The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Selling the Importance of Street Vending
In the latest entry in a series on informal urban livelihoods, Sally Roever of WIEGO provides insight into how planners can better understand, acknowledge and manage street vending through the development of appropriate policies and best practices.
With a Little Help From Their Dutch Friends, Could New York Become New Amsterdam?
“In recent days, the Netherlands’ peerless expertise and centuries of experience in battling water have been widely hailed in the United States as offering lessons" for New York and for other cities alike, writes Andrew Higgins.
'Climate Dividend' Proposed for California Utility Customers
California residential utility customers will receive a 'climate dividend', about $30 twice a year as part of the nation's first comprehensive 'cap & trade' program if the CA Public Utility Commission accepts a staff proposal at its Dec. 20 meeting,
A Clash of Cultural Sensibilities in South Philly
Allyn Gaestel outlines the tensions that arise as a growing Vietnamese community begins to define the visual character of Washington Ave. in South Philadelphia.
A Roadside Distraction from the Destination
As the holiday travel season begins, Becky Krystal reminisces on rest stops encountered along family road trips and observes that "stops are evolving from small, flypaper-plastered restrooms into airy, high-tech travel plazas and welcome centers."
World Bank Outlines Global Warming 'Doomsday Scenario'
Howard Schneider examines a recent study by the World Bank, issued as a call-to-action for the international community not merely to curb, but to plan for and mitigate the crises that a 4°C rise in global temperatures would bring.
Images of the World's Most Uncomfortable Commute
You've probably heard of the improbable lengths to which Tokyo's subway goes to pack in riders. But you likely haven't seen images of "unwilling subjects trapped in the train window" like those taken by photographer Michael Wolf.
Challenging the Rush to Rebuild
Justin Gillis outlines some harsh criticisms of disaster response efforts that rebuild without rethinking – and how much it's costing taxpayers across the country.
The Kickstarter of Commercial Development Takes Flight
Two D.C. developers are giving people the power to finance development in their own communities, paving the way for a new, democratized approach to commercial real estate investment, Emily Badger reports.
L.A. Moves to Curb Parking's 'Wild West'
Ever wonder what happens to your car after you hand it to a valet? You probably don't want to know the answer. A new ordinance to be considered by L.A.'s City Council may finally rein in "the wild, wild West at our curbs."
After Sandy, NYC Will Undertake Unprecedented Reshaping of Neighborhoods
Over the weekend it was announced that New York City will need to demolish hundreds of homes damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The complicated process for determining what will be rebuilt has yet to begin.
Fiscal Cliff Could Cripple American Cities
The nation's mayors are warning that looming budget cuts and tax hikes mandated by the federal sequestration process represent “perhaps the biggest threat to our metro economies.” More than 100,000 families may be forced out of their homes.
Could Federal Guidance Make Public-Private Partnerships Easier?
Matt Bevilacqua takes a look at a new policy proposal that could pool expertise to help municipalities better coordinate public-private partnerships, "supporting bottom-up infrastructure investment" from the top down.
Excitement for Detroit Condo Project Hard to Contain
A Detroit developer is moving ahead with plans for an innovative condo project that will repurpose shipping containers for medium-density housing, reports John Gallagher.
Sacramento Relaxes Parking Requirements to Stimulate Development
In what is being described as a "monumental shift" in the city's approach to parking, Sacramento's City Council has voted to ease minimum parking requirements for commercial and residential developments reports Tony Bizjak.
In SF, Does Lack of Big Names Mean Lack of Good Design?
Alexei Barrionuevo explores San Francisco's starchitect deficit, finding a city "more interested in conserving its [history] than in making a statement." This approach comes in for criticism from the dean of starchitects himself - Frank Gehry.
Disgruntled Developers and Residents Have Vancouver Planning Chief Talking Transparency
Just two months into his job as Vancouver's Chief Planner, Brian Jackson is responding to a growing backlash from developers and residents unhappy about an opaque system for determining and implementing community benefits.
Europe's Tallest Tower Tops Out in Moscow
Mere months after it was completed, London's Shard has passed the title of Europe's tallest building to Moscow's Mercury City tower, a "beacon of pink mirrored glass," writes Oliver Wainwright.
BLOG POST
No, Cars Are NOT Greener than Buses (Even Almost-Empty Ones)
Even in cities without world-class transit systems, transit can reduce car ownership to some extent.
Could Nation's Largest Urban Farm District Stabilize Chicago's South Side?
Officials in Chicago envision an ambitious plan for a 100-acre urban agriculture district as the foundation for reviving an area of the city now "riddled with vacant lots, poverty, and blight," reports Lori Rotenberk.
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
