The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Fortunately, there were no injuries in the restored, downtown waterfront district in this city of 71,000. Fifteen cars derailed; three exploded into a six-story-high fireball. Oil spilled into the James River, threatening downstream water supplies.

May 2 - Los Angeles Times

Parts of the East Coast got hit this week by rain and floods in what must certainly be cosmic salt in the wound of a long and intense winter. Luckily for our moods, one local news broadcast caught one biker rising above the wet conditions.

May 2 - Gawker

Andy Freleng recently answered a series of questions about life on Long Island, and its future, from his perspective as chief planner of Suffolk County.

May 1 - The Foggiest Idea

During the American Planning Association's (APA) 2014 National Planning Conference in Atlanta, the APA announced findings from a national opinion survey that shows a clear interest in place-making among the concerns of Americans of all ages.

May 1 - American Planning Association

Calling the property tax, "probably the most controversial tax in the United States," the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence have released the "50-State Property Tax Comparison Study" for 2013.

May 1 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

To deal with its high pollution levels, which rank worse than the EU average, Madrid will implement a new parking fee system that charges more for the most polluting cars. Electric cars will park for free.

May 1 - The Guardian

The California Legislative Analyst's Office released a report, "Film and Television Production: Overview of Motion Picture Industry and State Tax Credits," which recommends caution by lawmakers considering an extension of the state's tax credit.

May 1 - California Legislative Analyst's Office

An investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer finds that Philadelphia is owed $423 million in "nuisance liens" or unpaid bills for the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections. The city has only collected $15.6 million in owed liens since 2009.

May 1 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Drawing heavily on comparisons to the booms and busts of American cities, a writer describes the perfectly-preserved, abandoned, virtual cities of the popular online game World of Warcraft.

May 1 - AV Club

BLOG POST

Every year we analyze all of the tweets from the APA Conference and tell you about the trends in planning. With more than 1,000 people tweeting from the APA Conference, there is a lot of great ideas, links, and blogs that we can all learn from.

May 1 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Money, not trust, is the driving force behind the willingness of so many people to open their doors to the sharing economy, according to one writer.

May 1 - New York Magazine

Although its unclear just how much influence the Department of Transportation's surface transportation authorization bill, called GROW AMERICA, will have (if any at all), the bill makes apparent a sea change with regard to tolling of the interstates.

May 1 - Washington Post

In a huge and perhaps unexpected win for the EPA, the Supreme Court on April 29 reversed an appellate court panel ruling that had rejected their attempt to regulate interstate air pollution caused by about 1,000 coal-fired power plants in 28 states.

May 1 - The Wall Street Journal - Politics and Policy

Using a metric called "regional price parity," the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that urban areas are the most expensive places in the country. Honolulu, Hawaii rates as the most expensive metro area in the country.

April 30 - Vox

New York City's population of older adults is growing quickly—by 2030, 300,000 more residents over the age of 65 will live in NYC than its current population of one million. But providing adequate housing for older residents is not yet a priority.

April 30 - New York Times

A study released in 2013 ranked Sat Lake City fifth in upward mobility, but critics say that the study reflected an earlier era. Now with changing demographics, the Salt Lake is redoubling efforts to maintain opportunities for all of its citizens.

April 30 - National Journal

FEATURE

Be Prepared! It's more than a motto: it's how we must respond to continuing large-scale natural disasters.

April 30 - Edward J. Blakely

The APA has announced the election of the next president of the national organization—Carol Rhea, FAICP.

April 30 - American Planning Association

Starting in 2015, seven of the nine seats on the Seattle City Council will be elected by district. The new system has inspired some to rethink the city's neighborhood district council system.

April 30 - Crosscut.com

The word “ecology” has been co-opted so widely that it has lost real meaning, yet ecological thinking remains a powerful lens for understanding complex adaptive systems. A new book aims for a more rigorous engagement of ecology and design.

April 30 - Places Journal