The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Sandy has displaced thousands of families, while leaving many without hot water or heat. Officials are concerned cold temperatures will increase the number of families seeking shelter, and are asking NYC landlords to help house them in vacant units.

November 14 - The New York Times

As a special election gets underway to determine whether 10,000 downtown L.A. residents support taxing property owners to build a new streetcar system, the editors of the Los Angeles Downtown News offer their qualified support for the project.

November 13 - Los Angeles Downtown News

On the 25th anniversary of sociologist William Julius Wilson's seminal book on urban poverty, the effect of neighborhoods on people's lives is getting renewed attention in academia. But is anyone in power listening?

November 13 - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Over the past four years, hope turned to disappointment over lost opportunities to "make agriculture less fossil-fuel dependent, re-localize food systems, and rebuild America’s food culture." Does a second term for Obama mean more of the same?

November 13 - Grist

An official body - the Graffiti Panel - made up of five Toronto city staffers met for the first time this month to try to answer the long debated question: what is art and what is vandalism?

November 13 - The Art Newspaper

AP covers the opening of the first toll lanes in LA county: 110 Freeway Express Lanes that allow solo-drivers to use a carpool lane for a toll that varies with the level of congestion (i.e. congestion pricing). Shoup asks: "Why did it take so long?"

November 13 - AP via San Jose Mercury News

Robin Finn profiles Alexandros E. Washburn, head of the urban design division of the New York City Department of City Planning, and the work of his team, which has been responsible for "turning projects into places that people want to be."

November 13 - The New York Times

A new pedestrian bridge planned for Paris plays with the idea of stability by inducing a "perilous flirt with the Seine," reports Mark Wilson.

November 13 - Fast Company Co.Design

Cynthia Barnett says Americans live under an "illusion of water abundance" and calls for government water managers and private water companies to "stem the drain on America's water resources before it's too late."

November 13 - The Los Angeles Times

Now can you qualify, quantify, and index it? Hazel Borys would like you to do so, and gives this data review to help you get started.

November 13 - PlaceShakers

With a plan to spend $150 million on bike infrastructure over the next eight years, Amsterdam is cementing its reputation as "the capital of European biking," and doubling down on a pledge to "remain a clean and accessible city."

November 13 - The New York Times

FEATURE

The 1970 Concept Los Angeles plan is a history lesson for urban planners and a vision of what the city could have looked like.

November 12 - cate miller

One of the odd twists of the Sandy aftermath is the repurposing of the Occupy Wall Street apparatus as one of the most effective aid groups operating in New York. Could their work serve as a model for locally-based disaster recovery?

November 12 - The New York Times

Call it "manipulation" or "visioning," but any way you look at it, illustrations of proposed projects have an immense impact on whether they get funded, approved, and built. Tristin Hopper looks at the "toolbox of tricks" employed by illustrators.

November 12 - National Post

New York isn't the only famous city suffering from the effects of record high water levels. Seventy percent of Venice is submerged. The Daily Mail has stunning images of tourists swimming in St. Mark's Square and wading through waist-high water.

November 12 - Daily Mail

On Veterans Day, Kaid Benfield reports on efforts underway to house and serve America's veterans sustainably.

November 12 - Switchboard

A new interactive app produced by the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and Second Story Interactive Studios compiles and exhibits examples of "alternative and radical approaches to sustainability at a range of urban scales."

November 12 - Architizer

As part of Bloomberg BusinessWeek's "Fix This" city planning series, the World Bank's Daniel Hoornweg considers how cities can often be a reflection of the cultural and institutional personalities of their citizens.

November 12 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Drexel University is proceeding with a study to determine the feasibility of capping and building over the Schuylkill Rail Yards, a transformational project that could unite West Philadelphia with the Center City, reports Susan Snyder.

November 12 - philly.com

Underlying President Obama's swamping the electoral college on election night were the demographic changes throughout the U.S. For the first time, Latinos voted in double-digits (10%). Republicans appear to have taken notice, but is it too late?

November 12 - First Read on NBC News