The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The fractured state of planning at various levels of government in the U.S. is limiting the potential of good ideas, according to this critique from <em>Next American City</em>.

October 13 - Next American City

Architecture professor William W. Braham examines the growing trend of "self-powered", "zero-energy" and "zero waste" buildings through the lens of survivalism.

October 13 - Places

A group in Detroit has begun an effort to sell of one-inch parcels of land in the city for $1.

October 13 - Boing Boing

The human-powered monorail concept Shweeb recently gained a huge boost from a $1 million investment from Google, but urban thinkers question the relevance of the unusual transportation system.

October 13 - CNN

A new pedestrian bridge, recently opened near a BART station in the San Francisco Bay Area, is an example of why the high price of good design can sometimes be worth it.

October 12 - San Francisco Chronicle

Arizona's long-standing open range laws allow cattle to roam freely, but the state is now reconsidering the laws as residents of the West's suburban subdivisions are growing more frustrated by encounters with roaming cattle.

October 12 - New York Times

Heather Mac Donald defends a contentious law, spurred by frustration over migratory youths in Haight-Ashbury, that would ban sitting or lying on city sidewalks between 7 AM and 11 PM.

October 12 - City Journal

An ambitious eco-city is going up in Portugal, complete with a central "brain" that monitors feedback on water, energy and transport systems.

October 12 - NewScientist

A new video game has been released that has players trying to solve urban issues and make cities work better. <em>Next American City</em> columnist Christian Madera reviews.

October 12 - Next American City

As London redevelops its troubled East End ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers are warning against the post-event developments turning into ghettos of the middle class.

October 12 - Building Design

Germany's Ruhr region, a former coal and steel powerhouse that fell into decline, has shown major improvements in recent years, offering hope for other post-industrial cities.

October 12 - Citiwire

Telluride, CO just became the latest U.S. city to ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags, following on the heels of communities in California, North Carolina, Alaska, Connecticut, and Washington.

October 12 - USA Today

The new system is designed to reduce travel time along a heavily congested north-south route on the city's East Side. However, unfamiliar ticketing protocols led to passenger confusion on the first day of operation.

October 12 - The New York Times

A new community kitchen and pie-baking program in small town Alabama is trying to help a struggling and impoverished area rebound.

October 12 - The New York Times

In 2009, smaller metro areas benefited from increased government spending while many of the country’s wealthiest areas saw incomes decrease.

October 11 - BusinessWeek

While bicycle ridership has been boosted by improvements to infrastructure, what is keeping cyclists safest may simply be more of their own kind on the road.

October 11 - Grist

Aerial trams connecting New York City to Roosevelt Island are going to be back in operation next month. But will enough people want to ride these "sky bubbles" over the East River?

October 11 - The New York Times

New Jersey wants billions in federal money for its ARC project, but NJ Transit's commuter rail service is too often just a subsidy to the rich and an excuse not to develop North Jersey, says Stephen Smith.

October 11 - Market Urbanism

The European Investment Bank raised $80 billion for projects last year alone. Should the Obama’s proposed program adopt a similar model?

October 11 - Streetsblog

Richard Florida argues that edge cities ravaged by the recession should take cues from urban development patterns to spur growth.

October 11 - The Wall Street Journal