The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

As they wait for construction materials to arrive, the race is on to see which of Chicago's two permitted parklets, which the CDOT calls "People Spots," will be the city's first to be completed.

August 5 - The Architect's Newspaper

Five years after the I-35W bridge collapse, Congress has yet to address the failing condition of America's bridges. There is no consensus between the two parties in Congress on how to remedy the situation, unlike the progress shown in Minnesota.

August 5 - StarTribune (Minneapolis)

The number of BRT systems in the U.S. continues to rise, with new lines opening in cities across the nation. But, a debate has arisen within the transit community over just how much should we rely on such systems.

August 5 - Governing

Philip Bump reports on new data out this week that shows the number of farmers markets increased by 10% in the past year.

August 4 - Grist

Of a whopping 555 eligible voters, 318 voted this week to approve a special taxing district to help pay for a downtown Kansas City streetcar, reports David Twiddy.

August 4 - Kansas City Business Journal

With a flurry of ambitious, and big ticket, proposals unveiled over the past three weeks, chronically under-budgeted Amtrak is shifting its strategy in the hopes of proving its potential worth.

August 4 - Bloomberg

Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan profiles Smallknot, a Kickstarter-like platform that allows local businesses to tap their neighbors for capital investments in exchange for goods and services.

August 4 - Fast Company Co.Design

As an increasing number of states seek to plug budget gaps and boost declining revenues by expanding gambling opportunities, the stakes keep getting higher in the competition to lure bettors.

August 4 - The New York Times

An elderly woman in China has implemented an innovative traffic calming measure in her neighborhood. Could sex dolls replace stop signs at an intersection near you?

August 3 - Boing Boing

BLOG POST

<p> As Olympics excitement grows in the first week of the London 2012 Games, we in Vancouver watch with great interest, and occasional feelings of deja-vu. Last week in Atlantic Cities, <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/07/what-vancouver-gained-hosting-olympics/2695/" target="_blank">I wrote about</a> Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics experience with Olympic jitters and the host city funk, and the ability of the Games to change cities through the “power of the collective experience.” </p> <div style="text-align: center"> <img src="/files/u31521/city.jpg" width="400" height="225" /> </div> <p> </p>

August 3 - Brent Toderian

After years of signaling its intent, it appears as though the City of Portland is getting serious about ditching its auto-centric level-of-service (LOS) metric with one that evaluates multiple modes, reports Jonathan Maus.

August 3 - Bike Portland

Angelique Chrisafis delivers the fantastic news that, after more than four decades of auto dominance, Paris is returning its riverfront to its people in a "pedestrian 'reconquest' of the banks of the Seine."

August 3 - The Guardian

Earlier this week we brought you stunning images of global urban growth as captured by Landsat, NASA's longest running satellite imagery program. These images capture the dramatic changes to some of America's natural landscapes.

August 3 - Wired

Your boss might be interested in this article, which makes the case for working extra long on Fridays to avoid what, in nearly three-quarters of metros across America, is the worst time of the week to drive. Mike Maciag looks at the worst offenders.

August 3 - Governing

In an article and dramatic photographs and video, <em>The New York Times</em> documents the construction of the city's Second Avenue subway, which has been delayed for more than 80 years and is due to be completed in December 2016.

August 3 - The New York Times

Planted to solve a perceived food desert problem, urban gardens are harvesting more than just fresh, nutritious food. Neighborhoods surrounding gardens are seeing surprising declines in violent crime.

August 3 - Mother Jones

From its mountain tributaries, to the San Fernando Valley, through Downtown, and across the basin into the Pacific Ocean, Christian MilNeil tells the story behind the ecological and recreation rehabilitation of the Los Angeles River.

August 3 - Grist

A new platform from the U.S. government serves as a central location for Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle to share their municipal data.

August 3 - Government Technology

In light of the resounding defeat of Atlanta's regional referendum on a transportation sales tax that could have brought 'transformative infrastructure' to the sprawling region, Brookings' Adie Tomer provides a brief post-mortem on the historic vote.

August 3 - TNR (The New Republic)

FEATURE

August 2 - John Norquist