The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

'Forget clipboards and cameras," says Heidi Moore. She spotlights six new apps (and five 'tried-and-tested' ones) that can solve your measuring, note-taking, and networking needs on your phone.

July 11 - Architect

Police response times average 58 minutes for worst crimes and at times only 10 of the city's 36 ambulances are in service: Detroit's woes extend far beyond its unpaid debts. Many residents are hoping emergency management will bring drastic change.

July 11 - The New York Times

Kicking off its in-depth examination of the ways in which New York City has been remade during Mayor Bloomberg's tenure, Matthew Schuerman looks at the city's astonishing vertical growth, a significant feat considering the shadow of 9/11.

July 11 - WNYC

Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.) have introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would create America's first extraterrestrial national park - the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historic park.

July 10 - CNN

Calling 'white infill' the new 'white flight', Richey Piiparinen argues that urban thinkers need to consider whether the back-to-the-city trend is exacerbating inequity and segregation.

July 10 - New Geography

In Northern Virginia, where D.C.'s suburbs dissolve into rural landscape, the state's Department of Transportation is planning the Bi-County Parkway. Opponents question whether the state should provide a multi-billion dollar subsidy to developers.

July 10 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

If Gov. John Kitzhaber signs SB 810, as expected, Oregon will create a voluntary program for up to 5,000 motorists who will pay 1.5-cents for every mile they drive instead of the 30-cent state fuel excise tax.

July 10 - Statesman Journal

Published on the last day of the Villaraigosa administration, the "Health Atlas for the City of Los Angeles" analyzed 100 different health outcomes citywide to inform the drafting of a new Health and Wellness Chapter for the City’s General Plan.

July 10 - Daily News Los Angeles

Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.

July 10 - The Wall Street Journal

The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Sierra Club's quest to have publicly held GIS data made available for a nominal fee under the California Public Records Act.

July 10 - Los Angeles Times

Sure, we were pulled in by the article's provocative title, but we'd have to agree that under the arched canopy of Tipuana trees along Porto Alegre's Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho can be found one of the most wondrous and unique urban streets in the world.

July 10 - Inhabitat

A Canadian real estate startup has created striking animated 3-D visualizations of the evolution of the skylines in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.

July 10 - Fast Company Co.Exist

A controversial affordable housing project proposed for Somerville, Mass. diffused community opposition by coordinating with the for-profit developer of an adjacent parcel. Could the partnership provide a template for moderating NIMBYism?

July 10 - Rooflines

Planners and environmentalists have applauded the seven-year decline in America's auto ownership levels with understandable enthusiasm. But around the world, automobile production has never been higher.

July 9 - DC.Streetsblog

Thanks to private funds, NYC invested six times more in building and improving its parks during Mayor Bloomberg's tenure than was spent in the prior decade. But what will happen to these parks when their billionaire backer leaves office?

July 9 - The Wall Street Journal

Chuck Wolfe's photoshoot in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington State shows the timeless issues of human settlement, from agrarian to urban.

July 9 - The Huffington Post

In an in-depth article, Robert Samuels examines the "oversights, missteps and missed opportunities" that have turned the New Communities Initiative - imagined as "the centerpiece of the District’s affordable-housing efforts" - into a train wreck.

July 9 - The Washington Post

This just in: Neighborhood Units missing in action as cities continue to attempt 3D governance using 2D laws. Howard Blackson argues why Neighborhood Units are the key element to placemaking.

July 9 - PlaceShakers

San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King bemoans the visions put forth by three finalists vying to redevelop a spectacular site across from the Crissy Field marsh.

July 9 - San Francisco Chronicle

In retrospect, it may seem like Portland’s biking boom was inevitable. But not too long ago the city was eclipsed by other Pac NW cities for share of bicycle commuters. What happened between 2002-2008 to kick-start the city’s bike craze?

July 9 - BikePortland