The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Haitians displaced from their home by the devastating earthquake in January have set up camp along a highway median.

June 3 - NPR

Although overall household driving is down, the number of miles families log for shopping continues to climb, according to new federal data.

June 3 - New Rules Project

Cisco is contributing technology to Songdo City in South Korea, a brand new and complete city for a million people. China plans to build hundreds of these "cities-in-a-box" as a massive rural-to-urban migration occurs there.

June 3 - San Jose Mercury News

After backing down on a campaign promise to remove a U.S. military installation from the prefecture of Okinawa, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has been forced to resign.

June 3 - The New York Times

<em>National Journal</em> asks its panel of transportation experts whether mass transit agencies really deserve $2 billion in emergency operating aid.

June 3 - National Journal

San Francisco's transportation agency has proposed the installation of parking meters in a handful of neighborhoods that dynamically change their prices according to the time of day and the related demand.

June 3 - San Francisco Examiner

<em>Greater Greater Washington</em>'s Daniel Nairn wanted a planning-related poster for his wall. So he created one (admittedly nerdy) poster comparing the various grids of American cities.

June 3 - Greater Greater Washington

FEATURE

Maureen McAvey, Executive Vice President with the Urban Land Institute, spoke recently to a congressional committee on the growing problem of federal buildings that are designed with myopic attention to security and ignore urban growth strategies.

June 3 - Maureen McAvey

A pedestrian in Park City, UT followed her downloaded Google map onto a four-lane road sans sidewalks. She was hit by a motorist before reaching the median. Lauren Rosenberg is seeking $100,000 in a federal lawsuit.

June 2 - The Guardian

At the Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control center (ATSAC) near City Hall in Los Angeles, a team of engineers watches traffic flow all over the city, sucking in tons of data to improve transit and automotive circulation.

June 2 - GOOD Magazine

Manhattanites are no stranger to 350 sq ft apartments, but Southern Californians? Tiny apartments in Santa Monica are popular, increasing access to amenities in a very expensive market.

June 2 - Kansas City Star

Can health care costs be factored into transportation investments? Should they? The American Public Health Association says an emphatic 'yes' to both. Results are reported in a 12-page report that includes cost savings from walkable urban design.

June 2 - Grist

A group of planners and designers recently headed out to audit Petrossian Square in Manhattan, carefully observing how people use the space.

June 2 - Planning Commissioners Journal

BLOG POST

<p> In a <a href="/node/44089">recent Planetizen post</a> I argued that the unfolding oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may be perhaps our last warning to move more aggressively on renewable energy and a less energy-dependent built environment. What follows is an effort to outline additional implications for planning, to gain an understanding of the scale of this emergency and how it may impact planning in the months and years to come. Ecologically, economically and socially this is going to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.  </p>

June 2 - Michael Dudley

Landowners in Gunnison, Colorado are claiming that rafters passing through on the banks of the Gunnison River are trespassing. Do property rights extend into the water?

June 2 - On The Commons

Famed architect Leon Krier says that "metropolitan development is a mistake and is unsustainable," calling for a more polycentric approach.

June 2 - The Urban Vision

In the capital city of Astana, temperatures can drop to -40F. Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev says the city is fighting the cold by building an entirely indoor city, under a dome 2 kilometers across.

June 2 - The Telegraph

It's the nation's shortest commuter route, less than 3 miles with no intermediary stops. The train composed of two electrified cars, with presidential history in its 145 years. If Princeton University has its way, it will soon be replaced by a bus.

June 2 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

This article from <em>The Daily Mail</em> takes a historical look at ten maps that changed the world.

June 2 - The Daily Mail

Amidst flooding and tropical storms, the giant sinkhole in downtown Guatemala City is capturing attention worldwide. The Sydney Morning Herald looks into how it was caused.

June 1 - The Sydney Morning Herald