New Jersey
Buy a Burger, Generate Energy
A New Jersey Burger King will soon be a test site for motion energy-generation technology. Drive-thru patrons will depress panels, creating kinetic energy which can be turned into electricity.
The Best Laid Plans for TOD, Stalled
Planners in New Jersey developed ambitious plans for transit-oriented development along their rail corridors, but with the struggling housing market and poor economy, developers aren't showing up or have halted projects in the works.
Transit's Big Dig Begins In Jersey
New Jersey Transit has broken ground on what may be the nation's most costly transit project: a commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River to a new Penn Station Expansion that, to the chagrin of transit advocates, will not connect to Penn Station.
Sprawl Halted in New Jersey
The Morris County Planning Board indicates that no new residential subdivisions of 20 or more lots were received in 2008, which signals the end of large-tract developments.
A TOD Grows in Trenton
At the sixth busiest stop on the busiest train line in the country, developers are realizing the potential for transit-oriented development around the station.
At Long Last, A Park on the Passaic?
A park proposed for Newark's Passaic River waterfront has been an unfulfilled vision for at least a decade. But city officials say the Trust for Public Land will help radically speed up plans for a park.
HUD Homeownership Program Shows Promise
An ambitious HUD program promoting homeownership in troubled neighborhoods is, by some accounts, "one of the more intelligent things HUD has done in its history."
MTA Service Cuts, Block by Block
Regional Plan Association of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut has mapped out the impact of all MTA's service cuts for every State Assembly and Senate district in the region. There's also an interactive Google Map.
The Sun Rises in Atlantic City
Atlantic City's convention center features the largest solar panel array in the United States.
All Aboard New Jersey's Gambling Express!
New Jersey launched a new express train service, ACES, to carry visitors to the bustling Atlantic City casinos from NY Penn Station. The trip will take 2 hrs, 45 minutes. Though there won’t be gambling aboard, each train has two bars.
From Modernist to New Urbanist
A developer in Holmdel, New Jersey sees promise in a building designed by Eero Saarinen to become a pedestrian-friendly town center. 'This place can be a great public realm."
Housing Authority 'Charging for Everything'
The Paterson Housing Authority in New Jersey will soon enact some new rules and fees, including charging $20 for every washer, dryer and large screen plasma television.
What's A Rail Station Without Parking?
The New Jersey Transit's Secaucus commuter rail station is the topic of scorn by a New York Times editorial because it doesn't provide commuter parking - even though it was designed as a 'transfer station'.
NJ Town Bristles at Affordable Housing Requirements
'It stinks,'says Mayor John Hipp of Rutherford, New Jersey, as his town struggles to fulfill its requirements for affordable housing. The planning board has reluctantly agreed to require affordable units in a previously planned redevelopment site.
Sprawl To Blame for Lack of Community Involvement
In central New Jersey, all the signs that usually indicate extensive community involvement are there: affluence, education, and diversity. But in reality, participation levels are low. A new study shows that sprawl may be the culprit.
New Jersey to Lead in Wind Power
By 2020, New Jersey will have tripled its wind energy use.
Eminent Domain: People Don't Like It
Monmouth County residents give their opinion on eminent domain, illustrating the growing concern and awareness of the general public of this tool.
Historic Company Town Called 'New Urbanist'
Roebling, New Jersey is a company town built around a steel wire factory. But founder John A. Roebling had a few ideas about making a community there, as a new museum attests.
Inner-City Suburbs Rebranded as 'Classic Towns'
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for the Philadelphia metropolitan region, has introduced an innovate way of making people aware of the benefits of older, established suburbs: market them.
Beach Access Blocked By Homeowners
A $5 million project on Long Beach Island to restore the eroding beachfront is stymied by homeowners who don't want to allow easements through their property.
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.
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