The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Patrick Doyle makes a persuasive argument for alleviating Boston's parking problems by raising the rates at the city's overly cheap parking meters.

November 9 - Boston Magazine

In the aftermath of the seemingly narrow defeat of his pet measure to speed up the expansion of L.A.'s transit infrastructure, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa remains unbowed in his attempts to accelerate his key initiative, writes Ari Bloomekatz.

November 9 - Los Angeles Times

Across America, arcane zoning regulations and building codes prevent some of the most promising sustainable techniques and technologies from being built. A project based in Oregon aims to make land use regulations friendlier for greener building.

November 9 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Pres. Obama was accused of 'waging a war on coal' - rightly or wrongly, and the fossil fuel industry pumped funds heavily into his opponent's campaign, while environmentalists backed the president. How will this affect federal energy policy?

November 9 - The Washington Post - Health & Science

What do recent national politics have to do with transportation planning? For Sarah Goodyear, the connection is clear: it's about having access to good data for solving real-world problems.

November 9 - The Atlantic Cities

In response to a formal request from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has agreed to study potential changes to D.C.'s Height of Buildings Act of 1910, a step that could result in the eventual change of the controversial law.

November 8 - The Washington Post

That didn't take long. A few short months after Philadelphia enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code, the City Council is already considering changes to the document, including increasing parking requirements.

November 8 - philly.com

From beach towns to UNESCO World Heritage Sites to sleek, modern capitals, Africa is home to a complex diversity of urban environments. Yolaan Begbie explores the 10 most livable, for those "[t]hinking about making a move to the continent."

November 8 - Africa.com

Tom Madrecki has compiled a roundup of how local land use and transportation related measures fared on Tuesday night. From Maine to Marin, voters approved initiatives to invest in transit, parks, redevelopment, and conservation.

November 8 - Smart Growth America

Was <em>not enough</em> transit spending the culprit for the narrow rejection of Los Angeles County's Measure J initiative, which aimed to speed up construction of a host of the region's transit projects from 30 to 10 years? Damien Newton thinks so.

November 8 - LA.Streetsblog

"The City That Never Was" is the title of an upcoming symposium, and series of essays, organized by the Architectural League of NY to explore two decades of growth and decline in Spain through the prism of unrealized architectural ambitions.

November 8 - The Architectural League NY

A tower proposed by William Gottlieb Real Estate for a site adjacent to the High Line, being designed by architect Jeanne Gang, "promises to be one of the most talked-about buildings in New York," if it can get planning approval.

November 8 - Architectural Record

Planning policies related to the economy and environment are easier to measure, but Hazel Borys asks, "how do we measure national happiness, well-being, and social capital as they relate to the way we plan our neighborhoods, towns and cities?”

November 8 - Better Cities & Towns

Former Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and chair of the House Transportation Committee was ousted by Chip Cravaack (R) in 2010, who took his seat on the committee and proceeded to gut Oberstar's goals. Cravaack was ousted by Rick Nolan (D), on Nov. 6.

November 8 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

In a project initiated by the Sustainability Institute, and backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, development experts are taking innovative steps to address South Africa’s housing shortage.

November 8 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

Greetings from Manila where I'm attending the Asian Development Bank's Transport Forum 2012. It is an exciting and important event: the types of transport planning investments that the bank supports now can have huge impacts on the nature of future.

November 7 - Todd Litman

As an increasing percentage of the world's population, and economic assets, confront the threats of climate change, the aftermath of Sandy provides an opportunity for New York to set a global example for building stronger, smarter cities.

November 7 - New York Daily News

A collective of practitioners, students, academics and activists have drafted a manifesto aimed at examining the current state of planning in the United Kingdom, and the scope for radical, alternative approaches, reports Cristiana Strava.

November 7 - POLIS

A recent study documents the shift from large-scale units of production to smaller mass-produced units that can be dispersed across many locations. This shift promises to change a host of industries, from transportation to power generation.

November 7 - Science Daily

With the aftermath of Sandy fresh on voters' minds, and the debate about the causes and effects of climate change seemingly reinvigorated, Grist examines whether those forces translated into support for green initiatives across the country.

November 7 - Grist