The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Successor to Sadik-Khan Announced

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has announced that Polly Trottenberg, the third-ranking official at the US Department of Transportation, will become the next Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation. She's got big shoes to fill.

January 1 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

The Dangers of Drunk Riding

In the wee hours of tomorrow morning, many partiers will turn to public transit to get home after a night of New Year's revelry. But beware, there is such a thing as being too drunk to ride the rails, warns D.C.'s Metro system.

December 31 - The Washington Post

2013: A Train Wreck Year for Toronto

Christopher Hume reflects on Toronto’s year of natural, political and transit catastrophes.

December 31 - The Toronto Star

BLOG POST

The Creation of a "Drive to Qualify" World

The cost of intown housing makes suburbia fiscally tempting- but this is in part the result of deliberate policy choices by government.

December 31 - Michael Lewyn

San Francisco Explores Several Ways to Relieve Housing Pressure

Building on public lands and tweaking the city's inclusionary housing program are just two of the options being considered by San Francisco leaders and housing advocates to help alleviate the city's growing affordability crisis.

December 31 - San Francisco Examiner


BLOG POST

Those Who Inspired Me Most In 2013

A look back at the special people who inspired me (and perhaps you, too) the most in 2013.

December 31 - Norman Wright

Top 10 City Scandals of 2013

As we bid farewell to 2013, here are the Top 10 scandals that cast a negative light on some global cities this past year.

December 31 - Future Cities


U.S. Population Growth Slows to Lowest Rate in Seven Decades

New data released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the country's population grew by only 2.3 million residents last year. Growth was strongest in the South and West, but North Dakota and D.C. saw the biggest percentage gains.

December 31 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

Planetizen's Most Popular Pieces of 2013

We're looking forward to another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013.

December 30 - Jonathan Nettler

BLOG POST

Scientific Proof That Cars and Cities Just Don't Mix

A fascinating new study found that drivers perceive exactly the same things more negatively than those who walk, bike, or take transit. These findings have a few interesting implications.

December 30 - Shane Phillips

Washington Post Endorses Blumenauer's Gas Tax Hike and Mileage Fee Study Bills

The Washington Post editorial pulled no punches. The Highway Trust Fund must be fully funded, meaning that gas taxes must increase in the short term. Furthermore, a transition to a road usage fee is needed, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer's 2 bills do both.

December 30 - The Washington Post - Editorial

Could a Car-Share Vending Machine Put a Dent in Private Car Ownership?

A start-up tech company and electric car maker have teamed up to develop a radical car-sharing experiment. Observers are excited about the project's potential to attract urban drivers and improve notoriously poor air quality across China.

December 30 - Forbes

Peak Sprawl Shrinks Home Sizes in Southern California

In contrast to much of the United States, where home sizes are growing again following the recession, developers in Southern California are increasingly building attached homes - reversing the region's history of single-family sprawl.

December 30 - The Wall Street Journal

NYC Will Pursue Place-Based Approach to Addressing Inequality

In remarks delivered last week, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's choice as New York's deputy mayor for economic development and housing hinted at how the city plans to tackle affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.

December 30 - Crain's New York Business

Sick of Speeding, Baltimoreans Deploy DIY Traffic Calming

Fed up with speeding cars, and a city bureaucracy seen as slow to respond to their complaints, residents and artists in Baltimore have taken it upon themselves to remedy the situation by creating their own traffic calming measures.

December 30 - Baltimore City Paper

BLOG POST

Smarter Congestion Solutions in 2014

It is time to find better solutions to congestion problems. This requires more comprehensive evaluation in order to identify win-win solutions: the congestion reduction strategies that help achieve other planning objectives.

December 29 - Todd Litman

Will Apple's Silicon Valley HQ Appeal to Young Techies?

As young tech talent increasingly calls San Francisco home, some wonder whether investing in large, opulent headquarters in suburban Cupertino is a risky decision for even the most successful tech companies.

December 29 - Wired

Victims of China's Air Pollution: Lung Cancer in 8-Year-Olds

Though smoking is on the decline in China, lung cancer rates are rising. Twenty-year olds have joined seniors as likely patients, attributed to the toxic clouds containing particulates that regularly envelope China's eastern cities.

December 29 - Los Angeles Times - World

Why is Cycling More Dangerous in the States?

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reveals why Americans don't use the healthiest, cleanest form of transportation. Hint: it has to do with the frequent injuries we're trying to avoid.

December 29 - The Atlantic Cities

NYC Parking Meters Set to Get Smart

Outgoing mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that New York’s drivers will soon be able to pay for street parking via their smartphones after a successful pilot project undertaken in the Bronx.

December 29 - Politicker

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