The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Were Politics Behind Christie's ARC Termination?
When the long planned, and much needed, project to build a second train tunnel under the Hudson River was cancelled by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, he blamed escalating costs and a burden to the state. Was he lying?
Refuting Claims to California's "War on Suburbia"
Josh Stephens takes aim at the provocative claims made by Wendell Cox, "the outspoken libertarian urban scholar" in a recent essay in the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, titled "California Declares War on Suburbia".
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In Greenwich Village: a Case for a Planning Landmark, or, Simply, a Dash of Nostalgia
<p> There is a certain irony in community stalwarts in testy Greenwich Village wanting to have the stale housing slabs hovering over the bland park composing Washington Square Village declared an architectural landmark that will somehow thwart New York University from overdeveloping further the singular super block. <br /> <br /> “Fugataboutit,” would be a relative polite New Yorker’s observation by anyone who has ever been to this dance before, as I have. The plea is really just a feint to get the retro-redevelopment realists involved into a backroom of one of the proposal’s big buck backers to splice and dice the project so it can be swallowed by all without choking to a political death. </p>
The Cleansing Power of Mexico City's Vertical Gardens
Damien Cave reports on Mexico City's ambitious efforts to reduce pollution and beautify the city through the planting of vertical gardens, and other progressive pollution reducing measures.
Land Abundant Gives Rise to Gardens in Detroit
John Gallagher investigates a growing trend of unsanctioned urban agriculture in Detroit, where residents have had to take alternative land use into their own hands.
Savvy Retail and Restaurant Reuse Mark Next Phase of Dowtown LA Revival
In a feature for <em>The Architect's Newspaper</em>, Marissa Gluck profiles the "retro-chic makeovers" transforming downtown Los Angeles.
Phoenix Struggles to Fill Its Big Vacant Boxes
Phoenix has a sizable dilemma, how to fill the growing number of closed supermarkets, electronics superstores and mega bookstores that continue to weigh down the area's real-estate market, reports Max Jarman.
America's Most Economically Sustainable Small Communities
Ben Schiller delves into recent rankings that aim to demonstrate how smaller sized counties can achieve sustainable economic impacts.
Do We Stand to Gain When We Lose a Highway?
Ben Welle discusses the benefits of freeway removal programs both at home and abroad, and explores what cities have done to fill the void they leave behind.
NYT Editorial Welcomes The End Of Sprawl
The NYT editorializes on the just-released April 2010-July 2011 census data that shows a notable slow-down in exurban growth as urban growth increased. Pointing to the problems that accompanied America's embrace of sprawl, they welcome the change.
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Unwillingness to Embrace Demand
<p> At a recent meeting in Washington, DC I was astonished at the demonstrated lack of grasp of how neighborhood markets work. This, after all, was a meeting called by supposed experts in revitalization to discuss revitalization with other experts in revitalization. </p> <p> Notably missing during six hours of painful back and forth rehashing of Great Society pabulum v 5.0 was any sense of what "demand" means. It's not just that there was a lack of understanding of demand, for three quarters of a day it was as if the very word - demand - was off limits. </p>
House to Probe California's High-Speed Rail Project
In their rush to avoid working on a long-term transportation funding measure, a congressional committee has launched a wide-ranging examination of the California high-speed rail project, reports Dan Weikel.
How Walking Became a "Lost Mode"
To launch his new 4-part series on walking in <em>Slate</em>, Tom Vanderbilt describes the "public health nightmare" of a country that has forgotten how to walk.
How Can America's Infrastructure Challenges Be Solved?
Planetizen managing editor Jonathan Nettler recently spoke with Steven Anderson, founder and managing director of InfrastructureUSA, about the country's infrastructure challenges and how local communities are finding creative ways to solve them.
The Psychology Driving the Great Urban Migration
Nathan Norris explores what planners need to know about the trends driving Generation Y's quest for urban living and America's evolving housing market.
Consumer 3-D Photography Arriving Soon
Mark Wilson profiles a breakthrough 3-D scanning technology that may soon changed the way we catalog spaces and share objects.
Brazil Fights to Untie Its Transportation Noose
Vincent Bevins reports on recent efforts by Brazil's leaders to modernize the country's transportation network, and ease the gridlock entangling the country.
Reasons to Celebrate the Death of the Architecture Critic
As architecture and design observers bemoan what recent job moves mean for the future of mainstream architectural criticism, Vanessa Quirk sees reason to be optimistic.
Straight Talk on the Dissolution of California Redevelopment Agencies
A panel of distinguished Angelenos recently discussed the missteps that led to the dissolution of California's redevelopment agencies, the hole that their closure creates, and the possible paths forward.
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