Social / Demographics
Mapping Location Information from Flickr and Twitter
Programmer and designer Eric Fischer has created a series of images that map the location of geo-coded images on Flickr and places where people are using Twitter.
Public Parks Online
As the desire for wireless internet increases, some public parks are finding that Wi-Fi networks are becoming a new and important amenity.
Separated Bike Lanes Will Get More Women on Bikes
Proportionally more women bike on New York City streets with protected bike lanes than not at all, and turning a painted lane into a protected one caused female ridership to soar.
Worst-Dressed U.S. Cities
Sprawl is so last season. GQ ranks the "most sartorially-challenged metropolises in the greater United States" based solely on the five-letter S-word rarely mentioned in planning: Style.
Land Art's Expired Lease Raises Questions
A recent bid to lease the land that houses Spiral Jetty, the iconic piece of landscape art by Robert Smithson, has raised questions about whether art on land can be owned and where the line between the two should lie.
McMansion No More
2010 Census offers telling evidence of America's shifting demographics. Diana Olick of CNBC contextualizes the new U.S. household data in terms of real estate development.
Richard Florida Explains "The Geography of How We Get to Work"
In a piece from The Atlantic Richard Florida discusses the factors that shape Americans' commuting patterns. Some of his assertions are counter to commonly accepted explanations for commuting behaviors.
Jobs Up in Rural Areas
With unemployment numbers falling, jobs are on the rise in some rural parts of the country.
Federal Officals to Aid Recovery in Six Problematic U.S. Cities
Federal officials are being sent to work in six cities including Detroit, Cleveland and New Orleans to help coordinate local officials to "tap federal funds and leverage local and regional resources," The Wall Street Journal's Sharon Terlep reports.
Sprawl On: Suburbs Top the Hierarchy of Healthy Places
A new finding by Univ. of Wisconsin Population Health Institute reveals that when the health variable is isolated, suburban living beats living in the city and in rural areas.
The New Way to Play
New playground designs are shaking up public parks around the world. So long, slides, hello interpretive playscapes.
Making Cities Smarter By Making Urban Data Digestible
Making urban data available is important, but not as important as presenting that data in a digestible way, according to this piece from Change Observer.
The Best Failed Utopias
Utopian developments often fail. This post from The Awl ranks the best and most desirable of the failed utopias throughout history.
Easy Zoning and Emergent Urbanism
The emergent urbanism of informal settlements has posed problems to governments in the Third World, and some are looking to address equality issues by issuing land titles. But one approach skips the titles and focuses on simple zoning.
Cities On Video
This post from The Urbanophile highlights some of the best videos focused on cities.
Against the Olympic 'Regeneration Culture' in London
In a new book, author Iain Sinclair argues against the Olympic redevelopment of London's East End, and argues that the legacy goals its planners are pushing largely already exist.
Detroit's Angel Foundation Reconsiders Support
The well-heeled foundation that's been pumping money into civic projects in Detroit is now reconsidering the role it's playing and how much it wants to contribute.
Urbanist Heavyweights Compare European and US Planning
Leading urban thinkers weigh-in on a debate of the merits of European and US approaches to urban planning, with a specific focus on the place of automobiles in cities. Ed Glaeser, Ellen Dunham-Jones, and Sam Staley are among the contributors.
Discrimination Case Over Katrina Housing Settled
A discrimination lawsuit filed against the federal government and the state of Louisiana was settled this week in favor of homeowners who claimed that the way funds were distributed was biased against the poor.
Cities and Suburbs Converge into New Economic Generators
As the downturn in the market physically reshapes the metropolitan regions of the United States, the shifting populations and economies of its cities and suburban areas are becoming increasingly intertwined.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
