The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The city of San Francisco has barricaded two new large swatches of land to be used as part of its Pavement to Parks projects, and is enjoying a flood of support from residents, businesses, politicians, and local educational institutions.

September 9 - SF Streetsblog

Formerly thought to be recession-proof, the tourist mecca of Las Vegas is taking a hard hit during the current economic recession.

September 9 - Los Angeles Times

Monopoly: City Streets melds the board game with Google Maps gives you the chance to buy the world's streets and develop your dream project on them (in competition with other players, of course.)

September 9 - The Guardian U.K.

Clark County, WA increased their building permit fees by roughly 300% on July 1st, and are facing criticism from builders whose projects now won't pencil out.

September 9 - The Columbian (WA)

As the push for renewable energy increases, The Nature Conservancy points out that renewables need a lot of land to work and could cause "energy sprawl."

September 9 - Renewable Energy World

Neal Peirce says this is a 'bonanza decade' for parks, thanks to the many benefits of parks to cities and a 'wow' factor found in some of the newest parks around the U.S., including St. Louis' Citygarden and Manhattan's High Line Park.

September 8 - Citiwire.net

For political, technological, and even demographic as well as economic reasons, don't expect American oil consumption to increase over 2007 levels. $3 gas is here to stay, and the days of the petrol-gulping SUVs and guzzlers may be numbered.

September 8 - Barrons

Competition was stiff for prime picnic spots in a Washington, D.C. park this Labor Day, prompting locals to set up as early as 2:30am. Is this an indicator of a growing need for public parks and civic spaces?

September 8 - The Washington Post

Many would-be train riders are frustrated by poor transit options at their destination city.

September 8 - National Public Radio

A new Transportation Research Board study examines the relationship between land use and carbon emissions - specifically reduction of vehicle miles traveled resulting from densification and the shape of new growth to come.

September 8 - Streetsblog

Here's another way to rank your city- the Society of American Travel Writers surveyed their members on the Top 10 cities to see live music. New Orleans comes in over Austin, home of the famed SXSW festival.

September 8 - Society of American Travel Writers

Edward Lifson talks to architect Tadao Ando about his work masterplanning Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympics.

September 8 - The Architect's Journal

Why the decision to host the next G-20 summit in Steel City is a good one.

September 8 - Forbes.com

Coming off the heels of two high-profile crashes with dozens of injuries, the San Francisco Municipal Railway is working to ensure operators are trained and accidents can be avoided.

September 8 - San Francisco Chronicle

NPR looks at a few of the areas that have submitted proposals for high-speed rail funding.

September 8 - National Public Radio

BLOG POST

<p> I have lived in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco but I have never seen anything like Beijing.  Over the next two weeks, I&#39;m giving a series of talks at Tsinghua, Peking University and the Lincoln Institute, and the CASS.  While I was little surprised to see Mao&#39;s face on all of the money and to not be able to access my blog, I have been very impressed with everything I see and I see glimpses of a future &quot;green city&quot;. </p>

September 7 - Matthew E. Kahn

HOK is designing a brand-new, 8,000-acre city in India, and is taking design inspiration from a desert cactus.

September 7 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

London is attempting to make streets safer for cyclists and motorists by turning off traffic lights in one part of the city for a short amount of time.

September 7 - The New York Times

At a time when developers are having trouble getting loans to build, San Francisco is taking steps to improve empty lots with art, retail, and other temporary investments in neighborhood vitality until construction can resume.

September 7 - San Francisco Chronicle

In Afghanistan, cities are changing. More and more people are leaving behind their agricultural past for city life, and the tide of new urbanites is stressing the fabric of the city.

September 7 - Forbes