The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The current observation is that the urban poor are moving to the suburbs. Alon Levy says that this is nothing new, and the current effects of such movement is in fact just the "tipping point" of what's been happening for the last 50 years.

October 2 - Pedestrian Observations

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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt">The Los Angeles Times recently had a <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-solyndra-20110925,0,1536191.story" target="_blank" title="Solyndra's collapse is a tale of too much dazzle">story</a> about the collapse of Solyndra – the once heralded poster-child of the Obama administration’s green jobs plan.  A big part of Solyndra’s demise was due to the rapidly falling price of their competitors’ solar panels.  In 2008, the cost of solar panels was a bit over $4 for each watt generated.  Solyndr

October 1 - Marlon Boarnet

Starting in 2002, the Colorado legislature began to make it easier to foreclose on properties in Colorado. Original loan documents are no longer required to prove the bank actually owns the property.

October 1 - The Denver Post

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In April 2009, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan spoke to the ULI Spring Council Forum in Atlanta; he stated that his administration’s goal was “to put the UD back in HUD,” and explained that HUD’s over-reliance on housing solutions wasn’t helping cities address their complex revitalization needs. Just over two years later, this small new funding program caught my eye on a list of new HUD announcements: <p class="MsoNormal"> *** HUD HOPE VI – $0.5 million<br /> Application Due: August 22, 2011<br /> Eligible Entities: Local governments </p>

October 1 - Jess Zimbabwe

Recent crashes involving the subway in Shanghai has caused speculation that the rails are unsafe and poorly built.

October 1 - Bloomberg

Ecopolis Plaza is a former industrial site that has become an inventive children's park, located roughly 12 miles from the center of Madrid. Nicole Jewell checks it out.

October 1 - Buildipedia

Yes, there will be jobs, and safety has improved since downtown revitalization efforts began over a decade ago. But Pico-Union residents are feeling routinely excluded--and shortchanged--when it comes to decisionmaking.

October 1 - Los Angeles Times

Pending a memorandum of understanding between city and U.N. officials, Manhattan may begin a land swap process that will finally fill in a mile-long gap of greenway along the East River. Lisa R. Foderaro reports.

October 1 - New York Times

La Lignon, a massive 2,780 unit housing project, was built hastily in the 70s in Switzerland to help manage a massive housing crisis. Today, some people call it home and others call it "a monster."

September 30 - The New York Times

Multinational financial services company Citigroup was bailed out by federal stimulus funds after taking large losses on bad mortgages. Today, Citi Foundation is helping fund projects in 10 metro areas to increase stability and prevent foreclosures.

September 30 - Citi

Architect Alan Chang writes an extensive piece for PLACES on the need to rethink how suburbs are built and designed now, before the economy recovers.

September 30 - Places

Cities like San Francisco, Portland and New York are facing a problem most people didn't expect: an overabundance of farmers' markets. Vancouver's planners are keeping the numbers trimmed to make sure the current markets don't wither and die.

September 30 - The Globe and Mail

A promotion by Shell Oil and Lucky supermarkets conflicted with a regional alert to reduce driving due to an ozone alert. Motorists lined up in the morning for free gasoline at a San Francisco Shell station during a 'Spare The Air' Day on Sept. 28.

September 30 - The San Francisco Examiner

Richard Florida examines the stark regional variance behind American unemployment figures. He finds that Bismark and Fargo in North Dakota have least unemployment, while the Californian Central Valley suffers the highest.

September 30 - The Atlantic

Norwegian firm Snøhetta's new design for Times Square pays heed to the historic intersections' lasciviousness, while retaining the popular pedestrianized Broadway.

September 30 - The Atlantic

Recent winner of the Solar Decathlon's affordability category, the Empowerhouse costs under $230,000 to construct and uses an estimated 90% less energy than the typical U.S. home.

September 30 - Fast Company

This Big City readers offer their ideas, from infrastructure-related to marketing, to encourage cycling among more casual riders in London.

September 30 - This Big City

The argument that increased supply of urban housing will lower prices is rapidly being disproved by successive waves of gentrification throughout American cities. Stephen Smith offers a considered analysis of the economics behind this dynamic.

September 29 - Forbes

Philip Langdon criticizes the 'corporate isolationism,' of Apple's new donut shaped headquarters in Cupertino, California.

September 29 - New Urban Network

The UN released new demographic projections Thursday that forecast India's urban population will more than double in the next thirty years. UN Under Secretary General Joan Clos said there is an urgent need to discuss urban issues in response.

September 29 - India Current Affairs