The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Dude, Where's My People Mover?
Automated monorails were the hottest invention since the wheel back in the 1960s, and the Feds wanted to see them in every city. So what happened?
Urban Parks Grew in 2011, as Employment Declines
The 100 largest U.S. cities added 120 new parks last year, but overall spending remained largely flat. Approximately half the cities experienced cuts in their parks budgets, forcing departments to defer maintenance costs even as usership grows.
Town Builds Restaurant to Lure Chef
Pocomoke City officials have funded the construction of a restaurant and bar in their city with no tenant on the horizon - just hopes to attract a star chef and spur economic development downtown.
Big Retailers See Benefits of Transit
At a recent conference, spokespeople for Burlington Coat Factory and other big retailers explained that they are having great success at locations on subway stops and major bus lines.
Urban Parks Go to The Dogs
According to a study by the non-profit Trust for Public Land, reporter Haya El Nasser says that dog parks are becoming the fastest-growing of city parks nationwide.
Los Angeles Considers Lifting Artistic Mural Ban
Los Angeles is considering a new ordinance that will allow artists to paint murals on private property as long as they have permission from the owner.
Edward Blakey Reviews Moscow Expansion Plans
University of Sydney Professor Edward Blakely has reviewed Moscow’s plan to expand the capital’s borders to the south-west by 2014 and proclaimed that they will not hamper the city’s development. The territory will more than double.
Rising Prices All Too Familar in D.C.
In Washington D.C., Michael Perkins explains that starting next July, Metro would be at a deficit of $120 million. They have come up with several ideas to raise a portion of that money through fares.
A Pedestrian Plaza for Outer Brooklyn
Public plazas aren't just for Manhattan. As part of DOT's Public Plazas program, one outer Brooklyn neighborhood has seen a traffic island turned into a pedestrian plaza. Matt Chaban reports on the praise it has earned.
Los Angeles Drafts Pro-Mural Ordinance
Part of the trouble is finding language that will prevent billboards from proliferating, but planners finally have a draft for public review (available in the article).
London's "Pop-Up" Shopping Mall To Be One of a Kind
British entrepreneur Roger Wade has built "[t]he most environmentally friendly shopping mall ever built." 'Boxpark,' which recently opened, is composed of 60 standard size shipping containers stacked two stories high by five rows wide.
Public-Private Partnerships Don't Solve Everything
NY Governor Andrew Cuomo touts private investment as a solution to New York's transportation funding woes. But a conference of infrastructure experts agree that private partnerships aren't a substitute for public funds.
LaHood Defends HSR At House Transportation Committee Hearing
Speaking before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood defended the viability of the President's ambitious, national high-speed rail program.
How the Suburbs Killed Our Connectivity, And How to Fix It
The deeper our sense of community, the better positioned we are to take on change, says Scott Doyon, but the leisurely lull of the suburbs may have killed our ability to work together.
Where There is Only Muck, Tadao Ando Sees a Floating Forest
Famed architect Tadao Ando wants to transform 220 acres of landfill in Tokyo Bay into a floating forest of almost half a million trees.
Zoo Wants Billboards
As Los Angeles works to rein in billboard blight around the city, the Parks and Recreation Dept. comes out with a surprise request for permission to put up more off-site signage.
Developers and Landlords "Don't Know What's Best For Them"
While the article is headlined "We Need More Zoning," the body is more about the need to plan public spaces well before architects and developers come in to guide their projects for the public good.
Pinning Hopes on Theatres to Bring People Downtown
Canadian cities are increasingly investing in cultural centers in their downtowns in order to create attract people and spur investment.
The Living Wage Mandate Works
A 2003 policy that mandated that subsidized developements grant jobs at living wages has not hampered development, according to one official.
Congressional Redistricting Leaves Cities Split
Urban areas have been historically shortchanged when drawing Congressional district lines, and some mayors are less than thrilled to see their municipalities "carved up." Michael Cooper reports.
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