The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

What if gambling was legal all over the United States? Neal Peirce reviews Sam Skolnik’s new book, "High Stakes: The Rising Cost of America’s Gambling Addiction" and looks at what might be the result of bills pending in CA and MA.

August 29 - Citiwire.net

As consumer real estate debt surpasses $9 trillion, TIME magazine examines four radical proposals that top policymakers and economists think will help turn things around.

August 28 - Time

In preparation for Hurricane Irene, the MTA is shutting down buses, subways, and commuter rail in the New York City metro area. Transit operated till noon on August 27, then will begin the 8-hour process to store the vehicles and prepare for Irene.

August 28 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Residents of the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco fear that redevelopment threatens to gentrify the area in a way that pushes out low- and middle-income black residents.

August 28 - High Country News

In Frankfurt's main shopping district, the Zeilgalerie shopping mall brightens up the night with thousands of programmable LEDs built into its new facade.

August 28 - The Architect's Newspaper

In Antelope Valley, Calif., questionable code enforcement practices encroach the Fifth Amendment taking clause while the obfuscation of facts by public officials mars the transparent aspect of the planning process.

August 27 - Boing Boing

Developers in Frederick, ND are aiming to build "green" homes that middle income buyers can afford. The homes are sporting features such as, solar panels, geothermal heating and high-tech computer systems that are typically found in high end homes.

August 27 - The Washington Post

The CA Air Board reaffirmed their decision to stick with the cap and trade approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions rather than an alternative mechanism such as a carbon fee - a decision that did not please the environmental justice litigants.

August 27 - Los Angeles Times

Alyse Nelson takes a look at a handful of alleys that were transformed from crusty dumping grounds into beautiful urban spaces.

August 27 - SightlineDaily

Joining Yelp, Net-A-Porter, and Apple, tech companies find a new hub in Union Square (aka "Silicon Square").

August 27 - The Wall Street Journal

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt">Much of the inefficiency surrounding our use and misuse of water derive from entrenched habits formed during previous eras of presumed inexhaustibility of water supplies.  Our wastewater treatment approach has traditionally relied on an infrastructure of centralized municipal water plants where tertiary effluent is recycled.<span>  </span>These plants consume considerable energy and cost to restore all of the water they process. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt"> </span> </p>

August 26 - Rick Abelson

CBS News compiles in a photo slideshow of dating site OkCupid's list of the top 10 cities with the highest percentage of "casual sex seekers."

August 26 - CBS News

Architect Michael Arad design "Reflecting Absence" was chosen from 5,200 others. After navigating constant criticism and design hurdles, "Reflecting Absence," the memorial to victims of September 11, 2001, is 16 days from it's unveiling.

August 26 - Los Angeles Times

Saqib Rahim asks, "If Denver is committed to transit, how much parking should it build?"

August 26 - The New York Times

Graffiti artists from around the world were invited to transform the brutalist post-war architecture of Bristol, England's Nelson Street.

August 26 - Tim Maughan Books

The total number of cars around the world exceeded the billion-unit mark in 2010, according to a study by Wards Auto. This figure has essentially doubled since 1986 when the 500-million-unit mark was crossed.

August 26 - AutoBlog

Due to budget constraints, the current C train (code name: R32) will continue to serve New Yorkers until 2017, making it one of the oldest subway line in the world.

August 26 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

On Monday, August 22nd, the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, Jack Layton, succumbed to cancer and passed away, mere months after leading his left-leaning party to unprecedented electoral success as the official opposition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. Since then, the public expressions of loss, and the celebration of his life, have been extraordinary: impromptu memorials have sprung up in cities across Canada, <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/jack_layton/index.htm">especially in Toronto</a> where he sat as a city councilor for almost 20 years before moving to federal politics.

August 26 - Michael Dudley

An ambitious BRT plan for Chicago could be a great boon for inner-city folks greatly in need of better ways to get around, says Yonah Freemark.

August 26 - the transport politic

Neil Chambers talks about his new book, Urban Green: Architecture for the Future. He says that "[w]e are basically still dealing with water, energy, and buildings the same way we were 150 years ago."

August 26 - ASLA's The Dirt blog