The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

According to new figures from California's Annual Planning Survey, the state's environmental law is low on the list of barriers to infill development, writes Ethan Elkind.

September 25 - Legal Planet

Last Friday was annual PARK(ing) Day, and for Howard Blackson, who participated in a pilot park(let) project in San Diego, the reasons to enable context appropriate civic space was underscored again.

September 25 - PlaceShakers

Eric Jaffe writes on a new interactive planning initiative in Louisville, Kentucky, that takes a hands-on approach to public engagement.

September 25 - The Atlantic Cities

While Jim Saska admits that he's a jerk on his bicycle, he argues that the general perception among drivers that all cyclists are maniacs is not supported by statistics, and is instead a function of emotion [language warning].

September 25 - Slate.com

Most Montrealers haven't heard of pioneering architects Blanche Lemco van Ginkel and Daniel van Ginkel, without whom Old Montreal may not exist today. But with several events honoring the legacy of this visionary couple, that may soon change.

September 25 - The Montreal Gazette

BLOG POST

What will it take to keep families in cities?

September 24 - Brent Toderian

At under a mile, L.A.'s first official "bike-friendly street" isn't going to transform the commuting habits of many Angelenos. Nevertheless, as an example of the city's new attitude to bicycling, recent improvements to Yucca Street are worth noting.

September 24 - LA Weekly

As the third and final phase of the immensely popular High Line breaks ground in New York, Mayor Bloomberg responds to recent criticism about the gentrifying effect of the park, reports Matt Chaban.

September 24 - The New York Observer

Darby Minow Smith profiles Katherine Gajewski, Director of Philadelphia's Office of Sustainability, and looks at the efforts she's leading to give vision to the next phase of the city's history.

September 24 - Grist

Squatting has been a rite of passage for British youth since at least the 1960s, but a new law criminalizing the practice, amid a rise in squatters due to the economic crisis, is "upending the rebellious and politically charged British subculture."

September 24 - The Washington Post

Two days after the CA High Speed Rail Authority received federal environmental streamlining of the 60-mile Merced to Fresno segment, the Federal Railroad Administration announced they will do the same for the 114-mile Fresno to Bakersfield segment.

September 24 - The Fresno Bee

First rolled out last year to help crowdsource ideas for tenants for the renovation of a 4,250 sf building in Washington, D.C., the website Popularise is getting its first tryout outside the district at a new 13-story office building in Seattle.

September 24 - Seattle Met

Susan Klemond looks at what it will take to protect and expand the Twin Cities's tremendous legacy of parks to meet the changing demographics and needs of the area's population.

September 24 - MinnPost

In the developed world, increased urbanization can be a net boon for the environment. Yet, writes Bryan Walsh, if not planned for carefully, the rapid urbanization of developing world could have a dramatic impact on climate change and biodiversity.

September 24 - Time

The opening of the arena at the center of the controversial Atlantic Yards redevelopment project, after nine years of lawsuits, design changes, and unfulfilled promises, has residents of Brooklyn bracing for its impact on their neighborhoods.

September 24 - The New York Times

With researching suggesting international immigration can kick-start local economies, cities across America are contemplating efforts at attracting, and retaining, immigrants. But are immigrants the silver bullet to revive declining cities?

September 24 - Bloomberg

A pilot project spearheaded by the Bloomberg administration to develop a new housing model for the City’s "growing small-household population," has attracted a big response from interested housing developers.

September 23 - The Wall Street Journal

As St. Louis and Portland speed along with new streetcar developments, Yonah Freemark considers how zoning may determine the success of one, and the failure of another.

September 23 - the transport politic

New York City's supertall skyscrapers court billionaires, selling prime real estate in the sky for tens of millions of dollars. The latest trophy building, One57, will soon become the city's tallest building with residences.

September 23 - The New York Times

Decaying and disused buildings litter many American inner-city neighborhoods. In Houston, one imaginative project turns potential into pride and empowerment by creating unique, new uses for old homes.

September 23 - Switchboard