The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In this essay from <em>Places</em>, architecture professor Wes Janz documents and ponders the economic decay of Flint, Michigan.

February 21 - Places

Neal Peirce expounds on the increasing power and importance of cities, a dominant message in the new book "Triumph of the City" by economist Edward Glaeser.

February 21 - Citiwire

Scotia, California may be the nation's last remaining company town. The entire city could be headed to market this year.

February 21 - Newsweek

Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the host city of Rio de Janeiro is embarking on a massive redevelopment plan in its decaying port area.

February 21 - Xinhua

Construction is nearing completion on the longest railway tunnel in the world.

February 21 - National Geographic

Miyashita Park in Tokyo is an historic site with a history of homeless encampments. Officials plan to turn the park into a skateboard park, with naming rights purchased by Nike.

February 20 - Positive Spaces

Mineral King is a site adjoining Sequoia National Park that the Park Service wanted to lease as a resort. Walt Disney was gung ho to do it, and got pretty far in planning an alpine village resort before the project was killed.

February 20 - MiceChat

While calling Israeli settlement construction "folly" the U.S. has nonetheless vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlement construction as "illegal."

February 20 - Al Jazeera

Scientists are developing modular robots that can move themselves around the room and pull themselves into chairs, beds, desks, or whatever piece of furniture you need at the time.

February 20 - Fast Company

Finca Bellavista is a development on the southern coast of Costa Rica with 5 houses and 24 other buildings, all sustainable treehouse structures.

February 20 - Builder Magazine

A new show of South African photographer Guy Tillim's work reveals the modernist architecture of Africa as a remnant of colonialism.

February 19 - The Chicago Tribune

"Reskinning" buildings -- or adding a new facade -- is taking off in Canada and Europe.

February 19 - Solve Climate News

Maryland's Governor O'Malley, heading into his 2nd and last term, wants to leave behind a legacy of environmental improvement, including new smart growth policies to limit building in rural areas.

February 19 - Washington Post

Five international design teams released their ideas this week for redeveloping Edmonton's City Centre Airport into a dense, energy-efficient neighborhood. Green roofs, canals, ice rinks and geothermal heating all come into play.

February 19 - Edmonton Journal

Washington D.C. has for many years had a high population of African Americans. But now, they're moving out to the suburbs and white people are moving in.

February 19 - NPR

BLOG POST

<p>While it is still in the early stages, it&#39;s nonetheless exciting to post that Hoboken and Jersey City are collaborating with Hudson County Transportation Management Association (TMA) to explore ways to bring a full-fledged bike sharing program to the west coast of the Hudson.  The full details are posted in a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) here:</p><p><a href="http://www.hudsontma.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=227&amp;cat_id=21&amp;Itemid=61">http://www.hudsontma.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=227&amp;cat_id=21&amp;Itemid=61</a> </p>

February 19 - Ian Sacs

Despite the city's heavy dependence on cars, a newly-approved project in Los Angeles will transform a Downtown street into a better experience for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit-riders.

February 18 - GOOD Magazine

Cities' financial challenges are leading directly to fundamental governance challenges, including questions that are not normally part of budgetary discussions. The consequences for city life and municipal functions may be substantial.

February 18 - Nation's Cities Weekly

In an interview, the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan says that federal money will only go to those who embrace sustainability.

February 18 - UrbanLand

Yuri Artibise is an expert on infographics and has chosen his favorite ones on cities.

February 18 - Sustainable Cities Collective