The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Unoccupied housing is on the rise in many parts of the country, according to an analysis of U.S. Postal Service data.

July 27 - USA Today

Officials in Moscow are pushing a plan to double the footprint of the city in order to ease congestion and overcrowding. Some worry sprawling development patters will follow.

July 27 - Guardian

The youth of America will ditch its cities in favor of the suburbs, according to this op-ed from Joel Kotkin.

July 27 - New Geography

With foreclosure rates high and car-dependent development spreading, Charlotte might want to start listening to new urbanist Tom Low, according to this article.

July 27 - Charlotte Magazine

With one third the number of cars on the road as U.S., China has at least twice the fatality rate. Most vehicles are designed in the West, and driven a similar amount. Road conditions as well as driver and pedestrian error are blamed for crashes.

July 27 - The New York Times - Asia Pacific

The Active Living approach, promoting activity by changing physical space, is not enough to combat the obesity epidemic, Laura Tolkoff writes. Though the urban planner's role in reducing obesity is unclear, Tolkoff presents some possibilities.

July 27 - Colab Radio

At the Ford foundations 75th anniversary, Citiwire’s Neal Peirce reports how “ground urban strategies in inclusion and equity” is the secret to a “Just City.”

July 27 - Citiwire

The Atlanta Beltline Partnership's annual report shows how revitalization programs, workforce housing, parks and trails have been blossoming. Yet transit development has lagged behind, reports Kaid Benfield for The Atlantic.

July 27 - The Atlantic

The DeKalb Market on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn showcases adaptive reuse of old shipping containers at its best with an eclectic mix of small shops, picnic area, food vendors, urban garden, and DJ booth.

July 27 - Inhabitat NYC

The revitalization master plan for two older neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi includes creating "new roads, clinics, schools, police stations and neighborhood centers" and making them easily accessible to residents.

July 26 - The National

Banks in China have stopped accepting loan applications for property in the country's second- and third-tier cities in an effort to curb inflation.

July 26 - China Daily

The city of Vancouver is planning to offer more than $42 million in land and capital grants aimed at developing affordable housing. Its part of a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the city.

July 26 - The Vancouver Sun

The immense drill that's burrowing a subway tunnel beneath New York City will remain underground after its work is through, a move to cut the expensive costs of removing it.

July 26 - The New York Times

Small-scale, temporary interventions in urban space have brought the concept of "pop-up" projects into the civic space of cities.

July 26 - The Globe and Mail

A comic book is helping municipal employees in Brazil to understand how to catalog land for the collection of property taxes.

July 26 - At Lincoln House

One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.

July 26 - The New York Times Magazine

For a city of over 16,000 people per square mile, less than 7% of Hong Kong's land is designated for residential use. Subdivided apartments - aka "coffin units" - totaling 150 square feet aren't uncommon, reports The Wall Street Journal.

July 26 - The Wall Street Journal

While most homebuilders take measures to control cost, such as modifying the plan layouts or building more energy-efficient homes, few revamp their business strategies by creating specialized division for distressed markets.

July 26 - The Economist

Two bullet trains collided in China killing 43, injuring 211, on Saturday evening, July 23 in Wenzhou city, after one train stalled on a viaduct, causing four cars of the moving train to fall up to 100 ft. to the ground below. Video attached.

July 26 - The Times Of India

2 architects from the firm HPlusF took on the challenge of taking a Hummer and redesigning it into a modular dwelling. Thus, the HummerHaus.

July 25 - dornob