The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Map Shows Correlation Between Poverty and Riots in London

This interactive map from <em>The Guardian</em> overlays recent incidences of rioting in greater London with levels of poverty.

August 10 - The Guardian

Huge Dam Moves Forward on the Nile

Ethiopia is planning to construct a large hydroelectric dam on the Nile River to supply power for itself and neighboring countries.

August 10 - National Geographic

Making Money in Public Transit

Public transit is expensive, and most transit agencies don't make money. But Hong Kong's MTR is different.

August 10 - Citiwire

FAA Impasse Is Omen For Rural America

Four thousand FAA workers furloughed and 70,000 contractors were laid off as a result of a congressional disagreement on subsidies to rural airports and a labor provision.

August 10 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

Community Building Through Soccer in Detroit

A neighborhood-based soccer league in Detroit is becoming a new community building effort in the city.

August 10 - The Detroit Free Press


Making Places in Houston

Houston is leading the way in creating new public spaces. This article from The Project for Public Spaces looks at a few of the city's efforts.

August 10 - Project For Public Spaces

Reinterpreting the City Clutter of Utility Boxes

Utility boxes are cluttering city streets all over the world. But they're not going away, and cities should start to try to find new ways to blend them into the urban fabric, according to this article from the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em>.

August 10 - San Francisco Chronicle


Bringing New Life to Urban Rail Lines

Cities across the country are breathing new life into abandoned and disused inner city rail lines.

August 9 - The New York Times

London's 19th Century Train Station Injects a 21st Century Design

London's King's Cross train station's western concourse showcases a 140-meter wide canopy, the largest single-span station structure in Europe. New technology like solar cells and old infrastructure blend together to enhance the station.

August 9 - The Independent (UK)

Why Public Art?

Public art plays a role in cities across the world. But what role exactly, and for what purpose? <em>Glass House Conversations</em> explores these questions in this series.

August 9 - Glass House Conversations

Nation's Poor Reside in Suburbs

Suburban growth has coincided with the increase in immigrant population. Yet, while immigrants account for 30 percent suburban population growth, they account for only a fifth of the increase in the poor population, a recent Brookings study showed.

August 9 - Brookings

"My City is Burning"

As rioting spreads across England, journalist Laurie Penny argues that structural inequalities have been ignored for so long that Britain's disenfranchised youth feel they have no stake in society.

August 9 - CommonDreams

U.S. Credit Downgrade, Recession Fears May Impact States, Cities

States' borrowing ability may be limited and federal deficit reductions are expected to leave municipal market in limbo, report Kathy Bergen, Kristen Mack and Monique Garcia for Chicago Tribune.

August 9 - Chicago Tribune

Pedestrians' Dangerous Walk in Mumbai

The doubling of car traffic in the past 20 years in Mumbai has created a transit culture that has become dangerous for pedestrians. More than 44 percent of Mumbai citizens walk to work, and 78 percent road fatalities are pedestrians, a study finds.

August 9 - The Times Of India

Reinventing the Homeless Shelter

The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center in Dallas has saved the city an estimated $3 million in jail time and homeless management. Architecture gets some of the credit.

August 9 - Next American City

Targeted, Hyper-Dense Neighborhoods Can Reduce Emissions

Alex Steffen presents the idea that by focusing development into "hyperdense" communities you create a host of benefits that reduce climate change by reducing trips.

August 9 - TED

Hot "High Line" Firm Designing Small Park in Santa Monica

With no "rusting relic" like The High Line's trestle to hang the design on, will James Corner Field Operations create a memorable public park for Santa Monica's coastline?

August 9 - The Los Angeles Times

Building in an Impossibly Narrow Spot

Israeli writer Etgar Keret has commissioned a home to be built in the narrow space between two buildings in Warsaw, Poland. The house will be 4 feet across at the widest point.

August 8 - Fast Company Design

Surprising Advice for Peninsula Planners

San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King cautions against too much redevelopment and not enough preservation along El Camino Real in San Mateo County, where a major initiative is attempting to change much of the corridor's character.

August 8 - San Francisco Chronicle

Entertainment Industry is Now an Urban Business

With digital cinematography replacing location shooting and huge soundstages, the entertainment industry is becoming a lucrative, sought-after tenant in downtowns and urban areas.

August 8 - Urban Land

Post News
Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

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.