The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In the American city most synonymous with the automobile, car ownership is declining and transit use is increasing. As the country's transportation model enters a decade of profound change, L.A. may provide the 'ultimate test' of the car’s future.

June 21 - Bloomberg

In the 1970s and 80s, bottom-up slum upgrading schemes inspired by the ideas of British-born architect James F.C. Turner benefited tens of thousands of residents of Mumbai. Current policies incentivize top-down redevelopment, harming slum dwellers.

June 21 - Next City

Is it possible for a city to have too many bikes? In Amsterdam, a city known as much for its cycling culture as for its canals, the battle for street space and parking spaces has some residents pondering whether there are too many bikes.

June 21 - The New York Times

Mass demonstrations in Brazil over the past week were sparked by increases to bus fares. But what if buses were free? The Economist makes the argument that, to improve service and decrease congestion, we should study making buses and subways free.

June 21 - The Economist

This toxic emission is not only a threat to public health but also the second largest contributor to global warming, according to CARB. A new study has found that regulations to reduce diesel emissions fight both climate change and air pollution.

June 21 - San Francisco Chronicle

What is the apt metaphor for a city? Machines? Insect colonies? In a new paper, physicist Luis Bettencourt says that if we look to the function of cities we find that they're essentially social reactors that obey universal mathematical parameters.

June 21 - The Atlantic Cities

From parking garages to its bike-share program, and streetscape improvements to trails that integrate nature and city life, Miami has taken a stylish but pedestrian-friendly approach to transportation decisions, says Claudia Kousoulas.

June 21 - Better! Cities & Towns

After Gustave Eiffel turned down an opportunity to build a landmark tower for London, railway magnate Sir Edward Watkin held a world-wide competition to design the icon instead. "Stevie SW9", at Brixton Buzz, explores some of the spectacular entries.

June 21 - Brixton Buzz

BLOG POST

Now is the time for planners to engage in the public debate on vehicle-automation – leaving it to the car-makers and search-engine providers (and their legions of techies) won’t deliver the livability outcomes planners aim to achieve.

June 21 - Scott Le Vine

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments is considering $4 billion in highway expansion projects at a meeting today. With Detroit pursuing several alternative transportation initiatives, is this the best way to spend scarce federal dollars?

June 20 - DC.Streetsblog

Lost amid the protests and heavy-handed police response throughout Turkey is the original debate over the proposed reconstruction of an historic military barracks in Gezi Park. Feargus O’Sullivan says such debates are playing out across Europe.

June 20 - The Atlantic Cities

Asthma, cancer...autism. If you need yet another reason to abhor vehicle emissions and air pollution see a new report published in Environmental Health Perspectives which links in utero exposure to air pollutants to an increased risk of autism.

June 20 - Fast Company Co.Exist

The mass protests that have swept through Brazilian cities over the past week where sparked by planned bus fare increases, but quickly expanded to encompass a variety of complaints. Will the protests end now that fares have been lowered?

June 20 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

While the decline may not be visible, total auto ownership peaked in 2008 according to a new report by Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute. He set out to determine the cause - was it the economic recession?

June 20 - The Atlantic

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and HUD has proposed drastic cuts to Community Development Block Grants and eliminating funding for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and TIGER. The cuts presage coming budget battles.

June 20 - DC.Streetsblog

A new report prepared to inspire NYC's next mayor examines 15 'game-changing reforms' that have been implemented in cities around the world, and could be adapted to help solve New York's most pressing challenges.

June 20 - Center For An Urban Future

Two towers set to transform Hollywood's skyline will alter it just a bit less after developer Millennium agreed to lower their proposed heights by more than a dozen stories. The CA Department of Transportation is raising concerns about the project.

June 20 - Curbed LA

It’s time to recognize that we can’t maintain the roads we have now, and that continuing down the path of highway expansion is both unaffordable and unnecessary, writes Stu Sirota.

June 20 - Better! Cities & Towns

Felicity Barringer looks at an innovative program being tested in Seattle to incentivize commercial property owners to undertake major energy efficiency retrofits. A partnership between skeptical building owners, investors, and utilities is key.

June 20 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

What should graduate students read the summer before entering planning school? For those with some time on their hands the following suggestions can help provide direction.

June 20 - Ann Forsyth