The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Julie Stern reports on a presentation by NYU professor Eric Klinenberg, who says that the number of people living by themselves in the United States is growing and is having an impact on city life.

July 6 - Urban Land

In what Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calls a "dramatic power shift", England's largest cities have gained new powers to control their economies and transportation, reports Sam Lister.

July 6 - The Independent

An environmental economist and a law professor pronounces the increased carbon tax in British Columbia "the smartest tax in the world" and advise the U.S. to get onboard.

July 6 - The New York Times - Opinion

According to new data, state and local governments hired 828,000 workers in the first four months of the year, "up 20% from a year earlier, and the most since 2008," stoking hopes that government job growth may be on the way.

July 6 - USA Today

Benjamin Wellington reviews a new book by Mark C. Childs, which paints a picture of the city as the product of a complex and highly detailed design hierarchy, from regional topography all the way down to the arrangement of indoor spaces.

July 5 - THE DIRT

Planners in major urban areas have long been touting the virtues of density, mixed use, and public transit. But can these smart growth principles apply in a wilderness area dedicated to seasonable tourism?

July 5 - California Planning & Development Report

James Howard Kunstler has a new book, which goes deeper into an idea he's often explored: that the U.S. has a misguided sense that new technologies will save the American lifestyle.

July 5 - Urban Times

Nate Berg says that planners have a crucial role in making sure cities are prepared for natural disasters.

July 5 - The Atlantic Cities

Matt Bevilacqua talks shop with Emily Talen, whose new book explores the way land use regulation has shaped American cities and how it's all about to change.

July 5 - Next American City

Officials and developers in the Turkish capital have set their sights on a poor but centrally-located neighborhood for an urban renewal project, leaving longtime residents worried they may not be around much longer, Jessica Bourque reports.

July 5 - The New York Times

Apartments are scooped minutes after being placed on Craigslist, waiting lines form at open houses, rents are rising. San Francisco? Not quite, but with developers rising to the occasion with 5,000 units in construction, growth may be sustainable.

July 5 - The Columbus Dispatch

Neighborhood Improvement Districts in Philadelphia are facing challenges from a skeptical public for the first time since their introduction over 20 years ago, Alex Vuocolo reports.

July 5 - Next American City

In the coming days readers will learn more about America's new transportation funding plan MAP-21, which will guide surface transportation planning through 2014. In this piece, Tanya Snyder centers on changes to the popular TIFIA lending program.

July 5 - Steetsblog Capitol Hill

The nation of Iraq is building itself anew after the last of the US troops evacuated six months ago, but experts are saying that their wealth, which has created an invasion of shopping malls around the country, is subsidizing the public agenda.

July 5 - The New York Times

Singapore has a robust public housing program, which comes from the government operating 80% of the housing stock. Neal Peirce spells out how the system works.

July 4 - The Citistates Group

So says the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, releasing a new report that says this all-too-common strategy rarely pays off.

July 4 - The Boston Globe

Brian Phelps reports on the power of urban landscaping to revitalize a flood-devastated city - Valencia, Spain.

July 4 - Metropolis

On Tuesday, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to support extending D.C.'s Metrorail to Dulles Airport, ending months of uncertainty over the project's fate.

July 4 - The Washington Post

Tehran is known for being congested and polluted, but Elyana Javaheri credits mayor Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf for making the Iranian capital more livable.

July 4 - This Big City

Josh Barro offers his take on the charge, oft resorted to by transit advocates, that subsidies for road maintenance encourage driving. Instead, he argues, we should turn our attention to the mechanisms that make it hard for transit to compete.

July 3 - The Washington Examiner