Wisconsin

Planning Begins for Bus Rapid Transit Route in Milwaukee

A new website and a pair of public meetings kick off the planning process for an East-West bus rapid transit (BRT) route in Milwaukee County.

March 31, 2016 - Urban Milwaukee

Bio Gas Installation Cows

Renewable Biogas Can't Compete with Cheap and Plentiful (Fossil) Natural Gas

Unlike Europe where renewable energy is heavily subsidized, very few biogas projects that convert farm waste to energy using anaerobic digesters are being built in the U.S. State incentives are instrumental due to high capital and maintenance costs.

February 25, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

Wisconsin Considering Local 'Pothole Tax'

Though the governor's office remains staunchly opposed to new taxes, the Wisconsin State Legislature is searching for politically viable ways to fund transportation infrastructure improvements at the local level.

January 12, 2016 - Urban Milwaukee

Lost Our Home

Milwaukee's Push to Move the Homeless From the Streets Into Permanent Housing

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is following a growing trend in cities across the country of working to end chronic homelessness by providing permanent housing to the homeless.

December 14, 2015 - Fusion

Embarcadero

Urban Revitalization Through Highway Teardowns

Alana Semuels, staff writer for The Atlantic, examines highway teardowns beginning with the San Francisco Embarcadero in 1989 to see how they have worked in terms of revitalizing poorer areas or restoring the urban fabric that they destroyed.

November 29, 2015 - The Atlantic

US Highway 53 - Wisconsin

Wisconsin Goes Deeper in the Fiscal Hole to Fix Aging Roads

Wisconsin legislators have voted to continue steep borrowing to pay for needed road repairs, while calls to increase the state’s gas tax grow louder.

November 16, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

Small Town Art

Are Small Towns the Next Arts Districts?

As rising costs expel artists from urban cores, some small towns are positioning themselves as unlikely magnets for creative expression.

November 12, 2015 - Nonprofit Quarterly

Midwest Flags

12 Maps to Explain the Midwest

Aaron Renn scours the Internet to find 12 maps that attempt to do the impossible: define the geographic and cultural expanse known as the American Midwest.

October 30, 2015 - The Urbanophile

Legislators, Newspapers Line Up to Oppose Great Lakes Water Diversion Proposal

A controversial application by the small Wisconsin town of Waukesha would allow treated wastewater to flow the Root River and then into Lake Michigan. The proposal has provoked a far-reaching outcry of opposition.

September 15, 2015 - The Political Environment

A Call for Regional Transit in Southeast Wisconsin

An op-ed argues that regional transportation oversight enable the region surrounding Milwaukee to better attract new business.

July 29, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

The Implications of Southeast Wisconsin's $7 Billion in Freeway Projects

Some people call it a road-building program. Others call it "an all out war on urbanism."

July 22, 2015 - Politico

$250 Million in Public Funding Moving Forward for Milwaukee Bucks Arena

Approval for a $250 million public funding package—split between state, county, and local authorities—is all but assured.

July 21, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

A Garden District Takes Root in Milwaukee

The 13th aldermanic district, located on the southeast side of Milwaukee, is working hard to back up its claim as the city's "Garden District."

June 23, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

Transit Cuts in Wisconsin Making it Harder to Connect People to Jobs

Buses in the Milwaukee County Transit System now reach 1,300 fewer employers than it did in 2001 thanks to state budget cuts.

April 18, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

The NBA's Future in Milwaukee Depends on Stadium Financing

A local alderman makes the case for a one percent sales tax dedicated to providing public funding for a new stadium to house the Milwaukee Bucks.

April 16, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

Planning for Climate Change on the Shores of the Great Lakes

Two academic researchers explain the planning and landscape architecture opportunities offered by the "dramatic fluctuations" and "emergent shorelands" of the Great Lakes Coasts.

March 25, 2015 - Places Journal

I-94 to Expand Out (Not Up) in Milwaukee

Wisconsin state transportation officials have settled on a plan to expand the I-94 freeway in Milwaukee—instead of building a double deck freeway through a cemetery the plan is too widen the freeway without disturbing an human remains.

February 19, 2015 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Drops Gas Tax Hike in Favor of Bond Financing

Walker had supported increasing the gas tax and user fees last November, but now that he's being taken as a serious contender for the Republican nomination for president, he's changed his transportation funding preference to increased bonding.

February 3, 2015 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Riverwalk

Milwaukee Streetcar Debate Stoops to Fear Mongering

Milwaukee Alderman Joe Dudzik's arguments in opposition to a proposed streetcar project have been heard before.

January 28, 2015 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Downtown Cincinnati

60 Years of Midwestern Urban Renewal

Researchers at the Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma prepared a set of images to show the indelible impact of mid-20th century urban renewal on Midwestern cities.

December 18, 2014 - Institute for Quality Communities

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.