The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Richard Florida chronicles the reasons why high-technology firms are increasingly vacating suburban office parks and "nerdistans" for urban addresses, from London to Los Angeles.

September 4 - The Wall Street Journal

Portland's progressive urbanism - from its smart growth restrictions, to its revived historic Pearl District and bicycle infrastructure - are the envy of cities across America. Could the city's new sustainable public toilet be its next export?

September 3 - Los Angeles Times

Eric Jaffe profiles the work of "self-proclaimed 'map geek'" Eric Fischer, whose remarkable renderings of urban data seek to uncover a deeper beauty, and truth, in the deluge of information.

September 3 - The Atlantic Cities

A look at negotiations between developer Forest City Ratner and New York City's Housing and Development Corporation around the Atlantic Yards project shows that there will be less housing units set-aside for low-income families than promised.

September 3 - The Brooklyn Bureau

The new funding criteria established for the expansion of the U.S. Department of Transportation's popular TIFIA loan program may make it easier for projects such as the infamous "bridge to nowhere" to secure financing.

September 3 - The Fiscal Times

To preserve the spread of urban gardening, activists are beginning to map and document the many haphazard community gardens to gain recognition from landlords and city officials in hopes of warding off bulldozers.

September 3 - Grist

In a response to reader a question, Ken Davis goes in search of the factors that lead to Chicago Transit Authority decisions about eliminating or adding bus service.

September 2 - WBEZ

Lisa Gu pens a passionate defense of Chinese cities in response to a recent article that claims they are virtually "unlivable."

September 2 - New Geography

While it might seem like the Agenda 21 conspiracy theorists have arisen quite quickly out of the murky backwaters of the Republican party, Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones traces the lengthy enti-environmentalist roots of the movement.

September 2 - The Atlantic Cities

The tussle over the historic designation of a property owned by a Chicago church exposes the conflicting agendas of politics, property rights, preservation, and constitutional law.

September 2 - Gapers Block

An expanding number of cities across the U.S. are looking to attract urban casinos, with the hope that further development and money (tax revenues to fill drained city coffers) will follow.

September 2 - Next American City

It seems to work for the spotless Tokyo subway system, but in grimy New York? A pilot program that removed trash cans in select NYC subway stations resulted in decreased trash hauls (duh) and cleaner stations (huh). Now it's being expanded.

September 1 - The New York Times

Unprecedented urbanization calls for unprecedented planning, argues writer Tim De Chant. His proposal: a scientific model for responsive urban design.

September 1 - Per Square Mile

If Romney/Ryan win in November, we may know what to expect in terms of national transportation spending if they were to follow the Republican platform adopted on Aug. 28. In terms of increasing transportation revenue, it may not differ from Obama's.

September 1 - The Hill's Transportation Blog

A new report by the Brookings Institution shows that unemployment in America's cities is being exacerbated by a lack of higher-educated workers.

September 1 - The Atlantic Cities

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency warns in a new report that the aquifer underlying Gaza is rapidly depleting, and could be beyond repair by 2020, rendering Gaza "unlivable." Hope may lie in massive investments in a desalinization plant.

September 1 - Guardian

Man's best friend is taking parkour - the improvised sport that uses the urban environment as an obstacle course - to new levels. Nate Berg looks at some of "barkour's" pooch practitioners.

August 31 - The Atlantic Cities

When California's carbon market launches in November, it will become the second-largest in the world. A test auction conducted this week with 150 of the companies to be involved in the program went off without a hitch.

August 31 - Grist

Lew Sichelman reports on the lofty goals being pursued by a new $6.2 billion live/play/work development known as Barangaroo - planned for a 54-acre site in East Darling Harbor - which aims to redefine Sydney.

August 31 - Urban Land

Steve Rose surveys the scene at this year's Architecture Biennale in Venice, where he observes that the mood has shifted: "away from starchitecture towards something quieter, more collaborative and utopian."

August 31 - The Guardian