The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Jack Healy explores Denver's conflicted relationship with its 16th Street Mall, the pedestrian-oriented street that runs for a mile through the city's downtown. Bustling by day, but deserted and dicey at night, it has become an icon of the city.

October 10 - The New York Times

An enterprising developer and experimental architect are pushing the boundaries between L.A.'s suburban style of single-family housing and its need for dense infill development on a site in the city's Echo Park neighborhood.

October 10 - The Architect's Newspaper

The planned Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District trains will not only be quiet (though diesel-powered), but so will the crossings if cities and counties cooperate.

October 10 - The (Sonoma County) Press Democrat

On-again, off-again, and now back on-again plans to redevelop the polluted area between two of Brooklyn's most affluent neighborhoods have the residents of Gowanus divided on the direction of their gritty community.

October 10 - The New York Times

Ever wonder how the greenhouse gas emissions of your home compare to your neighbor's, or the supermarket down the street, or the office tower you work in? New software helps visualize such information in three dimensions across an entire city.

October 10 - The Atlantic Cities

Kelly Smith looks at a host of technologies - from thermoplastics to video sensing systems - that local leaders in Minnesota are hoping can make crosswalks safer for pedestrians amid rising incidences of fatalities.

October 10 - Star Tribune

Lissette Valdez looks at two new applications that are helping to blur the lines between digital and hand drawn designs.

October 10 - The Architect's Newspaper

<em>The Wall Street Journal</em> invites Mark Muro, with the Brookings Institution, and David Kreutzer, with the Heritage Foundation, to debate the merits of government subsidies for the development of wind and solar power in the United States.

October 10 - The Wall Street Journal

Over the past six years, the Seattle parks department has made great progress in sprucing up Denny Park, the city's oldest, giving new life to the "last stand of big trees amid the city's grit and gray."

October 9 - The Seattle Times

Should the tolls you pay to traverse a bridge or highway go directly to the upkeep of that roadway, or should they go to fund transportation projects, such as public transit? Five experts debate this question in the New York Times Opinion Pages.

October 9 - The New York Times

With three-quarters of smartphone owners accessing real-time location-based information, the biggest names in technology - from Apple to Google - are working to mine the value of location-based data. Can local governments do the same?

October 9 - Governing

As the Hudson Yards project prepares to start construction on Manhattan's west side, Justin Davidson examines the plans for the borough's "largest remaining chunk of emptiness" and shares exclusive new renderings.

October 9 - New York Magazine

The news of the escalating gas prices was ubiquitous - local media news reports led with gas station prices that had risen 20-50 cents overnight, or stations that had closed early for lack of gas. Finally, Gov. Brown acted to alleviate the 'crisis'.

October 9 - The New York Times - U.S.

John M. Broder looks at the obstacles that stand in the way of Mitt Romney's campaign pledge to “take a weed whacker” to a variety of federal pollution and public health rules.

October 9 - The New York Times

As rural areas urbanize, India's land classification system leaves many without power to implement services.

October 9 - Livemint

Ben Brown argues that design adaptations intended to accommodate America's swelling senior population by "aging in place" will be unable, on their own, to meet the challenge. He looks at one model of support that goes beyond universal design.

October 9 - PlaceShakers

Amtrak announced this week that they will train 8,000 employees across the nation on how to identify and report potential victims of human trafficking.

October 9 - USA Today

A 22 acre parcel of federal buildings located within spitting distance of the National Mall could transform the heart of the Nation's Capital, as the GSA seeks ideas from developers on how to use its many current and soon-to-be abandoned buildings.

October 9 - The Washington Post

Chicago is seeking funding for a $100 million build-out of the Chicago River riverwalk stretching from State to Lake streets. The City hopes to build another popular destination like Millennium Park.

October 8 - Chicago Tribune

BLOG POST

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Study after</span><a href="/node/34807" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> study</span></a><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman"> <span style="font-size: small">highlights writing as a major skill that planning employers are looking for in new hires. Two specific kinds of writing seem most challenging to beginning planners.<br />

October 8 - Ann Forsyth