The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
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New Research: Are Women Empowered by New Urbanism?
Charlotte Fagan and Dan Trudeau (Mcalester college) study two New Urbanist neighborhoods in Minneapolis to understand the ways in which New Urbanism impacts the empowerment of women.
The Perils of Whimsy: Bookshelf Reveals Community Dysfunction
A small town in Kansas exposed itself to ridicule not so long ago with their crack-down on a Little Free Library. Their problem goes a good bit deeper than clunky enforcement.
The Structural Details of Brooklyn's New Modular High Rise
Modular construction is still in its infancy, but a building set for completion later this year at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn is taking the building practice to new heights.
University of Miami Sells Endangered Forest Land to Developer with Strip Mall Plans
Despite its commitment to protect forests in South Florida, the University of Miami sold 88 acres of endangered pine rockland to a developer with plans for a Walmart, an LA Fitness Center, and a Chik-fil-A, among other non-endangered retail uses.
College Town Proposes Median Barriers as Solution to Pedestrian Deaths
State transportation officials, the president of the University of Maryland, and a local city councilmember agree: a barrier on the median of Route 1 in College Park is the way to curtail a tragic rash of pedestrian deaths on the corridor.
Richmond, California Moves Ahead with $1 Billion Refinery Expansion Project
After a two day hearing late last week, the Richmond Planning Commission approved a contentious $1 billion plan to expand a Chevron refinery located in the city. The plan still requires city council approval.
Op-Ed: Comprehensive Plan Needed to Replace Dallas' Aging Traffic Lights
An editorial calls for a comprehensive plan to address Dallas' growing need to overhaul its streetlights—80 percent of which are now older than their recommended 25-year life span.
In Progress: London's 'Pedestrian Safety Action Plan'
Like cities in the United States—most notably, New York City—London is working to improve walkability while reducing pedestrian fatalities. The policy that will direct London in these efforts, the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, is still taking shape.
Study Finds Evidence of 'Nationwide Gentrification'
A new study finds that economic inequality is a national problem, evidenced by the access of college educated residents to quality of life indicators in cities all over the country—not just San Francisco, New York, and Boston.
Portland Shows How to Create More Downtown Parking (Without Building Any)
Dynamic pricing is not the only route to increasing parking availability. Better management of disabled placards at metered spaces may be an easier and more effective strategy. Implemented on July 1, Portland's policy is showing dramatic results.
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More Great Research Quantifying Smart Growth Benefits
New research can help planners understand how specific decisions will affect transport activity (how and how much people travel), and their ultimate economic, social, and environmental impacts.
Ready and Waiting: New Law Makes Light Rail Possible in the San Fernando Valley
In another example of Los Angeles slowly unraveling itself from prior legislation that hinder its transit goals, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that will allow light rail construction in the San Fernando Valley.
State, Local Governments Clash over Highway Planning
A clash between transportation planning mentalities is playing out in Milwaukee over a proposed highway expansion—on one side the car-centric concerns of the state; on the other, the placemaking concerns of the city.
Mayors Drop Cap and Trade from New Climate Agreement
The U.S. Conference of Mayors signed a voluntary agreement to reduce carbon emissions in their respective cities, as they did ten years ago, but dropped the provision that they lobby Congress to pass a cap and trade bill to reduce emissions.
Palo Alto Exploring 'Net Zero' Vehicle Trip Restriction for Commercial Developments
Palo Alto, one of the suburban cities at the center of the Silicon Valley tech boom, is considering a Comprehensive Plan Update. On the table for the Planning and Transportation Commission: a "net-zero" restriction for new vehicle trips.
Fences Make Bad Neighbors in Hamden, Connecticut
The ugly story of the fence between a public housing community called New Haven and the nearby "middle class" community of Hamden, Connecticut will soon be over, but not because Hamden suddenly gained enlightenment.
Surveying Innovative Bike Parking Solutions
Writing for Woodhouse, Mike Clay leads a worldwide tour of the most innovative bike parking technologies and facilities.
Bakken Oil Boom Straining Rural Communities
Joe Eaton reports from Bainville, Montana, which is suffering the effects of the Bakken oil boom, although the majority of the Bakken wells, and its corresponding tax revenue, are in North Dakota.
Portland Businesses Advocate for Road Diet
Angie Schmitt covers Bike Portland's article on store owners teaming up to bring road diet as a means to improve business.
Congress Progressing with Stopgap Transportation Funding Bill
Patch bills advanced in the Senate and the House on Thursday that would keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through May 2015—good news for state DOTs that will see reduced federal reimbursements on August 1 unless a funding bill is passed soon.
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