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Urban Planning
PennPraxis Design Fellows take on the real world with design solutions
PennPraxis Design Fellows take on the real world with design solutions
PennPraxis has expanded the scope of experience for graduate students since its founding in 2001, and now 80 Design Fellows are involved in ambitious interdisciplinary design projects.
Reflections on public spaces in the age of COVID, protest
Reflections on public spaces in the age of COVID, protest
Ken Lum and Paul Farber of the Weitzman School of Design remark on how the public might perceive public spaces and art differently in the time of COVID-19 and protests.
‘Expanding what it means to be a class’
‘Expanding what it means to be a class’
Allison Lassiter, Randall Mason, Michael Luegering, Joshua Mosley, Richard Farley, and Michael Henry had to work quickly and creatively to shift their classes from a hands-on learning experience to a virtual one.
Cities and contagion: Lessons from COVID-19
Cities and contagion: Lessons from COVID-19
Penn IUR’s inaugural Cities and Contagion: Lessons from COVID-19 initiative brings together experts who can help interpret the pandemic’s implications for urbanization.
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
In a Q&A, criminologist John MacDonald discusses his new book, grounded in years of research on the positive effects of remediation like fixing up abandoned lots and houses.
Wading into Philly’s vacant land morass
Wading into Philly’s vacant land morass
Four students in the Weitzman School’s Department of City and Regional Planning are working to find suitable properties to rehabilitate with the Women’s Community Revitalization Project and the City of Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development.
Public scooters may soon zip through Philadelphia
Public scooters may soon zip through Philadelphia
The School of Design’s Megan Ryerson assisted with the city’s debate over the scooter as a safe and viable transportation alternative, as Pennsylvania assesses a bill to legalize electric scooters on public streets.
The future of urban waters
The future of urban waters
Students and faculty of the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities’ Liquid Histories course study the impact of rising sea levels from the banks of Philadelphia and Mumbai.
From urban renewal to today, tracking the struggles of America’s cities
From urban renewal to today, tracking the struggles of America’s cities
Equipped with SEPTA Key cards, Brent Cebul’s students are taking a deep dive into Philadelphia’s history, looking into the past and present challenges facing cities.
A plan to balance growth, quality housing, poverty, and construction for an entire city
A plan to balance growth, quality housing, poverty, and construction for an entire city
PennDesign’s Vincent Reina helped Philadelphia complete its first comprehensive housing plan.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Decoding Trump’s climate priorities—or lack thereof
In an opinion essay, Sanya Carley of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design examines the implications and possibilities of Donald Trump’s energy and climate agenda.
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Dwell
Why do we keep developing in climate disaster zones?
Jessica Varner of the Weitzman School of Design says that the federal buyout timeline for homes destroyed by natural disasters opens the door to predatory buyers. William “Billy” Fleming of Weitzman says that adaptation requires various types of interventions that deal with the urgent effects of climate change.
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NextCity.org
What happened to crash rates when one state legalized speed cameras?
A study by Erick Guerra of the Weitzman School of Design and colleagues suggests that speed cameras lead to a substantial and statistically significant reduction in fatalities and crashes.
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NPR
Why the U.S. government is spending $7 billion on solar for low-income homes
Sanya Carley of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that the Solar for All program could have an impact far beyond its projected 900,000 low-income households.
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Axios
Study offers ideas to help Nashville music venues
A study by PennPraxis at the Weitzman School of Design offers solutions for preserving music venues in Nashville.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly traffic citations have plunged since the 1990s. Police say they want to issue many more
Erick Guerra of the Weitzman School of Design says that stay-at-home orders during the pandemic largely cleared streets and sidewalks, causing the remaining drivers to accelerate on once-congested roadways.
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