placemaking

Denver's investments in placemaking—guided by the city's great appeal to Millennials—are a mixed bag of hits, misses, and open questions.

August 12, 2014 - Dean Saitta

Bus Stop

Baltimore Bus Stop Design Leaves No Doubt

Part street furniture, part advertisement for public transit, part public art—the designers of a new bus stop installation in Baltimore call it "an obvious bus stop."

August 11, 2014 - Slate

The Sunny Places that Prohibit Solar Power

An examination of the challenges facing the solar industry in Southeastern states, like Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida, where utilities and governments have largely blocked residents and businesses from tapping their solar resources.

August 11, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

What's Next for Missouri After Voters Reject Sales Tax Measure?

In the wake of the decisive rejection of a ballot measure on August 5 to raise the state sales tax by .75% for a package of transportation improvements, how will the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) meet the state's transportation needs?

August 8, 2014 - KMOX

The Role Infrastructure Employment Plays Throughout The United States

Brookings illuminates which states rely heaviest on infrastructure for employment as local policymakers are struggling with reliable federal funding throughout the peak of construction season.

August 8, 2014 - Brookings Institute

Elfreth's Alley

Revisiting the Common Sense Elements of City Life

Chuck Wolfe revisits five instances of how we can learn from the urbanism we already have.

August 8, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Tucson Streecar

Place-Based Development and Streetcar Transforming Downtown Tucson

Restaurants, retail, offices, and adobe homes pop-up in and around the long-suffering downtown damaged by urban renewal.

August 6, 2014 - Better Cities & Towns

Exercise in Futility: Pressing the Button to Cross the Street

An article in the Dallas News find the devil is in the details: namely, the difficulty in maintaining the little things that make a multi-modal street work—like the little push buttons (some call them "beg buttons") at crosswalks.

August 6, 2014 - Dallas News

Two Transportation Measures Soundly Rejected in Missouri

With 100% of precincts reporting on Tuesday evening, Amendment 7, a .75 percent statewide sales tax measure funding a package of transportation improvements, was rejected by 59% of voters. Kansas City voters snubbed a measure to expand the streetcar.

August 6, 2014 - Fox2Now

New Applications for 3D Printing: Sanitation and Shelter

Called by some the "third industrial revolution," what are some of the opportunities and costs of applying 3D printing to issues facing the developing world, and more importantly, emergency housing?

August 6, 2014 - The Guardian

Pedestrian Safety Suffers in Low-Income Areas

Focusing on street safety conditions in Miami as a case study of larger findings, a Governing magazine analysis finds that pedestrians are much more likely to be killed by cars in impoverished neighborhoods.

August 5, 2014 - Governing

New York City's Crowdsourced Street Safety Map

As part of the Vision Zero initiative for traffic safety, the city has hosted a map system that allowed citizens to report safety issues encountered on the street. With the reporting period now over, you can still peruse the findings of the exercise.

August 5, 2014 - StreetsBlog NYC

FLV California train

California High Speed Rail: Federal Aid Not Required

That was the message from Gov. Jerry Brown after a state appeals court unlocked a lower court's hold on $9.95 billion of state bond funds for the $68 billion project. He exchanged words with HSR opponent House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

August 5, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

A Call for New York City to Put Skin in the Bike Share Game

Despite the recent deal that will bring a large capital infusion and expansion of the Citi Bike system in New York City, Sarah Goodyear sees a program on the brink. Can the city help ensure its success?

August 5, 2014 - Next City

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.