The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

It used to be that visibility was the most important factor in siting a business. This may no longer be the case, argues Kevin Klinkenberg, as smartphones make location irrelevant.

June 2 - New Urbanism Blog

Planned as intensely for the two weeks this summer when the world's attention will be focused on the XXX Olympiad as the decades following the end of the last race, Anthony Faiola examines whether London's Olympics provide a model for future hosts.

June 2 - The Washington Post

Joseph Strauss' dream of spanning the Golden Gate is remarkably similar to Gov. Jerry Brown's of spanning the Golden State with high speed rail, and providing fresh water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Public opposition is the common link.

June 2 - KTVU.Com

Public libraries across America are threatened by reduced staffing, resources, and hours due to budget cuts. However, "little libraries" are popping up in communities across the country as urbanists seek to redefine public space and librarianship.

June 2 - Places

How far outside of New York City do you have to travel to find the suburban pleasures of miniature golf, batting cages, or an Applebee's? Surprise, they can all be found in the five boroughs. Jesse McKinley seeks to explain this phenomenon.

June 2 - The New York Times

If you need any additional indication that bike fever is sweeping North America, check out this video of Norman pedaling through some finely manicured suburban streets. Norman, by the way, is a dog.

June 1 - Treehugger

Richard Florida reports on why America ranks second to last among first world nations for economic mobility; the Northeast remains the most mobile region of the country.

June 1 - Atlantic Cities

An underground nuke-proof second city, a massive 24-lane bridge across the Hudson, an elevated railway to the Statue of Liberty - these are amongst the futuristic visions for New York City shared by <em>Web Urbanist</em>

June 1 - Web Urbanist

Years of public forums and planning exercises aimed at reviving Detroit have left residents craving results. Recent work by the Project for Public Spaces with farmers markets in the city may reveal a replicable avenue for action.

June 1 - PPS: Placemaking Blog

As European bike culture spreads across America, get ready for the next import from Amsterdam - the Beer Bike.

June 1 - The New York Times

As Philadelphia seeks to shift the basis of its property tax system, Catherine Lucey and Jan Ransom report on legislation to be introduced by two City Councilmen that could provide property tax relief to long-time residents of gentrifying areas.

June 1 - philly.com

In the face of New York City's increasing assault on automobiles, Justin Davidson stands up for the pleasures and utility of driving as a key ingredient in the city's multimodal mix of mobility.

June 1 - New York Magazine

While raw density numbers are sure to pick a fight, discussing character-based building typologies one neighborhood at a time may help find common ground.

June 1 - PlaceShakers

Anecdotes about states usurping the power of cities to tax, spend, and regulate abound. But does the sum of these anecdotes add up to a systematic shift away from local governance? A new study attempts to answer this question, reports Eric Jaffe.

June 1 - The Atlantic Cities

Joel Kato speaks with Richard Louv, author and founding chairman of The Children and Nature Network, about his new book and how 'nature-deficit disorder' is making us fat, sick, and depressed.

June 1 - Good

FEATURE

May 31 - Alesia Hsiao

Sabrina Tavernise explores "one of the most important developments in the recent economic history of this country" - the growing divide between metro areas with large numbers of college graduates, and those struggling to keep those they have.

May 31 - The New York Times

A new report released this week seeks to address whether the "urban health advantage" can be extended to more of the world’s population as cities continue to grow in the coming decades, reports Katherine Harmon.

May 31 - Scientific American

Svante Myrick, Ithaca's youngest-ever mayor, is leading the way in transforming how the city thinks about transportation and land use, and he's starting with his own front yard, reports Sarah Laskow.

May 31 - Grist

A new development intending to jump-start downtown Newark's renewal, and designed by Richard Meier, is banking on the stimulating powers of an unlikely economic engine - teachers.

May 31 - Fast Company