The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
San Francisco's Battle With Mother Nature
As climate change accelerates coastal erosion across the continent, officials everywhere look to San Francisco to see how it will stem the tide, Felicity Barringer reports.
Improving Older Cities By Building New Ones
Esther Dyson looks at the reasons why cities endure, why they are the right setting for massive social change, and how we can improve them through competition and intelligent design.
Taking Measure of LA's Westside Subway Project
Yonah Freemark assesses one of the nation's most important public transportation improvement projects, LA's long discussed Westside Subway project which is closer than ever to construction, but still a long ways off from completion.
How Easy Will It Be To Shift Suburbia?
A recent panel held at the Museum of Modern Art in conjunction with their current exhibition, <em>Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream</em>, provided a reality check for the visionary thinking depicted in the show, writes Jayne Merkel.
New Census Numbers Detail Surprising Facts About Urban Density
John King considers a new report released by the Census Bureau on Monday, which finds that of the ten most densely populated urbanized areas in the United States, nine are in the West.
Imagining An Alternative to the Parking Lot
Eran Ben-Joseph pens an opinion piece in <em>The New York Times</em> calling for the transformation of the parking lot to capture its true value as a public space.
House Transportation Extension Pulled As Deadline Nears
Late yesterday House Republicans withdrew plans to hold a vote on a proposed 90-day transportation bill extension, dragging Congress closer towards gridlock as the March 31st deadline nears, reports Todd Zwillich.
Is the Electric Car Running Out of Juice?
Despite a number of factors conspiring to make electric cars more attractive than ever, John Broder believes the technology is experiencing a potential crisis.
How to Disappear Completely - In the Middle of a City
Kelly Chan shares some delightful photos of Chinese artist Liu Bolin's efforts to make himself completely invisible in different urban settings.
Tracking the Good and Bad News on California High-Speed Rail
Dan Walters reported over the weekend that recent efforts to appease various constituencies nervous about CA's HSR plans have paid off with the project likely to get the green light from the Legislature soon. But don't book your tickets just yet.
Why are City Dwellers Mean?
Will Doig probes the reasons why people in cities are less likely than people in rural areas to intervene to help a stranger or confront wrongdoing.
Designing Solutions for Urban Noise
Emily Badger, examines the efforts of researchers and engineers to design quieter cities, which will be necessary to overcome barriers to city living.
Does Improved Walkability Reduce Crime?
Adam Davies writes about the results of an experimental policing project in the Netherlands that seems to demonstrate that improvements to the pedestrian environment have reduced crime in Rotterdam.
Previewing London's Layered Approach to the Olympics
With only four months to go until the opening ceremony, Gwen Webber checks in on the progress of London's Olympic preparations, and the wider redevelopment effort that the games have sparked.
Europe's Largest Civil Engineering Project
London kicks-off the beginning of a massive new rail line linking the city's western suburbs, including Heathrow Airport, through the city, and into the eastern suburbs in Essex.
Walking New York
Jed Lipinski profiles Matt Green, an intrepid pedestrian whose goal is to traverse every street in every borough in New York City on foot.
Chronicling Seattle's Booming Downtown
Jon Talton reports on the recent upswing in development in downtown Seattle, as new jobs and residents signal a quick rebound from the Great Recession.
New York City's 'Most Acrimonious Land-use Battle'
<em>The New York Times</em> architecture critic weighs in on New York University’s proposed 2.5 million square foot expansion of its Greenwich Village campus.
U.S. Moves Toward Energy Independence
You'd never know it from the hype on rising gas prices, but the U.S. is moving toward that elusive goal of oil independence due to the convergence of two factors: falling oil consumption and increasing domestic production over the last half-decade.
Did the Built Environment Contribute to the Trayvon Martin Tragedy?
In an opinion piece for <em>Better! Cities & Towns</em>, Robert Steuteville argues that the Sanford, Florida, case is partly about what happens to a gated development when residents find themselves on the same side of the gate as people they fear.
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