The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
CEQA Crusader or CEQA Bounty Hunter?
Liam Dillon tells the story of Cory Briggs, a notorious lawyer in Southern California famous for opposing projects under the auspices of the California Environmental Quality Act.
States Address Impending Cut-off of Federal Transportation Funds
With federal highway funds likely to be cut off in August unless Congress can reach an agreement on a stopgap solution, some states, e.g., MO, VT, GA, AR have taken matters into their own hands to ensure that vital construction projects continue.
Uproar Over 'Surprise' Big Box Development in Dallas
The evolving story goes back to last summer, but media and stakeholders were caught off guard by the recent revelation that Trammell Crow Co. is planning to develop a 100,00 square foot Sam's Club in Dallas.
Pennsylvania's $2.3 Billion Transportation Funding Plan Clearing Project Backlog
In November, Pennsylvania approved the state's comprehensive transportation funding plan, also known as Act 89. The plan will spend $2.3 billion over five years, and has provided a productive signal to regional and local transportation planning.
First Commercial Drones Take to the Skies after FAA Approval
The first FAA-approved commercial drone flights took place this week. The flights will inform the FAA's policy expected by 2015 regarding non-military drone flights, per a mandate from Congress.
Friday Funny: The Onion Satirizes our Obsession with 'High Tech Jobs'
In a totally fake news report, satirical site The Onion imagines just how far some policy makers will go to appear like they are attracting techies and innovation.
Is the 9/11 Memorial a 'Dead Space' in Lower Manhattan?
The grand opening of the 9/11 memorial and museum is derided by critics as a cold, uninviting public space, and 'ritualizing grief on a loop'
Big Changes for the National Geographic Atlas of the World Due to Melting Arctic Ice
National Geographic Geographer Juan José Valdés calls the changes in the map of Arctic ice in the 10th edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World, "the biggest visible change other than the breakup of the U.S.S.R."
Houston's Home Sales Juggernaut Slows—Lack of Supply Blamed
New data from the Houston Association of Realtors shows the end of an "unrelenting string of positive monthly home sales data." According to the Houston Chronicle, the group "attributed the decline to this area’s lack of housing inventory."
Labor Unrest Surrounds Transit Systems in Brazil on the World Cup's Opening Day
Questions about workers' strikes in two transportation systems persisted right up until the launch of the World Cup, the world's most watched sporting event, today in Brazil.
Double-Checking Chicago's Ambitious Bike Lane Plans
Checking in on the status of Chicago's ambitious plans to add 645 miles of bike lanes by 2020, one journalist finds a number of bikers who are questioning some of the choices made by planners.
For Sale: Air Rights at MARTA's Urban Train Stations
MARTA is exploring the desire of developers to build mixed-use buildings over its urban train stations. Any such deal would be the first of its kind in MARTA's 40-plus-year history.
The Death of a Bridge in Los Angeles
The demolition of the Riverside-Figueroa Bridge spanning the Los Angeles River between Elysian Valley and Cypress Park has commenced. Advocates lament a lost opportunity for open space as well as the car-centric design of the replacement span.
Why America Need Architecture Critics like Philadelphia's Inga Saffron
The writing of Inga Saffron "makes an ardent plea for more critics willing to take up the mantle of urban citizenship," according to a recent article in The Architectural Review.
The End of 'Slackerdom' in Austin (or Pittsburgh Rich vs. New York Poor)
Yes, that's a lot of cities in one headline. But recent urbanism media has included a lot of writers lamenting the rising cost of living in formerly bohemian locales while noticing former bohemians moving to more affordable regions.
How Corruption Determines Budgets
Liz Farmer and Kevin Tidmarsh share news of a study in the Public Administration Review finding that higher instances of corruption correlate with more spending in the policy areas more likely to line the pockets of corrupt officials.
BLOG POST
Is Traffic Speed Compliance A Congestion Cost?
Conventional evaluation often exaggerates congestion costs by using baseline travel speeds which exceed speed limits. This assumes that traffic speed compliance is a congestion cost that justifies major infrastructure investments to alleviate.
New Research Attempts to Quantify the Health Impacts of Design and Nature
There is already good evidence that exposure to green landscapes is good for people. The next frontier of research in the health impacts of designed environments is to be able to quantify connections between design decisions and life expectancy.
Study: Car Sharing Reduces VMT Over Time
Research out of UC Berkeley shows that car sharing lowers all customers' vehicle mileage by about a quarter over time.
5 Reasons to Move to the City (ASAP)
Kevin Roose wonders whether "choosing to live outside a major city is tantamount to opting to live in the past."
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
