The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Will Digital Divide in Kansas City Exacerbate its Historic Racial Divide?

The competition to determine which communities in Kansas City will qualify to receive Google Fiber, the nation's fastest internet service, has stoked fears of increasing the city's historic patterns of segregation, reports John Eligon.

September 11 - The New York Times

Will Visions of a Vegas on the Manzanares Materialize?

Late last week, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson announced that Madrid had won the competition to become the future location of Europe's "largest gambling mecca," reports Giles Tremlett. Questions regarding the project's viability remain.

September 11 - The Guardian

Facing the Hard Facts of Economic Development

Can community building deliver more jobs than trying to lure back an industrial sector that's been leaving the U.S. for decades?

September 11 - PlaceShakers

Who Defines New York's Nabes? For Starters Look to These Amateur Mapmakers

In New York, neighborhood boundaries are big business. Just ask any real estate agent who's tried to pass off a Gowanus apartment as being in Park Slope. Since the city does not officially define boundaries, amateurs are filling the void.

September 10 - The New York Times

Steer Clear of the 5 Most Dangerous Roads in the World

Writing for <em>Yahoo! Travel</em>, Aefa Mulholland identifies five of the most dangerous roads in the world - from India's chaotic city streets to Bolivia's mountain hugging back roads.

September 10 - Yahoo! Travel


Are Democrats Really the Party of Urban America?

Will Doing wonders why, at the Democratic National Convention last week, the challenges facing cities, and the benefits they bring to the country, were never mentioned.

September 10 - Salon

Shadow of the Wall Remains Visible in Still-Divided Berlin

The no man's land once occupied by the Berlin Wall has been the focus of redevelopment efforts for nearly two and a half decades now. But the slow pace of rebuilding means the scars of the Cold War remain visible across the city's landscape.

September 10 - The Wall Street Journal


Cycling Renaissance Races Across America

From coast to coast, cities across the United States are experiencing a rise in bicycling. Local governments are leading the peloton, with cycle-friendly policies and increases in government funding spurring a municipal pedal pursuit.

September 10 - The Economist

Arizona Activist Defends Planning from Tea Party Assault

Greg Hanscom profiles Stacey Champion, an environmental consultant and PR specialist who uncovered, and defeated, shady efforts to ban sustainability planning in Arizona.

September 10 - Grist

Land Use Battles a Blight on City Budgets

The recent bankruptcy of the California city of Mammoth Lakes - brought on by a $43 million court decision in favor of a developer - is an extreme example of the cost of land use disputes. But it's indicative of a widespread problem in the state.

September 10 - Los Angeles Times

Is Downtown Any Place to Raise a Family?

Certainly, says Brent Toderian. And with children "the indicator species of a great neighbourhood," he argues that cities should be designed with families in mind.

September 10 - HuffPost British Columbia

Presidential Candidates Address Climate Change

The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates could not have more different approaches to climate change. Mitt Romney joked about it in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention while President Obama vowed to reduce carbon pollution

September 10 - Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E) Public Version

With Town Center Projects, Can the Suburbs Challenge Cities Yet Again?

Chasing the widespread interest in city living, developers are exporting mixed-use urbanism to the suburbs and exurbs as "town center" projects, prompting Jonathan O’Connell to ask if "a city can be a city if it’s built in the middle of a cornfield."

September 10 - The Washington Post

Philly Prioritizes Public Access with Hiring of Chief Data Officer

Self-described "civic hacking veteran" Mark Headd has joined Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's administration as the city's first "chief data officer," with the mission of "improving public access to information the city collects."

September 9 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Buffalo Dusts Itself Off

After years wasted trying to implement large-scale redevelopment of its formerly industrial waterfront, Buffalo is cleaning up its shores from the ground up, reports Daniel Robison.

September 9 - NPR

The Many Benefits of 'Multiblock Underground Shared Parking'

The urban parking garage gets an overhaul with the innovation of multiblock parking. By constructing underneath multiple blocks, developers and cities can improve parking efficiencies and lower costs.

September 9 - Urban Land Magazine

It May Be Choking Our Environment and Economy, but Sprawl Sure is Pretty

German photographer Christoph Gielen has trained his artistic eye on America's suburbs, capturing aerial images of sprawl "in all its geometric glory" in order to "startle the viewers," reports Ariel Schwartz.

September 9 - Fast Company Co.Exist

A Plea for Proper Water Management in India's Cities

Indian cities boast of huge GDP contributions, but cannot fulfill the basic needs of their citizens, such as providing safe drinking water. Central government funding has enabled some improvements in the urban water sector, but much more is needed.

September 9 - Business Standard

Want to Triple Highway Capacity? Put Robot Cars on the Road

A new study on the potential benefits of autonomous cars concludes that "platooning" self-driving vehicles could increase highway efficiency by 273 percent, reports Devin Coldewey.

September 8 - NBC

Sunny California Is Getting a Whole Lot Warmer

With the number of days of 'extreme heat' on the rise, and dramatic increases projected, will global warming melt the Golden State?

September 8 - Grist

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City of Thousand Oaks

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City of Wisconsin Rapids

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Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.