The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

For the first time, a new law allows Colorado's cities and counties to spend revenue raised by the state's fuel sales taxes and license plate fees on projects other than roads and bridges.

May 6 - The Denver Post

Ben Poston investigates Los Angeles's "60-year backlog of failed streets." A strategy designed to pave over the disparities between council districts means that the most damaged of the city's 6,500 miles of paved roadway get fixed last.

May 6 - Los Angeles Times

The rising interest in urban living has meant a growing shortage of affordable housing in cities across the country. Roger Lewis proposes a new approach to help solve the crisis: building workforce housing funded by the public sector.

May 6 - The Washington Post

Ron Nixon provides an update on the implementation of the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008 that requires states to subsidize shorter Amtrak routes in order to reduce Amtrak's federal subsidy. 28 routes in 19 states are at stake.

May 6 - The New York Times - U.S.

David Hochman profiles Ron Finley, an urban gardening activist from South Los Angeles whose breakout TED talk and volunteer work are attracting some high profile supporters.

May 6 - The New York Times

For a city known for concrete and freeways, Houston has made great strides investing in parks and green spaces. With several new parks completed and in the works, and older ones being renovated, the transformation is garnering national attention.

May 6 - Houston Chronicle

Before there were Safeways and Sam's Clubs, public markets served as the cultural and culinary anchors of towns across the United States. Many were also fine pieces of architecture. David K. O’Neil looks at 10 of the best that have been lost to time.

May 6 - PPS Placemaking Blog

Many planners these days are promoting higher densities, especially in urban cores. Urban scholar Joel Kotkin inexplicably takes this trend to mean that a "cult" of planners favors bone-crushing crowds that would turn US cities into slums.

May 6 - California Planning & Development Report

In the pre-modern era, city-states were the engines of global trade and diplomacy. As rapid urbanization drives globalization outside the structures of international frameworks, cities are returning to the fore as transnational actors.

May 6 - Quartz

Chuck Wolfe summarizes a major tenet of his new book and suggests we risk ignoring the back story of urban forms and functions by failing to truly understand the traditional relationships between people and place.

May 5 - The Atlantic Cities

In order to more efficiently carry out its long-range comprehensive plan, Kane County, Illinois has created the Kane County Planning Cooperative as the central implementing body to work with various stakeholders.

May 5 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

As they move into positions of leadership in their communities and in the public sector, a generation once labelled as "slackers" is helping to change the relationship between governments and their citizens, reports Rob Gurwitt.

May 5 - Governing

The revitalization of Toronto's waterfront has been a remarkable success, generating billions in economic development and thousands of jobs. As Waterfront Toronto's seed money runs out, why is the agency facing obstacles in raising more funds?

May 5 - The Toronto Star

Featuring 150 Passivhaus dwelling units set amid wetlands and orchards, Architype's development in Herefordshire will also create jobs through an off-site but local prefabrication factory.

May 5 - UK Green Building Council

After an inauspicious start, L.A.'s Expo Line may surpass its 2020 ridership projections by the end of this year. The line has proved popular with those headed to work, school, and entertainment destinations; without stealing riders from bus routes.

May 4 - Neon Tommy

CA Sen. Darrell Steinberg's bill to "modernize" CEQA unanimously passed the senate environment subcommittee. While SB 731 has no opponents at this time, it is suspected of being a means to keep the Kings NBA team from leaving Sacramento for Seattle.

May 4 - Sacramento Bee

The infrastructure necessary to keep a city's systems running can frankly get kind of ugly. See what some cities have done to help disguise unsightly infrastructure.

May 4 - WebUrbanist

Bacterial manufacturing, bio-electric envelopes, robotic swarm construction, biosynthetic design patterns; Chris Arkenberg sketches the future of city design and construction in which "the barriers between biology and technology will start to fall."

May 4 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Henry Grabar profiles some of the projects shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Comprising new construction and preservation work from throughout the Muslim world, the award spotlights projects often overlooked by the western media.

May 4 - The Atlantic Cities

FEATURE

With the right approach, social media can expedite the exchange of information between stakeholders, facilitate participatory planning, and build better places. Two case studies offer insight for using social media to connect with communities.

May 3 - Jessica Hsu