The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In an initiative announced today, New York will become the first city in the U.S. to test social impact bonds, "an experimental mechanism for financing social services that has excited and worried government reformers around the world."

August 2 - The New York Times

Sixty percent of premature deaths are accounted for not by medical care or lack thereof, but by social circumstances, environmental conditions, and behavioral patterns. So perhaps the medical field on its own can't prevent them.

August 2 - Shelterforce

Part 4 of this multi-part series on the 5-year anniversary of the August 1, I-35W bridge collapse by David Levinson, U. of Minnesota Professor of Civil Engineering, deals with the three vetoed gas tax measures before and after the bridge collapse.

August 2 - Streets.MN

According to Steve Lackmeyer, traditional highway design, aimed at the automobile, is clashing with modern urban planning trends, of 'complete streets' and multi-modes, over a new proposal to build an elevated highway in Oklahoma City.

August 2 - NewsOK

New renderings unveiled this week at a meeting to solicit community input show what designers James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf have planned for the third and final section of the High Line.

August 2 - High Line Blog

Matt Pearce reports on the town of Marshall's road to recovery after a 2010 oil spill damaged the area's human and natural ecosystems, and describes how these long-term impacts should serve as a warning to other communities.

August 2 - The Los Angeles Times

As downtown Los Angeles seeks to cement its nascent transformation into a full-fledged urban neighborhood, Sam Lubell cautions against the threat brought by the suburban mindset of Walmart, Target, and other chain operators.

August 2 - The Architect's Newspaper

Is your home historic? <em>The Atlantic Cities</em> challenges its readers to look at the history behind their own homes, providing a list of 10 things one can do to learn something new about the place we spend most of our time.

August 2 - The Atlantic Cities

BLOG POST

<p> The recent release of the <a href="http://www.transportation.org/" target="_blank">American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’</a> (AASHTO) 2012 <a href="https://bookstore.transportation.org/collection_detail.aspx?ID=116" target="_blank">Update to the Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities</a> sparked an interesting discussion on the <a href="http://www.apbp.org/default.asp?" target="_blank">Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professional</a>’s (APBP) email listserv. <br />

August 1 - Mike Lydon

Nicole Gelinas reports on the effects of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial 2009 transportation reforms, which have unexpectedly lightened the traffic and dangers on New York’s streets.

August 1 - City Journal

This week it was announced that, after a lengthy search, Toronto had found a candidate willing to take on the challenge of guiding the city's planning efforts amid a hostile climate created by "car-loving" mayor Rob Ford.

August 1 - The Globe and Mail

It was 50 years ago tomorrow that many will argue the modern historic preservation movement was born in the United States. On that day, the Action Group for Better Architecture in New York gathered to protest the demolition of Pennsylvania Station.

August 1 - The New York Times

Voters in the Atlanta metro area overwhelmingly rejected a 1% sales tax increase to fund $7.2 billion in transportation improvements. The result is being framed as a victory for anti-government Tea Party allies and a loss for the region's economy.

August 1 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

You know things are changing in Miami when the most notable aspects of the $1 billion Brickell CitiCentre development are its parking and transit access strategies. Douglas Hanks provides the details.

August 1 - The Miami Herald

Deen Sharp asserts that inattention to smaller and less-central cities in the Arab world has obstructed urban theorists from understanding the roll such places have played in changing the course of history.

August 1 - The Global Urbanist

David Kilcullen creates maps to empower disenfranchised people in developing countries around the world. By combining social science and technology his firm solves tough problems in "frontier environments," reports David Holmes.

August 1 - Fast Company

As a penalty for certain offenses, a new sentencing option sends New York City's cycling scofflaws to a remedial class to learn about bicycles and traffic, reports J. David Goodman.

August 1 - The New York Times

A new academic study has determined that California's beleaguered high speed rail project may meet at least one promise if fully built - it can bring the environmental improvements that supporters boasted when travelers ditch planes and cars for HSR.

August 1 - The Daily Californian

Citing Agenda 21 fears, a Kansas county declines to join a $1.5 million, five-county planning effort, reports Deb Gruver.

August 1 - The Witchita Eagle

FEATURE

July 31 - Kevin C. Desouza