The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Jarrett Walker rides on the Wellington Cable Car, giving him the opportunity to explain the four conditions for when a funicular is a sensible transit solution.

October 3 - Human Transit

World annual death toll due to particulate pollution from indoor and outdoor sources is 2 million people each year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

October 3 - USA Today

In this Climate Watch blog and accompanying "Miles To Go" radio report, the reporter observes how powerful parking rated as a factor in determining whether to drive, walk, or take transit, and the public policies that affect the quantity of parking.

October 3 - KQED News: Climate Watch

A group of traffic and infrastructure consultants along with NGOS and academics have banded together to spread better bicycle infrastructure around the world.

October 2 - Streetsblog

A handful of Washington insiders argue that while Obama is calling for the creation of a national infrastructure bank, there is already such an entity in existence and ready to assume the role.

October 2 - The Washington Post

"...all architecture – most especially that which thinks its not – is now Post Modern," writes Sam Jacob.

October 2 - Strange Harvest

Social activists have reacted sharply to the Indian Planning Commission's report that 25 rupees (50 cents) and 31 rupees a day is sufficient for people in rural and urban areas, respectively. Jyoti Malhotra reports on the ongoing debate.

October 2 - India Real Time (Wall Street Journal)

The current observation is that the urban poor are moving to the suburbs. Alon Levy says that this is nothing new, and the current effects of such movement is in fact just the "tipping point" of what's been happening for the last 50 years.

October 2 - Pedestrian Observations

BLOG POST

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt">The Los Angeles Times recently had a <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-solyndra-20110925,0,1536191.story" target="_blank" title="Solyndra's collapse is a tale of too much dazzle">story</a> about the collapse of Solyndra – the once heralded poster-child of the Obama administration’s green jobs plan.  A big part of Solyndra’s demise was due to the rapidly falling price of their competitors’ solar panels.  In 2008, the cost of solar panels was a bit over $4 for each watt generated.  Solyndr

October 1 - Marlon Boarnet

Starting in 2002, the Colorado legislature began to make it easier to foreclose on properties in Colorado. Original loan documents are no longer required to prove the bank actually owns the property.

October 1 - The Denver Post

BLOG POST

In April 2009, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan spoke to the ULI Spring Council Forum in Atlanta; he stated that his administration’s goal was “to put the UD back in HUD,” and explained that HUD’s over-reliance on housing solutions wasn’t helping cities address their complex revitalization needs. Just over two years later, this small new funding program caught my eye on a list of new HUD announcements: <p class="MsoNormal"> *** HUD HOPE VI – $0.5 million<br /> Application Due: August 22, 2011<br /> Eligible Entities: Local governments </p>

October 1 - Jess Zimbabwe

Recent crashes involving the subway in Shanghai has caused speculation that the rails are unsafe and poorly built.

October 1 - Bloomberg

Ecopolis Plaza is a former industrial site that has become an inventive children's park, located roughly 12 miles from the center of Madrid. Nicole Jewell checks it out.

October 1 - Buildipedia

Yes, there will be jobs, and safety has improved since downtown revitalization efforts began over a decade ago. But Pico-Union residents are feeling routinely excluded--and shortchanged--when it comes to decisionmaking.

October 1 - Los Angeles Times

Pending a memorandum of understanding between city and U.N. officials, Manhattan may begin a land swap process that will finally fill in a mile-long gap of greenway along the East River. Lisa R. Foderaro reports.

October 1 - New York Times

La Lignon, a massive 2,780 unit housing project, was built hastily in the 70s in Switzerland to help manage a massive housing crisis. Today, some people call it home and others call it "a monster."

September 30 - The New York Times

Multinational financial services company Citigroup was bailed out by federal stimulus funds after taking large losses on bad mortgages. Today, Citi Foundation is helping fund projects in 10 metro areas to increase stability and prevent foreclosures.

September 30 - Citi

Architect Alan Chang writes an extensive piece for PLACES on the need to rethink how suburbs are built and designed now, before the economy recovers.

September 30 - Places

Cities like San Francisco, Portland and New York are facing a problem most people didn't expect: an overabundance of farmers' markets. Vancouver's planners are keeping the numbers trimmed to make sure the current markets don't wither and die.

September 30 - The Globe and Mail

A promotion by Shell Oil and Lucky supermarkets conflicted with a regional alert to reduce driving due to an ozone alert. Motorists lined up in the morning for free gasoline at a San Francisco Shell station during a 'Spare The Air' Day on Sept. 28.

September 30 - The San Francisco Examiner