Urban Planning
Basics
16 Cities That Are Leading the Way in the Climate Change Fight
Long before Congress started to take the threat of climate change seriously, American mayors were already recognizing the need to decrease fossil-fuel consumption, promote efficiency, and generally create more livable places.
October 20, 2009
White House Urban Affairs Chief: Promising Words But Little Hint of a Plan
Adolfo Carrion Jr., director of the White House's new Office of Urban Affairs, today vowed to begin reconnecting Washington with the needs of the nation's cities -- even as he offered few tangible plans for breaking through the morass of the federal bureaucracy and effecting change in the near term.
October 6, 2009
Planetizen Unveils Its Top 100 Urban Thinkers
She may be experiencing an intellectual reconsideration in some corners, but Jane Jacobs is still a beloved figure for the urban planners and designers of Planetizen.
September 14, 2009
Biden on Stimulus Aid to Cities: ‘We’re Trying … It’s Imperfect’
Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged today that the White House's economic recovery push has created stumbling blocks for cities hoping to take advantage of the stimulus, but he defended the administration's efforts to take a more holistic view of transportation, housing, and other urban concerns.
September 3, 2009
Senators Propose $4 Billion for Transit-Oriented Development Grants
Making good on a vow first reported in Streetsblog Capitol Hill, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and three colleagues today offered a bill authorizing $4 billion in grants to help states and cities pursue transit-oriented development, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and other green transport projects.
August 6, 2009
How — and When — Can D.C. Help Local Transport Reform Happen?
In a new op-ed for Citiwire, former Indianapolis mayor and GOP member of Congress Bill Hudnut suggests six ways that Washington can train the nation's 350-plus metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) into tools for smart and environmentally sound transportation policymaking.
August 3, 2009
A Suggestion for Today’s ‘Beer Summit’
It's become the pint heard 'round the world, thanks to the fascinated mainstream media -- and in a few hours, President Obama will finally sit down for a beer with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who arrested Gates in his own home two weeks ago.
July 30, 2009
Meridian, Mississippi: What Trains Can Do for a City
When President Obama announced his plan for a national high-speed rail network earlier this year, one of the people invited to attend was the Republican mayor of a city you've most likely never heard of -- Meridian, Mississippi. And one of the rail routes, running from Atlanta to New Orleans, went right through Meridian.
June 3, 2009
Use the Stimulus Bill to Complete Our Nation’s Streets
One of the most encouraging moments in last week's PBS NOW documentary about Charlotte, NC came when Mayor Pat McCrory pointed out the importance of "complete streets" to the success of the city's new light rail system. "Transit alone doesn't transform neighborhoods," said McCrory. "The key is how you connect those neighborhoods to the train stations, with well-planned sidewalks that create a walkable community."
February 19, 2009
The Case for Active Transportation, by the Numbers
Thanks to commenter Stephen for prodding us to post on the new report from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, "Active Transportation for America" (download the PDF here).
October 24, 2008