The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Calibri">Here is good news for anybody looking for smart ways to reduce climate change. </span><a href="http://www.vtpi.org/wwclimate.pdf"><span style="font-family: Calibri; color: #0000ff">&quot;Win-Win&quot; transportation emission reduction strategies</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri"> can provide substantial energy conservation and emission reductions in ways that also help achieve economic and social objectives.</span> </p>

December 10 - Todd Litman

A new site from the people behind WalkScore shows you where to track your commute, and singles out the transit agencies who are failing to let you.

December 10 - City-Go-Round

BLOG POST

<p> A recent event organized by <a href="http://www.good.is" target="_blank" title="Good Magazine">Good Magazine</a>, <a href="http://www.sheridanhawkes.com" target="_blank" title="Sheridan/Hawkes Collaborative">Sheridan/Hawkes Collaborative</a> and <a href="http://www.popsiclesforeveryone.org/" target="_blank" title="The Public Studio">The Public Studio</a> brought together about 30 civic-minded designers, planners and architects to come up with some ways to improve the urban environment of Los Angeles. It was a big question to tackle in one afternoon, with a huge array of possible solutions. The crowd was split up into five separate groups and surprisingly, each came up with a similar answer: taco trucks. OK, not taco trucks specifically, but the essence of taco trucks and what they bring to the city.

December 10 - Nate Berg

The Urbanophile attempts to separate the hype from the usefulness of the concept of the 'megaregion', deciding in the end that it is a 'convenient abstraction for federal-level thinkers.'

December 10 - The Urbanophile

The U.S. Government has agreed to a settlement of $3.4 billion for failing to pay royalties on mineral and grazing leases to Native Americans.

December 10 - The Christian Science Monitor

Fast Company looks at six examples of architecture that rebelled, from SOM's Lever House to Boston's John Hancock Tower.

December 10 - Fast Company

In Pass Christian, Mississippi, it seemed WalMart was on board for a village-style, mixed-use development that would include one of their stores. That is, until Walmart brass heard about the project.

December 10 - New Urban News website

The New York City Housing Authority has come under fire because thousands of affordable rental units are sitting vacant, some for years at a time.

December 10 - The New York Times

FEATURE

Vacant properties are considered blight instead of potential, argues John Kromer of the Fels Institute. By acting strategically and thinking smaller, officials can revitalize their cities and attract new, more stable investment.

December 10 - John Kromer

A controversy has erupted in Brooklyn over bike lanes, which are opposed by members of the Hasidic community on religious grounds [includes video].

December 9 - Huffington Post

In a study released by Siemens AG and The Economist Intelligence Unit, Copenhagen tops the list of the greenest cities in Europe (out of a pool of 30 cities that were considered).

December 9 - Green Flow blog

Norman Weinstein, architecture writer for The Christian Science Monitor, picks his top ten books on architecture that came out in 2009.

December 9 - ArchNewsNow.com

Citing street sweeping costs, Moscow's mayor has said the city may start seeding the clouds to reduce snowfall.

December 9 - Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

<span>Yesterday, as a part of my university’s community outreach efforts, I delivered a lecture at a suburban retirement home on the theme of sustainable cities. I discussed Smart Growth, New Urbanism and the need for greater urban densities, all framed by the current events unfolding in Copenhagen at the <a href="http://en.cop15.dk/">United Nations Climate Change Conference</a>.<span>  </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span>At the end of my talk, several elderly ladies came up to chat with me and thank me for the lecture. On her way out, one turned to me and said, “You take care of the world for us. We’re not going to be around much longer – it’s up to you young people.”<span>  </span></span> </p>

December 9 - Michael Dudley

A North Dakota man says he'll fight his city to keep his wind turbine.

December 9 - The Bismarck Tribune

BLOG POST

<p>For a myriad of personal and professional reasons I moved to New York City this fall. Part of the reason I uprooted myself from the pastel, sun soaked streets of Miami Beach to the chaos of New York is because Gotham has made such incredible strides in becoming one of America&#39;s most bicycle-friendly cities. </p>

December 9 - Mike Lydon

The newest transit safety bill was unveiled yesterday to cautious praise. While states are struggling to fund transit, FTA chief Peter Rogoff says the goal is to create a nationwide floor for transit safety.

December 9 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

A Philly street once dubbed the "Skid Row" of Fishtown has been transformed by a handful of determined residents through years of painting, sweeping and fixing broken windows.

December 9 - Philadelphia Daily News

After decades of auto-dependence, the French city of Strasbourg turned its back to the car and built a citywide tram system and street grid that reclaims roads from auto-dominance.

December 9 - Next American City

This article, by Dr. Ellen Bassuk of the National Center on Family Homelessness, explores the challenges faced by returning veterans in housing.

December 9 - The Washington Times