The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In this op-ed, MIT climate research scientist Valerie J. Karplus contrasts raising CAFE standards with gas taxes. While the former may be more politically expedient, she shows how it is less effective in reducing emissions, oil reliance and driving.

February 26 - The New York Times

Engineering marvel, polluted sewer, magnet for development - the Chicago River has worn many hats in its day. For its next role, can it become an "example of environmental innovation and ecological stewardship"?

February 26 - OnEarth

BLOG POST

Vancouver's ahead-of-the-curve 1997 decision to prioritize active transport, rather than balance its ways of getting around, has affected everything about how the city has been designed since then.

February 25 - Brent Toderian

The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has released the results of a new study aimed at understanding how to "get more healthy food into...communities through farmers markets."

February 25 - PPS Placemaking Blog

Governor Deval Patrick is set to unveil a key piece of his multi-billion dollar plan for reinvigorating Massachusetts' beleaguered transportation system: an $850 million expansion of congested South Station. Martine Powers describes the project.

February 25 - The Boston Globe

For a state that prides itself on being a nature lovers' paradise, a growing struggle with hazardous air pollution threatens Utah's very identity. Dan Frosch examines the factors contributing to the epidemic, and some of the proposed solutions.

February 25 - The New York Times

Over the weekend, Virginia passed a controversial transportation funding plan that replaces the state's gas tax with a combination of revenue streams. Two California economists look at the flaws with the plan.

February 25 - The Washington Post

California's second auction saw a 35% increase in the price paid for a carbon pollution permit to $13.62, while prices at the much larger European market continue to fall and permits go unsold. The price there recently fell to $6.46.

February 25 - Bloomberg News

Unlike the 1970s and 80s, when a building boom created a vocal backlash, S.F.'s current surge in development hasn't galvanized a concerted no-build movement. If gentrification is driven by demand 'from the bottom up,' does that mean it's desirable?

February 25 - San Francisco Chronicle

Creating a centralized authority for approving infrastructure projects can help the U.S. to meet environmental goals, experts say.

February 25 - Huffington Post

Steve Lohr profiles New York University's Center for Urban Science and Progress, which is beginning to generate dividends in its study, and application of, smart city technology.

February 25 - The New York Times

Using a set of mid-February photographs from Iceland, Chuck Wolfe describes scaled expressions of urban settlement and transport in Iceland and derives principles for building better places.

February 25 - The Atlantic Cities

Vancouver's remarkable experiment in livable density is the envy of, and model for, cities across the world. So, after a decade of skyline expansion across Canada, why has densification 'lost steam' in the country? Doug Saunders investigates.

February 25 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

Transportation system users rate inaffordability as a top concern, but conventional planning ignores this issue. Increasing transport affordability requires changing planning practices to favor more affordable modes and more accessible development.

February 25 - Todd Litman

Lacking public open space in downtown Vancouver, the city is taking a nonconventional approach and closing one block off to traffic for the summer months to allow for a pedestrian-oriented public square.

February 24 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Tom Stafford opines on the reasons why cyclists enrage car drivers. He argues that "motorists hate cyclists because they think they offend the moral order."

February 24 - BBC

Pike Place Market, one of Seattle's most visited tourist sites, and one of the prime models for the rediscovered allure of America's public markets, is primed for a significant expansion thanks to a recently approved agreement.

February 24 - Crosscut

In our increasingly image obsessed world, the art of architectural photography has attained extraordinary currency in communicating and selling design to the public, politicians, and other professionals. Hana Cohn lists the top 25 working today.

February 24 - Complex

An alliance of organizations in the United Kingdom has agreed on a policy statement promoting smart growth alternatives to current policies.

February 24 - Brownfield Briefing

With the AIA's Architecture Billings Index at its highest level since November 2007, the future is promising for a profession that's been battered for five solid years. Can the construction industry be far behind? Matt Chaban digs into the numbers.

February 23 - Crain's New York Business