The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Getting to Know Decaying Detroit, Parcel-by-Parcel

An "unprecedented" effort being led by Detroit’s new Blight Task Force will document the city's crumbling and vacant properties. It's part of a multi-pronged effort to combat Detroit's widespread blight.

November 26 - The Detroit News

This is Your Brain on Cars

Paul Salopek is embarking on a 21,000-mile, 7-year stroll around the world. After traversing 1,700 miles, his most profound insights focus on the impact of the century-old automotive revolution on our psyche - what he calls "Car Brain".

November 26 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

Blame Single-Family Neighborhoods for Gentrification

What's so special about single-family homes that we'd rather preserve them than prevent the displacement and financial distress of thousands of low- and moderate-income renters?

November 25 - Shane Phillips

Frank Gehry Rides to Grand Avenue's Rescue; Will Officials Cheer or Jeer?

Christopher Hawthorne reports that Frank Gehry is back in charge of the design for the quixotic $650-million Grand Avenue redevelopment after a disastrous redesign nearly scuttled the star-crossed project.

November 25 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Monopoly

San Francisco's Crisis of Affluence

The booming tech industry has brought economic development to the Bay Area. But lavish lifestyles, astronomical housing prices, and rising evictions has put the industry in the crosshairs of a very public backlash. Can the city broker peace?

November 25 - The New York Times


How Can Planners Control the Outcome of Their Efforts?

Charles Marohn examines the role that chance plays in the successes and failures of our planning efforts and comes to the conclusion that traditional development patterns are a tried and true antidote to our lack of control.

November 25 - Strong Towns

The Enduring Allure of the Single-Family Home

Another of those highly-cited surveys of the living preferences of Americans is out and it finds support for (somewhat contradictory) elements of both smart growth and suburban development patterns.

November 25 - NRDC Switchboard


Cyclist Deaths Beg the Question: "Who is the City For?"

A spate of recent cyclist deaths on London's streets brings the conflict between road users into high relief. Sam Jacobs argues that "brute engineering" alone isn't enough to resolve the conflict, we need to utilize intelligence and creativity.

November 25 - Dezeen

Model of Downtown LA

FEATURE

The Challenges of Re:Coding L.A.

A comprehensive zoning rewrite is a complex undertaking for any city. But for one that’s seeking to evolve its land use and transportation patterns, and is as physically and demographically diverse as L.A., a unique set of challenges has emerged.

November 25 - Lee D. Einsweiler

Overtime Agreement Salvages U.N. Climate Talks

A day after the U.N.'s recent international climate negotiations were supposed to conclude, delegates reached agreement on a deal that keeps alive hope for a more substantial treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocal.

November 25 - The New York Times

Boston’s Big Dig Could be Model for Toronto

As Toronto contemplates the future of its crumbling Gardiner Expressway, columnist Christopher Hume suggests looking to Boston’s Greenway for a glimpse of what downtown might be like without the elevated eyesore.

November 25 - The Toronto Star

Capacity to Predict Disasters Outstrips Our Desire to Avoid Them

Disaster prediction is a "growth industry", writes Nathaniel Rich, and one that has made incredible strides over the past several years. But will all this information lead us to make better decisions about where we choose to live?

November 25 - The New Yorker

College Towns Provide a Master Class in Bike-Friendliness

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that college towns are even better at encouraging bicycle commuting than the most notable big cities (Portland, Seattle, etc); even when excluding commuting for school. What's their secret?

November 25 - BikePortland.org

Bucking National Trend, Homelessness Rises in N.Y. and L.A.

Despite a "remarkable" drop in homelessness across the U.S., sobering new data from HUD reveals that New York City's struggle with record high homelessness is getting worse, not better. Homelessness is up substantially in Los Angeles as well.

November 25 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

Green Urbanism is the Future! Well, maybe.

Students of landscape architecture are obsessed with cities and all things green - at least according to recent design awards. But are they forgetting about design?

November 24 - Mark Hough

Proposed Gated Community Threatens L.A. Wildlife, Scientists Claim

A proposed gated community in Los Angeles County has provoked the ire of a group of scientists concerned about its environmental impact.

November 24 - Los Angeles Times

Global Insurance Firms offer Resiliency Tools to Climate Risk Cities

"Building Climate Resilience in Cities" was developed by global insurers and non profits to offer tools and technical assistance to urban areas facing development changes in response to climate change risks.

November 24 - Canadian Underwriter

12 Bold and Bizarre Visions for Cities

There's no shortage of bold and bizarre ideas for how to make our future cities more livable, sustainable, and efficient. Whether many of these ideas are feasible is another story.

November 24 - Future Cities

Do You Know What Year the U.S. Hit Peak Gasoline Consumption?

Michael Sivak of the Univ. of Michigan has published another key report documenting our waning love affair with the automobile. Sivak documents peak overall gasoline consumption occurring in 2004. Per capita fuel consumption may have peaked in 2003.

November 24 - Scientific American

Ann Beha Architects Will Rehab Gropius's Athens Embassy

The U.S. Department of State has selected Ann Beha Architects (ABA) to renovate the United States Embassy in Athens, Greece.

November 24 - Architect Magazine

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