The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Lloyd Alter dismantles the aggrandizement of the new LPL Financial building being developed by Hines in La Jolla, California, which a recent press release touts as the "Largest Net-Zero Energy Commercial Office Building in U.S."

January 4 - Treehugger

New findings published by Trulia, the real estate website, show the connection between home values and road names. "Boulevard" carries the most cache, and "street" the least, reports Lew Sichelman.

January 3 - Chicago Tribune

Counterfeiting is, of course, nothing new in China. From DVDs to Apple stores to an entire Austrian village, the country is rife with copycats. But a new project in Chongqing may take the cake, reports Kevin Holden Platt.

January 3 - Spiegel Online

Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood has seen a dramatic rise in incomes and property values over the past decade. Emily Badger examines the historically black neighborhood's non-white gentrification, and how it's viewed differently than other areas.

January 3 - Jonathan Nettler

With rental vacancy rates declining across America, the expansion of rent control policies may seem like a logical solution for protecting vulnerable renters from fast rising prices. But Peter Tatian argues there's little evidence that it works.

January 3 - Metro Trends

The case of a fatal bus rape in India, and subsequent protests, has captivated the world. But, argues Sarah Goodyear, the incident should serve as a larger reminder of the threat of violence and harassment towards women on transit systems worldwide.

January 3 - Next City

No, the title of this post is not an analogy. Diane Ackerman takes a looks at the very literal ways in which cities around the world are harnessing body heat to warm up residential and office buildings.

January 3 - The New York Times

BART's Oakland Airport Connector will not look at all like the familiar cable car found across the Bay, but will be propelled by a moving cable similar to the Clay Street Hill RR in S.F. almost 140 years ago. The 3-mile ride to OAK will be 8 minutes.

January 3 - San Francisco Chronicle

Richey Piiparinen explores the "original sin" of the quest for urban “livability” - economic development - and examines what the pitfalls are when cities are designed for high-valued consumers rather than people.

January 3 - New Geography

In a photo essay on small homes and the people who love them, Sightline Fellow Alyse Nelson explains the attraction of compact living and the ways in which small homeowners are living it up by scaling down.

January 3 - Sightline Daily

Russia's growing middle class is leading a boom in American-style enclosed shopping malls, which are still rather new to the country. Some rival the size and popularity of Minnesota's infamous Mall of America.

January 3 - The New York Times

Dozens of transit expansion projects will start, continue, or complete construction this year across America. Yonah Freemark delivers a thorough rundown of the exciting year ahead in transit construction and makes note of a dark cloud on the horizon.

January 2 - the transport politic

Jason Corburn issues an indictment of the "community malpractice" by policy-makers that's led to America's glaring health inequalities, and argues that 2013 must be the year that planning works towards improving the living conditions of the poor.

January 2 - RWJF Human Capital Blog

The globe's increasing urbanization has spawned city-building projects on a scale never seen before, and each week seems to bring news of the next instant city. Mackenzie Keast tracks nine such projects that are due to proceed in 2013.

January 2 - Urban Times

Looks like we've got our first breaking urban news story of the year with today's announcement of the purchase of car-sharing leader Zipcar by rental car behemoth Avis. Steven Pearlstein laments what the deal means for Zipcar and consumers.

January 2 - The Washington Post

Over a long career in public office, Gov. Jerry Brown has earned a reputation as a pioneer in the modern environmental movement. Now, in the twilight of that career, some see him forsaking that path for the pragmatism of economic growth.

January 2 - Los Angeles Times

Richard Blackwell examines the foundations of Canada's housing "affordability crisis," in which prices have doubled over the last decade due to low rates and easy mortgage terms.

January 2 - The Globe and Mail

Homicides are decreasing nationwide, but a federal study reveals that the rate has decreased about 17% in cities and increased by the same rate in suburbs. Two WSJ reporters look behind the numbers for the causes with a focus on Atlanta's suburbs.

January 2 - Wall Street Journal

The mass shooting at Newton, Connecticut brought gun control, violence in TV and video games, and mental health care to the forefront of a national debate. As talk turns to school design, architects consider the tradeoffs of fortress-like schools.

January 2 - Architectural Record

As they reflect on a year of exciting advances in urbanism, and look forward to the next, the writers at The Atlantic Cities discuss the most loathed trends they hope will die in 2013.

January 2 - The Atlantic Cities