The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Architecture Projects with a Regional Mindframe

An increasing amount of architecture projects in the U.S. are taking regional concerns like water and energy production into consideration.

May 14 - Architect

Overflow Plant Aims to Reduce Sewage Contamination

A new sewage plant has opened in New York that hopes to reduce the amount of sewage overflow when storms overwhelm the city's combined sewage and stormwater system.

May 14 - The New York Times

Floating Walkway Planned for London Olympics

Officials in London are considering a plan to build a 1-kilometer floating walkway on the Thames River in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

May 14 - BBC

NYC Streets Transformation a Cause for Celebration

A number of articles have recently been written criticizing New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for dramatically changing the city's mobility. This column from <em>Metropolis</em> says that criticism is misdirected.

May 14 - Metropolis

Touring Smallness in Hong Kong Housing

A recent tour through housing developments in Hong Kong shows that the large spaces Americans treasure in homes are not necessarily the best method for urbanizing areas, according to this post.

May 14 - Sustainable Cities Collective


Planning Slips From San Diego's Org Chart

Last month, the planning department of the City of San Diego was folded into the Development Services Department. Locals worry the shift in perspective will endanger plans being developed in a dozen different neighborhoods.

May 13 - OB Rag

The Best and Worst Cities for Transit

The Brookings Institution recently analyzed the top 100 metropolitan areas in the U.S. to see how easy it is to use transit. <em>Time</em> presents the best and worst from the list, which includes some surprises.

May 13 - Time


Trying To Reclaim and Reuse Abandoned Land in Philadelphia

Community groups in Philadelphia are trying to remake blighted vacant properties into community gardens and neighborhood amenities.

May 13 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Cities at Risk from Political Budget Cuts

Mary Newsom comes away from a conference on cities concerned that the gains of the past decades in cities - improved transit, downtown revitalization - could be destroyed by budget cuts.

May 13 - Citiwire.net

Iceland's Comeback is Based in Place

An extensive profile of the recovering Iceland paints a picture of a place that is overthrowing its boom-time banker's persona and rebuilding on the unique strengths of its culture.

May 13 - The New York Times

Chilean Dam Project Approved Amid Controversy

A plan approved to build a $7 billion dam in Chile has some worried about the loss of land, but others excited about looming economic opportunities.

May 13 - The Washington Post

Isolation and Dissatisfaction in the Suburbs

A new study looking at neighborhood satisfaction finds that people living in the suburbs are less satisfied than urban dwellers.

May 13 - Men's Health

Reflecting on Daley's Mixed Design Legacy in Chicago

After 22 years in office, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is leaving office. This piece looks back on his mixed impact on the urban design of the city.

May 13 - Chicago Tribune

Sea Levels Rise Along Pacific Coast

Climatic shifts and periodic weather patterns are bringing sea levels up along the Pacific coast, which is causing many scientists concern about how coastal regions will be able to react.

May 13 - The New York Times

Supermarkets Designed to Make You Fat

Access to healthy food is a major issue in public health. But just because there's a grocery store nearby doesn't mean health will improve. One entrepreneur looking at supermarket design says the way stores are laid out negatively affects health.

May 13 - The Atlantic

Reasons That the Home Building Biz is Still Busted

Witold Rybczynski writes the epitaph for the McMansion. With the housing market in the toilet, Rybczynski says new homebuyers are going to be seeking something smaller, more affordable and possibly not a single-family home.

May 12 - Slate

Mega-Events Take Toll on Brazil's Slum Dwellers

This op-ed from <em>Al Jazeera</em> looks at some of the negative ways preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are affecting the poor in Brazil.

May 12 - Al Jazeera

Following Up on Dire Predictions About Water in the West

25 years after the publication of Cadillac Desert, scientists have scrutinized the predictions of the hallmark history of water in the Western U.S. and find that its dire warnings are not far off.

May 12 - Miller-McCune

Do You Approve or Disapprove of Public Art?

An independent group is seeking to "ignite essential discussions about art in Los Angeles" by getting locals to put APPROVE or DISAPPROVE stickers on public art around the city.

May 12 - MOCA-latte

FEATURE

Charles Moore's Los Angeles

Architect Charles Moore was an intellect and practitioner that loved Los Angeles, pushing the envelope of the city's nostalgia and utopianism while simultaneously embracing them, says urban designer Vinayak Bharne.

May 12 - Vinayak Bharne

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