The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Sally Augustin stumbled upon a curved park bench at the heart of a public space, and found herself drawn into the brilliance of its curves.

May 24 - Metropolis Magazine

A new report from the Cato Institute says that tax-increment financing (TIFs) costs taxpayers $10 billion a year and the practice is growing by the minute.

May 24 - The Antiplanner

Is Park Place next? In Atlantic City, the newly-created Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) has taken control of the city's casino district.

May 24 - The Architect's Newspaper

As part of a series of articles on the future of transportation in the U.S., the Wall St. Journal says the time may finally have arrived for the retro-futurism of the monorail.

May 23 - The Wall St. Journal

Landscape architect James Corner, whose eponymous firm designed the High Line, turns its attention to Seattle. Last week, Corner presented his plans for reorienting the city towards the waterfront.

May 23 - The Seattle Times

The highest gas prices since the summer of 2008 have the two political parties taking separate approaches toward the oil industry - each showing how effective they are at killing each other's plans.

May 23 - The New York Times - Editorial

Climate scientists have warned Chicago's planners that the City will be significantly warmer and wetter by the end of theentury. And from street trees to building standards, that message is infiltrating Chicago's planning and design.

May 23 - A City Prepares for a Warm Long-Term Forecast

A look at the pedestrian scramble in the Shibuya District of Tokyo, Japan.

May 23 - Los Angeles Times

Bill Fulton writes about the shift from permanent, full-time jobs to "1099 jobs": hourly, contract work that is becoming more and more common. If 1099 jobs take over the economy, how can economic developers do <em>their</em> job?

May 23 - Governing Magazine

FEATURE

Deteriorating commercial strips are commonplace in today's auto-oriented suburbs. Errin Welty outlines her strategy for turning stagnating strips into vibrant shopping districts.

May 23 - Errin Welty

Can drivers be scared into being more careful around pedestrians? A new scare tactic is in the works for the common WALK/DON'T WALK traffic light.

May 23 - Fast Company

An intermodal rail station planned for Northeastern Pennsylvania is identified by local unions as an excellent business opportunity for short-haul freight.

May 23 - The Standard Speaker

Old Urbanist argues that zoning has never effectively preserved property values, but has done exactly the opposite by not allowing more valuable uses to replace less valuable ones.

May 23 - Old Urbanist

The Actual Cafe in Oakland, California proudly opened an extension of their space last Wednesday into a parking space, creating a parklet for customers. Later that evening, someone stole the whole thing.

May 23 - Oakland Local

NPR's Joel Rose interviews Streetsblog founder and Brooklyn Prospect Park West bike lane advocate Aaron Naparstek, and bike lane opponents for this 3-minute, "All Things Considered" radio story on New York's most controversial bike lane.

May 22 - NPR:All Things Considered

Those are the building blocks of landscape architect Piet Oudolf, leader of the "new perennial movement" that strives to use only perennial plants. A new book showcases his work.

May 22 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

In this series from <em>Glass House Conversations</em>, journalist Greg Lindsay asks what the successful cities of the future will look like, and whether or not they should be built from scratch.

May 22 - Glass House Conversations

Urban design is increasingly linked with poor health conditions. <em>Grist</em>'s Sarah Goodyear explains how cities are literally killing people.

May 21 - Grist

Keeping America innovative means maintaining its power to lure in immigrants, according to this article. But as it argues, that lure is fading.

May 21 - The Wall Street Jounal

Some residents of St. George, Missouri, population 1,300, are circulating a petition for the November ballot that would disband their town and put them under the jurisdiction of St. Louis County.

May 21 - The St. Louis Post-Dispatch