The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The romance of cars has been long documented, but public transit is finally getting in on the act. 'Human Transit' provides a lucid primer for stakeholders and armchair planners alike, while 'Straphanger' takes readers on a world tour.

July 18 - California Planning & Development Report

Following on the hottest ever first half of a year in America's recorded history, James Barron examines the history behind the creation of air conditioning, on this day in 1902.

July 17 - The New York Times

As the start of London's summer games grows near, the competition to host the 2020 Olympics is heating up. Paul Sonne looks at whether the "shoestring" bid of Madrid, formed amidst Spain's austerity drive, can beat out the other finalists.

July 17 - The Wall Street Journal

With skyrocketing maintenance and repair costs gobbling up the Hudson River Park Trust's reserve fund, the HRPT has been pushing to change the park's enabling legislation to allow a wider variety of development types.

July 17 - The Architect's Newspaper

Speaking at a recent Urban Land Institute series organized to discuss Vancouver in 2050, three of the city's former planning directors expressed grave concerns over the city's ability to adequately handle its future growth, reports Jeff Lee.

July 17 - Vancouver Sun

John Hoeffel reports on the unwavering efforts of bee enthusiasts to legalize beekeeping in residential areas of Los Angeles.

July 17 - The Los Angeles Times

In a 2-part series, NPR reports on the rapid downfall of coal as an energy source and its replacement by natural gas - each now produces about one-third of America's electricity. Fracking is key to increased NG supplies - but it carries its own risks

July 17 - National Public Radio

In remarks that have caused an uproar in North America's fifth largest city, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday lodged his foot firmly in his mouth last week, telling city council and reporters that downtown Toronto is an unsuitable place to raise children.

July 17 - Toronto Star

Former California governors and Southern California Leadership Council members George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis discuss the necessity of modernizing one of the state's oldest environmental laws in order to protect the state's economy.

July 17 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

As America's beloved shopping mall enters its "golden years", Emily Badger considers the astounding anti-suburban ethos of its inventor, and what the future has in store for this "over the hill" retail development model.

July 17 - The Atlantic Cities

Taras Grescoe examines how public transportation in the United States is gaining popularity and riders, but still lags in funding.

July 17 - The Huffington Post

FEATURE

July 16 - Charles Siegel

Christopher Hawthorne completes his second installment in an ongoing series examining the transformation of Los Angeles through the lens of its famous boulevards. This entry focuses on the most famous street in the city - Sunset Boulevard.

July 16 - Los Angeles Times

Jane Armstrong tours Queen’s Quay with the two individuals leading the $110 million effort to transform a 1.5-kilometre stretch of Toronto's downtown waterfront into "a North American version of the Champs Élysées."

July 16 - OpenFile

From shelters integrating public art to fully enclosed and air conditioned refuges, Scott Gutierrez shares his picks of the coolest bus stops from around Seattle, and around the world.

July 16 - SeattlePI

Josh Allan Dykstra argues that the reason Millennials aren't buying cars, or much of anything else for that matter, is due to "an evolution in consciousness" that is changing what it means to own something. And it isn't limited to one generation.

July 16 - Fast Company

BLOG POST

<p> Returning home to Vancouver last week after taking in some of the 100th Anniversary world-famous Calgary Stampede, I find myself thinking about the relationship between city-defining events and place-making. I also couldn’t help remembering an unusual moment in my career that relates to the Stampede.<br /> <br /> In 2006 when I was 36, after 4 rounds of interviews, I found myself in a closed-door session with Vancouver&#39;s City Council. I was being recommended to Council to become the new Director of City Planning, replacing former Co-Directors Larry Beasley and Dr. Ann McAfee. Council was meeting me for the first time, before going in-camera to officially decide on my hiring.<br /> <br />

July 16 - Brent Toderian

A $14.6 billion package of rail improvement projects, called the "biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era," has been announced by the UK's governing coalition.

July 16 - BBC News

<em>The Economist</em> looks at the improvements made to London's public spaces over the last decade, as the city's first elected mayors strove to improve the capital city's environs. So why has the city failed to keep up with its global competitors?

July 16 - The Economist

Frank Bruni pens an appreciation for the incredible transformation New York City has undergone in the last 15 years, as Mayor Bloomberg's "greenest of thumbs" has expanded the lush life across the city's five boroughs.

July 16 - The New York Times