The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Zoning codes, street standards, parking regulations, and other hidden determinants of the built environment are like regulatory zombies from the distant past, throwing up barriers in the path of human-scale placemaking, writes Robert Steuteville.

August 9 - Better! Cities & Towns

<em>Mashable's</em> Brian Solis sits down for an interview with San Francisco's CIO, or "Chief Innovative Officer," to discuss the many ways the tech community is changing the way the city's government operates.

August 9 - Mashable

Dueling pieces in <em>Foreign Policy</em> and the <em>Christian Science Monitor</em> come to completely different conclusions on the connection between the great Indian blackout of July 31 and the country's reliance on coal.

August 9 - Foreign Policy

Leading the way in establishing Hong Kong's ambitious new $2.8 cultural district is the M+ Museum, which, at more than twice the size of the Tate Modern, intends to be Hong Kong’s answer to the Centre Pompidou or the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

August 9 - Bloomberg

The beauty of a ride along Route 66 can be appreciated as much from behind a set of handlebars as from behind a steering wheel. Sarah Laskow reports on efforts to create U.S. Bike Route 66 as the first national bike route.

August 9 - Grist

Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Portland, Oregon and LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky discuss the recently signed federal transportation bill, whether it's a sound policy, and how it may impact local government and transportation initiatives.

August 9 - The Planning Report

Julie Iovine praises the Bloomberg administration's entrepreneurial spirit in remaking New York City, but fears what might come next.

August 8 - The Architect's Newspaper

Charles Piller reports on the investigation into suspect safety test results for roads and bridges across CA, including the new Bay Bridge, revealing a string of troubling data for which officials and critics are holding Caltrans accountable.

August 8 - The Sacramento Bee

The Washington Post has found that the D.C. government reduced the assessed value of commercial properties owned by some of the city's biggest developers last year to the tune of $2.6 billion, which translates to $48 million in lost tax revenue.

August 8 - The Washington Post

Recent articles on uncomfortably loud environments in New York and Los Angeles raise an interesting question - is noise pollution a necessary part of city living or is it a health hazard that should be addressed?

August 8 - The Atlantic Cities

Is the return of the factory town the solution to jump-start new housing construction? Myron Curzan and Janet Lowenthal propose a plan for developing housing that caters specifically to workers stuck in between affordable and median housing.

August 8 - Urban Land

As Toronto's new chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat made the media rounds last week, her deft comments left local urbanists drunk on the possible. As the city's boosters sober up, John Lorinc recommends two chief priorities that must be tackled.

August 8 - Spacing Toronto

A new report released last week documents the energy use of New York's largest buildings for the first time ever. It's the first step in tackling the source of two-thirds of the city's greenhouse gas emissions.

August 8 - The New York Times

Old urbanism holds countless lessons on satisfying livability. Montréal shares some of its insights in this photo blog by Hazel Borys.

August 8 - PlaceShakers

Art Golab reports on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to make Chicago "the bike friendliest city in the country," which the mayor hopes will attract and keep high tech companies and their workers. The best part? The entire city benefits!

August 8 - Chicago Sun-Times

In Colorado and the West, the most desirable real estate is also the most likely to burn, writes Michael Kodas.

August 8 - OnEarth

FEATURE

August 7 - Gary Toth

Rachel Gordon reports on San Francisco's "aggressive plan to install thousands more parking meters and to expand the hours they operate," which has drivers fuming.

August 7 - San Francisco Chronicle

In an op-ed for <em>New Geography</em>, Skip Preble argues why communities can benefit from incorporating market analysis and financial modeling techniques into their planning processes.

August 7 - New Geography

A Phoenix man serves time for holding prayer gatherings in his home, part of what attorney and author John W. Whitehead sees as a larger trend toward zoning out home services.

August 7 - The Huffington Post