The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Miami probably isn't the first city you think of when it comes to the efficiency of its road infrastructure. New York, yes. San Francisco or Boston, maybe. But Miami? Chris Dickersin-Prokopp explains the surprising results culled from census data.

April 16 - Greater Greater Washington

Heather Haddon examines the effect that the Garden State's prohibition-era liquor laws, which restrict the number of liquor licenses per town, are having on efforts to revitalize small downtowns across New Jersey.

April 16 - The Wall Street Journal

Kathryn W. Wolfe takes President Obama to task on his fiscal 2014, $77 billion transportation budget - not in where the money goes but where it comes from. How often can the 'peace dividend' be justifiably used as a funding source?

April 16 - Politico

Any suspected motives for the tragic events that unfolded near the finish of the Boston Marathon yesterday are conjecture as of the writing of this post. But Nicholas Thompson endeavors to explain the meaning of this celebrated event.

April 16 - The New Yorker

Gary Gero, President of Climate Action Reserve, discusses his organization's work drafting carbon offset protocols for the California Air Resources Board's cap-and-trade program.

April 15 - The Planning Report

MN Gov. Mark Dayton, fearing that a statewide gas tax increase lacks popular support, will not back the legislature's proposal to raise it, but has affirmed his support for a regional general sales tax for transit. But it may not be that easy.

April 15 - StarTribune (Minneapolis)

The last several decades have seen a mass migration of American Indians from reservations to North America's urban areas, but federal funds that are supposed to assist them have not followed. Answers are elusive for how to stem endemic poverty.

April 15 - The New York Times

In San Francisco, the relatively affluent are vocal in their denunciation of the "gentrifying" effects of the more affluent. This debate clouds the city's fundamental problems in housing its poor and working class residents, says Ilan Greenberg.

April 15 - The New Republic

Tara Haelle examines the growing consensus among scientists that environmental factors, rather than genes or sloth, are the primary cause of childhood obesity. The onus is on planners and policy makers to create environments that nurture health.

April 15 - Scientific American

Julia Vitullo-Martin reviews Alexander Garvin's new book, "The Planning Game," which examines four case studies for lessons on how shrewd investments in the public realm can revitalize a city.

April 15 - The Wall Street Journal

In an opinion piece, Jeff Speck lays out his case for pedestrianizing Broadway throughout Manhattan. Portions of the street have already been given over to public space, so why not expand the conversion and introduce more green into the city?

April 15 - New York Daily News

Public agencies need money to finance their projects. Private investors see opportunities for a decent return. Sounds like a perfect marriage, no? Not so fast, says Laura Barrett, who outlines 6 reasons to be wary of public-private partnerships.

April 15 - Rooflines

In order to facilitate the construction of more workforce housing, Houston is considering changing its development rules for the first time in 14 years. Will increasing density limits in the "doughnut" beyond Loop 610 help bring down prices?

April 15 - Houston Chronicle

In 2002, Louisiana lawmakers passed a 30 percent film tax credit. Since then, the state has become the third most productive in the industry, second only to New York and California.

April 15 - Atlantic Cities

BLOG POST

This year's host for the APA National Conference, themed "Plan Big," is the city that virtually invented modern big picture planning. But what does Chicago's seeming inability to plan comprehensively say about the state of contemporary planning?

April 14 - Jonathan Nettler

Springtime is outdoor living time. Make the most of yours with Susan Henderson's handy guide to garden rooms.

April 14 - PlaceShakers

On Friday, the D.C. Housing Authority mercifully closed its insultingly long public housing waiting list. With the average rent at $1,759/month for a one-bedroom apartment, the need for affordable housing in the city is tremendous.

April 14 - The Washington Post

With an "unprecedented" amount of development applications waiting for review, and the impending arrival of light rail linking to downtown L.A., seaside Santa Monica is growing up, literally. Sam Lubell examines the city's "development tsunami."

April 14 - The Architect's Newspaper

Phyllis Lambert explores the evolution of the Seagram Building, focusing on Mies van der Rohe's profound concern for the relationship between building and nature.

April 14 - Places Journal

Tim Logan dives deep on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's bold plan to help fund Chicago's infrastructure improvements with private capital. American cities need new ways to pay for projects, but can a city with a history of making bad deals provide the road map?

April 14 - Next City