The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Spurred by the simmering debate over whether Denise Scott Brown deserves recognition from the Pritzker Prize for her work with her husband Robert Venturi, Justin Davidson explores the nature of designing with your life partner.

June 18 - New York Magazine

Ever wonder just how many prying eyes are watching you as you amble down a city street? A new app seeks to develop a comprehensive catalog of Big Brother's presence by documenting the locations of security cameras covering a city's public spaces.

June 17 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Did you chuckle when the WSJ's Dorothy Rabinowitz said "the bike lobby is an all-powerful enterprise”? Well, "[t]he bicycle lobby is real," say Byron Tau and Caitlin Emma, who explore the increasing clout of those fighting for bike infrastructure.

June 17 - Politico

Portland cement doesn't come close to matching the resiliency of the concrete created by ancient Romans. After years of research, scientists believe they've unraveled the ingredients and production techniques that made Roman concrete so superior.

June 17 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Despite record levels of greenhouse gas emissions, global surface temperatures have risen at a much slower rate over the past 15 years than the 20 years prior. Scientists are struggling to explain a warming plateau.

June 17 - The New York Times

To the chagrin of many state legislators, Gov. Terry Branstad opposes new revenue measures to fund transportation projects, as he believes he is following the wishes of his constituents. Tax cuts, not increases, are on his agenda.

June 17 - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

As Wellington 'Duke' Reiter notes, for the past several decades Phoenix has shown it expertise in horizontal growth. But, as development heats up again after the Great Recession, he says the city's growth must be managed to increase density.

June 17 - azcentral.com

Gated communities were once confined to specific neighborhoods or suburban areas, but as the global financial sector grows, entire cities are becoming gated enclaves where the 'one per cent' network and drive national policies, says Simon Kuper.

June 17 - The Financial Times

As Toronto's condo building boom has transformed the city, it's also helped to transform Canada's housing market. There are warning signs, however, that a surplus of housing in the city threatens to destabilize Canada's entire economy.

June 17 - CBC News

Greg Hinz tours the unfinished 'superstation' under Block 37 in the central Loop, built by the Chicago Transit Authority at a cost of $218 million. It would cost an estimated $150 million to complete, a sum that's unlikely to be raised anytime soon.

June 17 - Crain's Chicago Business

Ian Johnson explores a pivotal moment in China's development, as the country seeks to migrate 250 million rural residents to cities in the next 12 years. Observers speculate on how a comprehensive urbanization plan will achieve this transition.

June 17 - The New York Times

The Telegraph compiles a list of the fastest train trips in the world, from the 90 minute journey from Brussels to Paris at 186 miles per hour to Shanghai's 268 mile per hour maglev train. A new service is poised to join them.

June 16 - The Telegraph

Tax attorney Kelly Phillips Erb pens a colorful narrative upon the 81st birthday of the federal gas tax, showing the interesting history of this now controversial tax. It began on June 6, 1932 to close general budget gaps, not build roads.

June 16 - Forbes

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg proposed sweeping changes to New York City's building code to better prepare the city's built environment for the increasing threats of rising seas and extreme storms that Hurricane Sandy made clear.

June 16 - The New York Times

On Places, Vishaan Chakrabarti argues that the hyperdense city is more prosperous, equitable, ecological and delightful — and vital to America's strength as a nation.

June 16 - Places Journal

'Unruly' protests by residents opposed to planned hikes in the cost of bus fares have shaken Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in the past week. The country has a history of transit fare protests going back 130 years.

June 16 - The New York Times

Across America, TOD is seen as the solution for many of the problems that plague cities. But what if you could get the economic, environmental, and health benefits of transit-oriented development without the billions of dollars in rail investment?

June 15 - MinnPost

As the world's centers of business and politics compete to create ever more lucrative commercial and residential zones, creative spaces are being razed and redeveloped. Is the ability to nurture creativity and diversity being lost in the process?

June 15 - Urban Times

An exhibition opening at the Museum of Modern Art this weekend presents a comprehensive review of the career of Le Corbusier, one of the most influential and controversial architects of the 20th Century. How will it change perceptions of his work?

June 15 - The Atlantic Cities

In a presentation to creditors delivered yesterday, Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr outlined a last-ditch effort to save the city from bankruptcy. Many creditors would have to agree to receive less than 10 cents on the dollar.

June 15 - Detroit Free Press