The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Sean Patrick Farrell examines the lengths that Midwesterners are willing to go to get their bike riding fix during snowy winter months, including a popular new indoor mountain bike park in Milwaukee.

February 28 - The New York Times

In one of the countries leading the world in green energy adoption, a program to support solar energy has become a victim of its own success, reports Bjørn Lomborg.

February 28 - Slate

In the controversy over a new development planned for downtown Athens, the chain retailer seems to be a Trojan horse for a larger debate about economic development and who gets to define what is best for a community.

February 28 - Salon.com

In another sign of the coming apocalypse, a bipartisan group of House members have devised an entirely sensible way to cut greenhouse gas emissions, grow employment, and shrink the budget deficit in one fell swoop, by placing a price on carbon.

February 28 - The Washington Post

On Monday it was announced that the most prestigious annual award in architecture has gone to Wang Shu, a 48-year-old Chinese architect with a "relatively low profile" who has yet to design a building outside of China, writes Christopher Hawthorne.

February 28 - Los Angeles Times

Michael J. Coren shines a light on an innovative crowdfunding site targeting neighborhood improvements.

February 28 - Fast Co.Exisit

FEATURE

February 27 - Jonathan Nettler

East 69th Street is mobilizing to halt the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's plan to add subway entrances on their tony block - needed to handle displaced crowd flows from adding required ADA elevators at the 68th Street entrances.

February 27 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Taking a page from the locavore food movement, an architectural competition in Vancouver asks entrants to design a home using materials made or recycled within 100 miles of the city, writes Mark Boyer.

February 27 - Good

Eric Jaffe reports on a new study that aims to conclusively answer the question of whether bike paths and bike lanes actually promote more bike riders.

February 27 - The Atlantic Cities

Marina Strauss reports on the changing retail landscape, in which retailers such as Wal-Mart and Staples are counting on smaller stores to draw customers. As McMansions lose their luster, are over-sized retailers the next victim of changing tastes?

February 27 - The Globe and Mail

Yepoka Yeebo reports on Baltimore's newest plan to deal with the tens of thousands of abandoned houses that mar the city.

February 27 - Business Insider

As the population of Downtown Los Angeles has grown dramatically over the last decade, the need for park space to serve that population has grown along with it. A new pocket park being built along Spring Street helps meet that need.

February 27 - The Architect's Newspaper

Matt Bevilacqua speaks with Ellen Dunham-Jones, renowned co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia, about the key factors impacting suburban redevelopment and the recent retrofit projects across the country that have caught her eye.

February 27 - Next American City

BLOG POST

<p> Already a major technology trend, 2012 promises to be a watershed for &quot;big data.&quot; A shorthand term for the proliferation of large datasets, big data also refers to the expansion of analytic techniques for teasing meaning from the vast archives of information produced by the digital world. The New York Times&#39; Steve Lohr declared we have entered the &quot;age of big data&quot; in a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/sunday-review/big-datas-impact-in-the-world.html">recent article</a> that compared it with another revolutionary research tool -- the microscope. </p>

February 27 - Robert Goodspeed

Metropolis blogger Joseph G. Brin interviews Charlie Miller, P.E., of Roofmeadow, to find out why green roofs have been slow to catch on in the United States.

February 27 - Metropolis

Robert Poole reports on efforts across the country to reduce freeway congestion through HOV-to-HOT conversion and public-private partnerships.

February 27 - reason.com

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> Last Thursday I debated the merits of <a href="http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/about_sg.htm">smart growth</a> with <a href="http://ti.org/antiplanner/">‘Anti-planner’ Randal O&#39;Toole</a> at a <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #1f497d"><a href="http://www.southfraser.net/2012/01/south-fraser-ontrax-presents-debate-on.html">community forum</a> </span></strong>in Langley, a rapidly-growing suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. <span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif">A recording of the Debate and presenters&#39; slide shows are available at <a style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; color: #005884" href="http://www.southfraser.net/2012/02/smart-growth-debate-media.html">www.southfraser.net/2012/02/smart-growth-debate-media.html</a>. </span>At the end more than three quarters of the audience voted for a <a href="http://www.southfraser.net/2012/01/smart-growth-debate-resolution.html">pro-smart-growth resolution</a>. This may reflect some selection bias – people concerned about sprawl may have been more likely to attend – but I believe that given accurate information most citizens will support smart growth due to its various <a href="http://www.vtpi.org/sg_save.pdf">savings and benefits</a>.   </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Smart growth sometimes faces <a href="/node/54342">organized opposition</a> by critics. It is important that planners respond effectively and professionally. Here is my critique of O&#39;Toole’s claims and some advice for planners who face similar critics. 

February 27 - Todd Litman

After years of lost revenue from fare evaders, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is looking to implement gate-locking at Metro rail stations within six months, reports Ari Bloomekatz.

February 27 - Los Angeles Times

Water has played a starring part in the development of Los Angeles (for exhibit A, see the film <em>Chinatown</em>). Christine MacDonald explores how water may take a star turn once again, in its demise.

February 26 - The Atlantic Cities