The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Mass Transit Projects' High Cost Give Minimal Results

Factors such as age, labor costs, real estate, and construction all factor into why cities are paying more money for transit projects, but are still getting less on their return, writes David Lepeska for The Atlantic Cities.

November 9 - The Atlantic Cities

A Bygone Bus Terminal in Midtown

Christopher Grey remembers the Greyhound Bus Station that used to be located in New York's Midtown. Demolished and forgotten, it never provoked the outrage that arose over the destruction of Penn Station.

November 9 - The New York Times

Buffalo Poised for Success, Says Planner

Buffalo, NY urban planner Chris Hawley is excited about the possibilities for his city, explaining that the Rust Belt infrastructure already in place gives Buffalo a leg up over cities built later in history.

November 9 - Next American City

Should Cities Be Looking for Their Own High Line?

At the recent ASLA Conference in San Diego, a panel of noted landscape architects discussed whether New York City's hit park The High Line is a replicable model for other cities.

November 9 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Learning From Bike-Streetcar Harmony in Amsterdam

It's no coincidence that cities with proper streetcar networks are the most bike-friendly, and vice versa, according to Dan Malouff.

November 9 - Greater Greater Washington


Developers of "Cool Roof" Buildings May Catch a Break

Industrial building developers, who had previously decried the price tag of green roofs now standard to many buildings in Toronto, may get the OK to construct an alternative, reflective roof instead.

November 9 - National Post

Cleaning Up the Tri-State's Toxic Rivers

Passaic River, the Hudson River, the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek all share the dubious distinction of hosting Superfund sites, where industry polluted the river. MetroFocus has a look at cleanup strategies.

November 9 - MetroFocus


Residential Parking Districts Coming Soon to NYC?

It may comes as a surprise that the nation's most sought after free parking in residential neighborhoods is not reserved for the privileged who live there, allowing commuters and others to exploit this unpriced resource. This may end.

November 9 - New York Post

Panoramic Pics of Top 100 Public Spaces

Planetizen regular Chris Whitis features some stunning shots of several of the winners of our recent Top 100 Public Spaces crowdsourcing survey.

November 8 - Sitephocus

The Secret to More Jobs isn't Home Creation, its Rehabilitation

Emily Badger of The Atlantic Cities explores the economic and environmental advantages of refurbishing old buildings over constructing new ones.

November 8 - The Atlantic Cities

Dubai's Dirty Problem

In Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. But it shares one problem will all skyscrapers in Dubai - there is no central sewage infrastructure to accommodate the waste they produce.

November 8 - Boing Boing

Controversial 13,000 Sq. Ft. Home Gets Approved

The San Diego Planning Commission has rubber stamped a massive Zaha Hadid-designed private home. The dramatic architecture has had locals forming "anti-Zaha coalitions."

November 8 - The Architect's Newspaper

Biking NYC's New Bike Lanes With Sadik-Khan

NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan gives a tour of the city's new bike lanes from the only logical vantage point - on a bike.

November 8 - The New York Times

WSJ Asks "Why Should Museums Be Stuck in Cities?"

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opens next Friday in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Holly Finn says "sophisticates" who gripe that the collection should be less remote and more accessible are elitist.

November 8 - The Wall St. Journal

Sustainability and Affordability Don't Always Go Hand in Hand

Op-ed columnist Andrew Ross notes that while some progressive cities are being lauded for sustainable, green design, most American cities struggle to achieve sustainable results that are available to all residents.

November 8 - The New York Times

Cities Turn To The Arts To Make Great Places

ArtPlace America has issued a landmark series of grants dedicated to supporting the 'creative class' and enhance communities through the arts. Organizations in California snagged eight of thirty-four grants nationwide.

November 8 - California Planning & Development Report

Dangerous, But Useful: Illegal Apartments

Illegal apartments present a quandary for the city of New York: they increase the danger of fire, but also provide needed shelter that couldn't be found elsewhere. Some experts think a path to legalization could work.

November 8 - City Limits

Kite Photography as Community Engagement

Attach a digital camera to a balloon or kite, and what do you get? An easy tool for public participation in land use decisions, says Eymund Diegel of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science.

November 8 - The Mobile City

Congestion Pricing & Charging For Carpools Reduce Bay Bridge Congestion

A UC Berkeley traffic study shows dramatic reductions in travel time for all Bay Bridge traffic after tolls were restructured July, 2010, applying the region's first congestion charge and charging half price for carpools, ending their free passage.

November 7 - San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Mayoral Candidates Lacking Urban Vision

In the thick of the campaign, the American Institute of Architects invited the eleven major candidates for mayor of San Francisco to debate their respective visions for the City by the Bay.

November 7 - The Examiner

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.