The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A newly adopted master plan seeks to transform Philadelphia's underperforming industrial belt along the Lower Schuylkill River into a modern manufacturing hub.

June 7 - The Architect's Newspaper

A bill aimed to 'modernize' California's landmark environmental law passed the state's Senate by a vote of 39-0, and its chances of being signed into law appear strong. A bill to revive redevelopment advanced, but seems destined to be vetoed.

June 7 - California Planning & Development Report

This week, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald unveiled how he and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson would like to spend the nearly $100 million in surplus revenues that had been set aside for a downtown project. Steven Litt likes what he heard.

June 7 - The Plain Dealer

The cancellation of the Hirshhorn Museum's bubble project has Dan Malouff pondering the role of the National Mall. Should it be an urban room whose buildings define its open space, or the setting for risk-taking architecture?

June 7 - Greater Greater Washington

New data indicates that housing prices are rising unequally across the United States, with the least affordable markets rising faster than more affordable ones. The growing gap could have implications for demographic trends and housing policies.

June 7 - Trulia

Just last year, the market for electric cars in the U.S. seemed to be experiencing a crisis. But a 'recent spate of cheap lease deals' have customers clamoring for vehicles and dealers turning them away, report Jerry Hirsch and Brian Thevenot.

June 7 - Los Angeles Times

The DoE recently updated its energy-efficiency standards for microwaves. Big deal, right? Actually, observes Brad Plumer, by upping the 'social cost of carbon' used to calculate the benefits of the rule, the government has made a big shift.

June 6 - The Washington Post

Software problems delayed the launch of New York City's bike share program for nearly a year. Now that the system has launched, technical problems persist. Will they threaten its success?

June 6 - Reuters

It's remote, it's small, and it's situated in a decidedly red state. So why in the world does Salt Lake City lead the U.S. in per-capita transit spending? Angie Schmitt explains the city's unlikely story.

June 6 - DC.Streetsblog

Christopher Alan, founder of Auto Parkit, the only automated parking company in the US competitive with traditional parking, spoke with The Planning Report about how his experience as a real estate developer in LA led to a parking opportunity.

June 6 - The Planning Report

The long-awaited "Taxi of Tomorrow", which was specifically designed for use in New York City by Nissan, got a workout on the city's streets this week in advance of the fleet's arrival in October.

June 6 - The New York Times

One of Los Angeles's most congested corridors may have gotten a bit more congested this week - for autos that is - as the first segment of an eventual 12.5 miles of bus only lanes opened along Wilshire Boulevard.

June 6 - Los Angeles Times

Poverty is now more widespread in America's suburbs than its cities. But the suburbs of some cities are experiencing more dramatic increases than others. 24/7 Wall St. examines the top 10 sources of suburban poverty.

June 6 - 24/7 Wall St.

A federal court has ruled that a proposed highway expansion said to be the largest single transportation project in Wisconsin history must consider regional impacts (on sprawl and transit-dependent populations) in its environmental analysis.

June 6 - NRDC Switchboard

According to Jim Titus, two federal government agencies will withdraw their claims that bike helmets are "85% effective".

June 6 - Greater Greater Washington

On Wednesday, a four-story building that was being demolished in downtown Philadelphia collapsed on top of a neighboring store, killing one person and injuring several people. According to Inga Saffron, the city bears some responsibility.

June 6 - philly.com

While new data from the FBI shows that violent crime is on the rise across the U.S. after five years of large declines, John Roman and Laura Pacifici argue that the modest increases don't necessarily predict the reversal of long-term trends.

June 5 - Urban Institute: MetroTrends Blog

Emily Badger looks at the latest "ParkScore" rankings released by the Trust for Public Land (TPL). Using advanced GIS, TPL ranks America's fifty largest cities by evaluating factors including park access, size, services and investment.

June 5 - The Atlantic Cities

The American Prairie Foundation is piecing together 500,000 acres of privately owned land across the Great Plains to join with three million acres of public land in forming one of the world’s largest wildlife reserves.

June 5 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Much to the chagrin of those who partake in the city's congested commute, cars dominate as Atlantans' prime means of mobility. The city's wildly ambitious BeltLine project seeks to change this, but can it be built fast enough to have an impact?

June 5 - ASLA The Dirt