The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
You Call That Public Art?
South Korea's law mandates developers to commission public art as 1% of the total cost of a proposed project. What the law does not specify is the level of taste that comes with it.
China's Experiments with Financing and Building Transit
The Economist is fascinated by China's experiments in public-private financing in which the government gives land to private transit developers in exchange for greater mobility.
A 'Drought-Proof' City
By focusing on reducing water use to levels that could be served by its two water sources, the city of El Paso, Texas, has been able to quench its thirst without running dry.
The Changing Role of Globalized Cities
<em>National Geographic Traveler</em> talks with urban theorist Richard Florida about the changing roles of cities, and the emerging centers of economic prosperity.
Tokyo to Include Tsunami-Hit Areas in 2020 Olympic Bid
In preparing a bid to host the 2020 Olympics, Tokyo is planning to include areas that were ravaged by the recent tsunami and earthquake.
Public Ping Pong to Invade English City
More than 40 ping pong tables will be placed in public spaces throughout the English city of Hull this summer. It's part of a nationwide effort to get more people to exercise.
The Big City Goes Small Scale
New York's new big plans are actually quite small, according to this architectural review from <em>The Guardian</em>.
New Plaza Preserves Unexpected Historical Find
Plans to build a parking garage below an old plaza in Seville, Spain, revealed underground roman ruins. So the city built a new structure to hover over the site and to emphasize the area's historic amenities.
Stockholm's Transportation Remodel
In Stockholm, Sweden, planners are moving ahead with a broad central city redevelopment plan that seeks to continue the city's trend of reducing car traffic and congestion, and making it easier for bikers, walkers and transit takers to get around.
Detroit RoboCop Statue Brings New Form of Public Participation
Crowd-funded plans to build a statue of the movie character RoboCop are moving ahead in Detroit, and the project is redefining public participation in civic ventures.
Slow Progress in East New Orleans
In this piece from <em>Places</em>, Deborah Gans offers a firsthand look at planning for recovery in the city's neglected East side.
High Speed Rail Planned Between Malaysia and Singapore
Officials in Malaysia and Singapore have high hopes for the high speed rail link planned between the two countries.
Section 8 Hits the Suburbs
The federal rental assistance vouchers known as Section 8 are increasingly putting low-income families into empty homes in the suburbs.
European Transportation Policy: Make Life Difficult For Motorists
It's the opposite of conventional transportation policy in American cities that places motorist convenience in high priority (think 'level of service'). This story shows what European cities are doing to get motorists out of cars.
New Research: Do Americans Really Oppose Increasing The Gas Tax?
Politicians say it all the time - "Americans will never stand for a gas tax increase", but how do they know? A survey of 1,500 adults under the direction of Mineta Transportation Institute found otherwise. A VMT fee and sales tax was also surveyed.
Two-Year Transportation Reauthorization Bill To Be Introduced In July
The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee is set to introduce a $97 billion, two-year transportation bill after the July 4 recess that will have a deficit of $12 billion. The House is said to be working on a six-year bill.
FEMA Trailers 2.0
A Japanese company has released a self-sustaining, solar-powered emergency structure to rival all others. Once set up, it can run on its own off the grid for an entire month.
FEATURE
Beyond Safety in Numbers: Why Bike Friendly Cities are Safer
Studies often show that bicyclists find "safety in numbers." Norman Garrick and Wes Marshall explain that the street design strategies that attract bike riders are the same ones that improve road safety for all road users.
Clean-Fuel Zone Widened Per Navy's Request
Known for its puritanical environmental laws, California's shipping pollution standards just got tougher. The California Air Resource Board voted unanimously to expand the 2009 clean-fuel zone, which mandates ships to use less-polluting fuels.
China's Thames Town Stands Empty
Forget Disneyland, Shanghai - China has already built a series of themed lands, each themed after a different European community. Problem is they are terrible flops. Thames Town, strangely themed after an Austrian village, is deserted.
Pagination
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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