The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

For cities that want protected bike lanes but lack the expertise to implement them, the Green Lane Project is soliciting applications to offer technical help (sorry, no funding) now that the initial six recipient cities have implemented cycle tracks.

October 21 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Recognizing the potential value of its historic homes and industrial buildings, but with few plans for reuse in the immediate future, the City of St. Louis is proposing to establish a preservation fund to mothball some of its 6,000 vacant buildings.

October 21 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Reuters reports that at 1 a.m. on Oct. 19, 13 cars of a CN train hauling oil and LPG derailed in Alberta. One car exploded and three others caught fire. Fortunately, there were no injuries, unlike July's fatal conflagration in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.

October 21 - Reuters

Stretching through suburban Maryland, the Intercounty Connector was sold on promises of boosting development and relieving congestion. Two years after it opened, users are few, while its drain on state transportation finances continues to grow.

October 21 - Bethesda Magazine

According to a recent Rand Corp. study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, fancy redesigns or new equipment may not be necessary to spark more usage in existing parks. Adding a few signs may do the trick.

October 20 - Los Angeles Times

Across the United States and around the world, groups of Roman Catholic nuns are quietly supporting a supposedly extra-religious cause: environmentalism.

October 20 - The Atlantic

Recent controversies have called into question whether Los Angeles officials have done all they can to prepare the city for its next big earthquake. Mayor Eric Garcetti is making earthquake preparedness a top priority.

October 20 - Los Angeles Times

A new study observes the growing economic and income divide’s impact on America’s neighborhoods. Researchers have found the proportion of Americans living in 'middle class' neighborhoods declining, while 'rich' and 'poor' neighborhoods are growing.

October 20 - The Huffington Post

Over the past 12 years, New York has been transformed. For the better in some instances (bike lanes, pedestrian plazas), and perhaps not in others (unaffordability). Michael Kimmelman suggests how to build on the successes and correct the problems.

October 20 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

"Complete Streets" policies are a good start, but only a start.

October 19 - Michael Lewyn

Amid America's urban renaissance, increasing the supply of affordable housing has arisen as a topic of concern in several of the country's cities. The New York Times "Room for Debate" page asks eight experts to contribute their recommendations.

October 19 - The New York Times

Emily Badger is extremely impressed—and for good reason—with the City of Los Angeles' new neighborhood data portal, built in connection with the development a new health and wellness chapter for the city's General Plan.

October 19 - The Atlantic Cities

Preliminary results from a new study suggest that Americans are willing to pay about $850 more per Walk Score point when purchasing a home.

October 19 - Market Urbanism

The Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume introduces a provocative premise - the city's "planning-by-default" approach is responsible for a skyline of sameness.

October 19 - The Toronto Star

The approval of the Illiana Expressway by the CMAP Policy Committee rejects the recommendation of the organization's own planners and years of regional cooperation. Yonah Freemark says the decision will have an effect on regional planning nationwide.

October 19 - the transport politic

BLOG POST

Moving beyond the building is critical to effecting transformative change toward urban sustainability. Several Swedish projects offer points of inspiration. The Eco District Summit is bringing together people engaged in district-scale sustainability.

October 18 - Walker Wells

Some cities see citations as the best way to improve bike safety; others focus on educational classes. But in Boston, a crew of rapping puppets encourage riders to "Put Your Helmet On".

October 18 - The Atlantic Cities

Suburban locales have typically lagged behind larger cities in building bike-friendly infrastructure. But the League of American Bicyclists' latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities designations indicate a sea change is happening in the suburbs.

October 18 - DC.Streetsblog

For the second time in four months, during which time negotiations had continued, BART workers went on strike Friday morning, creating huge challenges for the 400,000 commuters who rely on it daily in four Bay Area counties.

October 18 - San Francisco Chronicle

For the first time, the World Health Organization has identified air pollution, in its entirety, as a cause of cancer, putting it on par with tobacco smoke, asbestos and arsenic. In 2010, 223,000 people died from lung cancer caused by air pollution.

October 18 - Quartz