The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Since it announced a plan to combat foreclosures by using eminent domain, Richmond, CA has been beset by opposition from Wall Street and Washington. Despite the threats, other cities are exploring using the controversial tool.

November 20 - The New York Times

Have a long commute? If so, you are likely not very engaged in politics with one major exception - higher incomes can counter commuting stress. But for the rest of us, it may explain why we aren't as involved in civic issues we would like.

November 20 - NPR

Creativity isn’t a theory about hipsters and the latte set. The key driver of a resilient economy is the same thing that binds us as humans – our shared creativity. Hazel Borys reviews Richard Florida's latest creative culture ideas.

November 20 - PlaceShakers

The "Broken Windows" theory of policing - targeting minor crimes to reduce major ones - has been credited with helping to bring down violent crime rates in several cities. Could such an approach reduce traffic violence?

November 20 - STREETSBLOG.ORG

Amendments to Vancouver's building code adopted in September will require lever handles on all doors in newly built housing beginning next March. Could such code changes soon be adopted far and wide?

November 19 - The Vancouver Sun

A study utilizing simulations of more than 20 million virtual “neighborhoods” finds a negative relationship between cohesion and diversity. The findings could alter how we understand and build social capital within neighborhoods and across cities.

November 19 - The Atlantic Cities

In advance of its demolition to make way for a luxury condominium development, the abandoned brick warehouse turned world-renowned street art canvas known as 5Pointz was given a new coat of white paint overnight, shrouding its celebrated graffiti.

November 19 - The New York Times

To maximize sun exposure and electricity generation during peak times, solar panels installed in the northern hemisphere shouldn't face south, as conventional wisdom dictates, but west, finds a new study.

November 19 - Quartz

The Centre for Global Development, authors of the Commitment to Development Index, has ranked Australia well in terms of its policies towards developing countries but it falls down the index on its environmental policies.

November 19 - The Guardian - Australia

Beset by a wave of so-called "no fault" evictions, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and state legislators are taking aim at the Ellis Act, and the speculators who utilize the California law to force tenants out of their rent-controlled homes.

November 19 - Los Angeles Times

There seems to be one common thread linking Washington D.C.'s new bars, restaurants, boutiques, and homes: they're all oriented to appeal to younger residents. Tara Bahrampour looks at D.C.'s struggles to build a multi-generational city.

November 19 - The Washington Post

Tactical urbanism is transforming cityscapes around the world, but what would it mean to apply a "pop-up" approach to the planning process? A recent project in Santa Monica, CA allowed participants to evaluate public realm improvements in real-time.

November 19 - Sustainable Cities Collective

State DOTs generally have not been viewed as the most progressive forces in transportation, often perceived primarily as road builders. So a recent "challenge" to drive less, if only for 12 days, came as a surprise. But hey, it's Oregon!

November 19 - AASHTO Journal

Four years after the Great Recession technically ended, the rate at which Americans are choosing to relocate continues to decline and is now at historic lows. What is causing this long-term trend?

November 19 - The Atlantic Cities

BLOG POST

The following “top three” relatively quick wins for a more walkable city, written below from the perspective of Brent’s observations, reflect some relatively low-cost opportunities toward a more liveable & successful Auckland.

November 18 - Brent Toderian

A nonprofit has converted a former Chicago city bus into a mobile grocery store to bring fresh food to the city's underserved neighborhoods. After stopping operations in August, the service will return with a sustainable business plan this month.

November 18 - Fast Company Co.Exist

After forty years of disinvestment in public lighting, Detroit's tens of thousands of broken street and alley lights contribute to incidents of crime and traffic accidents. Can a new lighting authority grow the city's glow?

November 18 - Detroit Free Press

As portions of the nation's pioneering waterfront redevelopment and "festival marketplace" turn 40, Baltimore's Inner Harbor is showing its age. A new master plan for the state's premier attraction focuses on improving its public spaces.

November 18 - The Baltimore Sun

Musician and aspiring designer Kanye West stopped by Harvard’s Graduate School of Design for a surprise visit Sunday evening and delivered what Jenny Xie calls a manifesto on architecture.

November 18 - The Atlantic Cities

Amid data showing a dwindling supply of prime Canadian agricultural land, a commencing study seeks to strengthen preservation policies.

November 18 - The Globe and Mail