The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Oil is now flowing through the southern leg of the controversial Keystone pipeline. The southern pipeline is still the subject of a number of lawsuits, and the northern portion of the pipeline is pending approval from the State Department.

January 23 - Washington Post

BLOG POST

The best solution to many transportation problems is to improve transport system diversity so travelers can choose the best option for each trip. This requires more comprehensive and multi-modal planning. Not everybody is ready.

January 23 - Todd Litman

After a decade of phenomenal growth and transformation, a survey of D.C. residents reveals widespread agreement on neighborhood improvement, but also concern that the changes are only benefiting the city's affluent residents.

January 23 - The Washington Post

The developers of a transit-tracking app have some for exciting news for public officials: There's a way to improve transit rider satisfaction without reducing fares, buying new vehicles or expanding service. Just give your users more information.

January 22 - The Atlantic Cities

The American Planning Association has announced the 18 Excellence Award and 10 Achievement Award winners for 2014. The selections for the Planning Pioneer and Planning Landmark awards are likely to generate some discussion.

January 22 - American Planning Association

Street furniture like benches, garbage cans, and bike racks are found in every city. But not all street furniture is created equal—new technology is redefining street furniture as the smart devices that run efficient cities.

January 22 - Woodhouse

Washington Senator Patty Murray has proposed federal legislation to protect a broad swatch of land adjacent to Olympic National Park as part of the “Wild Olympics” campaign. The legislation is opposed by logging interests.

January 22 - KUOW

In Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, some locals are benefiting from public-space improvements as part of the Eastside Access project. But many nearby streets and sidewalks are sorely neglected.

January 22 - LA Streetsblog

A closer look at the number of Ellis Act evictions indicates that the controversial law that allows property owners to evict rental tenants might be more of a symptom of San Francisco’s housing problem, rather than the problem itself.

January 22 - San Francisco Magazine

A new study reveals two findings on air pollution spewing from China's coal-burning factories. First, the pollution blows to the U.S and other nations. Second, 20% of the pollution can be traced to Western demand for cheap goods from those factories.

January 22 - Los Angeles Times - Science Now

A federal bankruptcy judge’s rejection of a deal between Detroit and its creditors will stall the City’s access to casino funds it needs to restore services and speedily exit bankruptcy. In the big picture, however, the decision may benefit Detroit.

January 22 - Reuters

After peaking in 2007, new research shows that the rate of vehicle ownership in the U.S. took a dive over the next five years. Researchers argue the growth in car-free households suggests the country has surpassed peak motorization.

January 22 - DC.Streetsblog

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently approved a Regional Transportation Priorities Plan that focuses on improving existing systems. A lot of planning remains to decide which projects get built.

January 22 - Washington Post

FEATURE

A new anthology tells the story of Seaside like we've never heard it before–on its own terms.

January 21 - Vinayak Bharne

When residents and business owners in the coastal neighborhood of Venice in Los Angeles want to develop, they require approvals from the state's Coastal Commission and the city. A proposed coastal program could remove the state from the equation.

January 21 - Los Angeles Times

Minneapolis is mired in a debate over the role the automobile should play in the city's mobility mix. Many neighborhoods want to reduce surface parking and ease minimum parking requirements, but people still view the city as “a car town.”

January 21 - Star Tribune

Bucking tradition amidst arguably the most thorough example of sprawl in the country, a Phoenix developer is investing in Grant Park—a Latino neighborhood adjacent to downtown.

January 21 - Marketplace

To meet demand from passengers seeking an alternative to San Diego's small airport, and circumvent the traffic crunch at two nearby border crossings, Tijuana's international airport will provide direct access from the United States.

January 21 - The New York Times

The city of Cleveland recently announced plans to more than double its amount of bike routes in an effort to complete a network of bicycle-friendly infrastructure that connects all of the city’s neighborhoods.

January 21 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Although it’s already been dealt one parliamentary setback, the “Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill” is still under consideration in the U.K. Critics are concerned that, if the law passes, there will be no true public space left.

January 21 - The Architectural Review