The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A new paper in the Regional Science and Urban Economics journal presents a lukewarm review of the Minneapolis Blue Line’s impact on development through 2010—doing little to buoy the market during the Great Recession.

March 28 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

Manhattan has long been one of—if not the—centers of the literary universe. What does it mean for the borough if bookstores—independent or otherwise—can no longer afford the rent?

March 28 - New York Times

The Los Angeles Times reports on the Los Angeles Conservancy's 2014 Preservation Report Card, which "grades" each of L.A. County's local governments on their preservation programs (or lack thereof).

March 28 - Los Angeles Times

When it comes to allowing voters to decide whether to increase local or state taxes for transportation, the most common option by far is the local or state sales tax. But what about income taxes; has it been tried before? And for public transit only?

March 28 - Nuvo

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, this week released the annual County Health Rankings. The rankings aim to inspire healthy community action.

March 28 - The Washington Post

The Onion has once again focused its satirical gaze on the art and science of planning, this time telling the fictional story of a planner in Des Moines, Iowa, who just couldn't help but copy Philadelphia.

March 28 - The Onion

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was first elected to the city council in 1993. He’s expected to be indicted on public corruption charges next week after accepting more than $48,000 for “the use of his official position..."

March 27 - Charlotte Observer

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a $9.3 billion settlement with Bank of America following a 2011 suit tied to the bank’s role in selling faulty mortgage-backed securities to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

March 27 - The Hill

Most millennials and Gen Xers are either too busy or too disengaged to realize how the future of their hometowns is being shaped by people much older than they.

March 27 - Vancouver Sun

Chicago political leaders are floating a pair of competing bills that would regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. Cab companies are pushing for legislation, seeking a “level playing field” in the market.

March 27 - Crain's Chicago Business

Burlington, Massachusetts is considering a zoning bylaw to determine the location of “Registered Marijuana Dispensaries” before a state deadline for creating land use controls for dispensaries. The legal distinctions in zoning for RMDs are tricky.

March 27 - Daily Times Chronicle

Author and blogger David Prowler takes a lighthearted and pictorial look at what the layout of a town's streets unveils about a city's history and aspirations.

March 27 - Los Angeles UrbDeZine

When it comes to fracking, much dialog is about energy vs. environment. Not this one. NPR reports on the economic consequences of Europe's rejection of fracking. Many European companies are setting up shop in the U.S. where energy may cost 75% less.

March 27 - NPR Morning Edition

A pair of articles by the Kansas City Star details a surprising development in the preparation for an expansion of the city’s streetcar: the affluent neighborhood of Brookside along the southwest corridor of the proposed extension opted out.

March 27 - Kansas City Star

Marlys Harris describes a simple way to overcome the default opposition setting that determines most local politics: “the sweet yoo-hoo of the economic-impact study.”

March 27 - MinnPost

Alan Davies writes from Down Under about a recent controversy in the Australian media about the “menace” of cycling in the urban core—where some are tired of the bicycle lobby's advancements of its cause.

March 26 - Crikey - The Urbanist

Where are the most dangerous—and least populated—places to live in America? Surprisingly, none are on the west coast.

March 26 - Movoto Blog

A newly formed coalition of the food truck owners has begun lobbying the Dallas City Council to reduce the regulations governing the operation of food trucks around the city and open the streets to mobile food vending.

March 26 - Dallas Morning News

Following the lead of New York City and San Francisco, Houston is the latest large American city to launch a program aimed at eliminating bike fatalities. The program includes funding for the creation of a Bicycle Master Plan.

March 26 - Office of Mayor Annise Parker

Robin Hutcheson has led the transportation planning division of Salt Lake City since 2011—a period of expansion for multi-modal transportation improvements all over the city.

March 26 - The Atlantic Cities