The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

An interview with Tim McOsker, one of the three appointees charged by Governor Jerry Brown to wind down the affairs of the Los Angeles CRA, reveals an insider's experience of the complexities of respecting contracts and mandates.

March 2 - The Planning Report

Jason Jordan reports on House and Senate subcommittee hearings this week that focused on water infrastructure concerns and a proposed new program to better address funding and financing options.

March 2 - APA

Stockton, a city of 300,000 in California's ailing Central Valley, may become the largest city in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy. Agreements with public employee unions and major bond creditors may be all that stand in the way of default.

March 1 - The New York Times - U.S.

Lloyd Alter weighs in on the debate over the shrinking, or growing, size of American homes, seeing the influence of affluent homebuyers as driving an increase in size.

March 1 - Treehugger

Jason Kambitsis speaks with Bruce Katz, the founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, about his advocacy for taking a fundamentally different approach to urban development based on economic diversification.

March 1 - Wired: Autopia

For the final topic in its blog series Lab Notes I, the BMW Guggenheim Lab has enlisted June Williamson to address repurposing buildings and urban infrastructure for more productive uses.

March 1 - LAB|log

A current cause for citizen activism in China is the lack of public restrooms for women, writes Sharon LaFraniere. Recent efforts to stage "Occupy Men's Toilets" campaigns in multiple cities have garnered attention from the press, and authorities.

March 1 - The New York Times

Sarah Lai Stirland reports on the new bill, that was to be voted on by the City Council on Wednesday, which would codify many of the principles articulated by open government advocates in recent years.

March 1 - Tech President

According to Nate Berg, they're not to be found in the country's new megacities. In an article for The Atlantic Cities, Berg discusses a recent paper analyzing the outdated law preventing China's growth and prosperity from trickling down.

March 1 - The Atlantic Cities

Kaid Benfield reports on the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology's robust, interactive Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, a fantastic resource for location-specific information, including housing and transportation costs.

March 1 - Switchboard

Brian Heaton reports on a new app being tested by the City of Boston that can automatically detect and map potholes, using your smartphone, as you drive on the city’s street.

March 1 - Government Technology

The House is working to amend its transportation bill, but what takes its place is far from certain. Burgess Everett reports on speculation that the GOP is aiming to shorten the length to two years, and make a host of other changes.

March 1 - Politico

John Cary doesn't mourn the "death of architecture" prophesied by many, but rather sees it as an opportunity to refocus the profession for the benefit of society.

February 29 - Good

Tech Crunch's Jay Donovan reports on a new app developed by Metaio, a leader in Augmented Reality technology, that allows users to map their own 3D space with a smartphone or tablet. The possibilities for planners and designers seem endless.

February 29 - Tech Crunch

In response to an eye-opening Atlantic Cities article about the lack of enforcement of traffic laws in NYC, especially as it contributes to pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths, four esteemed debaters offer opinions on how to improve safety.

February 29 - The New York Times - Room For Debate

IBM is partnering with the Miami Dolphins to bring its "Smarter Cities" technology to South Florida's Sun Life Stadium, reports Sam Laird.

February 29 - Mashable

In the real estate market best known for creative acronyms (DUMBO anyone?), perhaps the only thing missing from this neighborhood is a catchy name, writes Alison Gregor. Trump Town anyone?

February 29 - The New York Times

<em>ScienceDaily</em> reports on a new study by researchers from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which shows that what used to be considered a 'Storm of the Century' may soon become a 'Storm of the Decade.'

February 29 - ScienceDaily

Sam Lubell looks at the growth of Southern California as an architectural manufacturing center, reflecting larger trends in manufacturing that require higher-skilled labor to produce more sophisticated products.

February 29 - The Architect's Newspaper

Amidst shrinking municipal budgets and a Tea Party led backlash against government spending, Nate Berg reports on one New Jersey town's effort to completely eliminate its Department of Public Works. Is this the beginning of a trend or an aberration?

February 29 - The Atlantic Cities