The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In San Francisco, almost one out of every six acres is slated to become parkland in the new urban infill projects in Mission Bay.

November 29 - City Parks Blog

According to Yonah Freemark, the FTA announced that with a "New Starts grant," the 9.4-mile bus rapid transit line that has been under consideration since the late 90's, has finally secured funds to complete the project.

November 29 - the transport politic

Sri Lanka, an island nation of 20 million people, has just completed its first express highway, which, as Toll Roads News is quick to point out, is financed through a toll system.

November 29 - TOLLROADSnews

Critic Blair Kamin speaks out against Mayor Emmanuel's decision to allow advertising on Chicago's iconic bridges to make up a budget shortfall. Kamin calls the move "the uglification of the City Beautiful."

November 29 - The Chicago Tribune

The Catholic Church and other religious groups are facing hard times, with more churches to maintain than their dwindling numbers can support. But when they are clearly landmarks, should churches be allowed to sell off their building stock?

November 29 - The Atlantic Cities

Officials in recession-battered Michigan increasingly see placemaking as an important economic recovery strategy. The Michigan Municipal League, a coalition of local governments, is leading efforts to make the state's cities talent magnets.

November 29 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

BLOG POST

<p style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Go ahead, define sustainability.<span>  </span>Everyone knows countless, tangled and unconvincing definitions for this word which is quickly losing steam.<span>  </span>The problem is that we’re not sure about how sustainability relates to us except in planetary ways. We’re bombarded with many concepts that if we reduce this by 20% <span> </span>then we’ll get that in 30 years which helps the earth survive. All’s well, except we’re almost numb because we won’t feel the aggregate effects for quite some time. Obviously, we’re an impatient lot.<span>  </span></span></span> </p>

November 29 - Rick Abelson

Parkour, a sort of sport that uses urban spaces as a series of obstacles to spring over and around, is a growing trend in South Florida. But local officials are concerned about the liability issues of careening "traceurs" in public parks and plazas.

November 29 - South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Swiss architects Gramazio & Kohler are behind a new experiment using robots for construction. The robots will fly bricks up into the air and assemble them as programmed into a tall tower.

November 29 - Architizer

Alyse Nelson says that when it comes to placemaking, sometimes all you need is some brightly-colored paint.

November 29 - SightlineDaily

Faced with climate change and poverty, Africans are focusing on a new farming frontier: the cities.

November 28 - OnEarth

It's been called a white elephant and a boondoggle, but Stanford rail historian Richard White went further in his interview in the NYT by comparing it with escalating involvement in an unwinnable war.

November 28 - The New York Times- U.S.

FEATURE

Stuart Meck and Rebecca Retzlaff call the attention of AICP certified planners to an upcoming change to the certification process which they believe will "degrade and cheapen" the AICP designation.

November 28 - Stuart Meck

In Vancouver, B.C., Trevor Hancock is helping the city make the connection between the built environment and the health of the citizens.

November 28 - The Globe and Mail

"No one other than we as planners has the responsibility for decisions today that will profoundly affect others," says Attorney/Planner Dwight H. Merriam.

November 28 - Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy

FEATURE

November 28 - Tim Halbur

Salon.com has launched a new series called "Dream City" which will focus on the "spectacular innovation and dizzying demographic shift[s]" underway in America's cities.

November 28 - Salon.com

The "utopian" cities being built from scratch in Asia to accommodate its fantastic rate of urbanization are striving to be smarter and greener, but may also be financially risky.

November 28 - Slate

Edward T. McMahon of ULI looks back at the 85 years since the Euclid vs. Ambler decision created zoning as we know it. Ed says zoning is still an essential tool.

November 28 - Urban Land

One of the costliest transit projects in the Bay Area is a $772 million contract, closer to construction come Dec. 8. The long-awaited BART extension from Fremont to the region's largest city may be contingent on FTA funding expected in February.

November 28 - San Jose Mercury News