The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The idea of separated bicycle lanes is growing in popularity. Tom Vanderbilt at Slate looks at the increase in investment and attention to making room for bicycles and increasing safety so more people will ride.

July 2 - Slate

With Harvard's plan to build a Renzo Piano-designed art museum rejected, the university took a new tack and built student housing, a park and an underground parking garage -- a "satisfying outcome", says Anthony Flint.

July 2 - The Boston Globe

Plans to expand the Bay Area's BART system to the Silicon Valley have brought into question the future of a San Jose flea market that some want to turn into a transit-oriented development.

July 2 - The Wall Street Journal

Thomas Elias argues that California's HSR plans should be altered to reduce costs and avoid some urban municipalities against the plans. This would reduce the $25 billion funding gap and allow construction to move ahead.

July 2 - San Jose Mercury News

Despite her homespun manner -- or maybe because of it -- L.A.'s retiring planning director, Gail Goldberg, had a huge impact on planning in California.

July 2 - California Planning & Development Report

A new linear park project near L.A.'s port seeks to ride the success of New York City's High Line park.

July 2 - The Architect's Newspaper

A recent study shows that traffic fatality rates are lower for children in areas where public transit is widely used.

July 2 - TheCityFix DC

<em>The Infrastructurist</em> reports on a recent panel about smart grid technology -- and its awkward timing right after a major smart grid plan was shot down by the Maryland Public Service Commission.

July 1 - The Infrastructurist

Few expected this Republican in the Obama cabinet to cause such a stir. Yet, from his high speed rail advocacy to campaigning for road safety ("just say no to texting") to pushing livable communities, 64-year-old Ray LaHood has changed D.O.T.

July 1 - The Washington Post: Breaking News Blog

Kirsten Hively of the Architectural League of New York stumbled upon some relics of the 1964 New York World's Fair and became obsessed with understanding their history. The Candela Structures, as they are known,

July 1 - Urban Omnibus

As Qatar plans to spend billions on infrastructure and stadia ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, locals are hopeful that plans will focus on longer-term impacts.

July 1 - Reuters

BLOG POST

<p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="ecxMsoNormal"> (NOTE TO READERS: An expanded, footnote-filled version of this article is online at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632935 ) </p> <p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="ecxMsoNormal"> &nbsp; </p> <p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="ecxMsoNormal"> <span>Externalities are costs (or benefits) imposed on third parties by another individual’s voluntary action.  Government regulations exist at least partially to protect us from externalities created by others.</span> </p>

July 1 - Michael Lewyn

As Asian economic prowess powers the continent's businesses toward prosperity, governments need to find a way to accommodate the 2 billion extra people that will inhabit its major cities by the middle of the century.

July 1 - Financial Times

Los Angeles Planning Director Gail Goldberg has announced her resignation.

July 1 - The Architect's Newspaper

All summer long the newly installed BRT in Bangkok will offer free rides to passengers as the kinks are worked out of the system.

July 1 - TheCityFix

Yonah Freemark explains how Barcelona has managed to get a better deal for its new metro extension than those in New York and Los Angeles.

July 1 - the transport politic

The Cities of Service coalition, a new initiative funded through Rockefeller Foundation grants, aims to facilitate local volunteer-based efforts to meet community needs.

July 1 - Huffington Post

The City of Detroit has announced plans to close 77 city parks this summer in an effort to cut costs.

July 1 - The Detroit Free Press

This piece from <em>Next American City</em> looks at pollution in small town New Mexico and how court rulings have made it hard for a local organization -- and those in other communities -- to fight environmental battles.

July 1 - Next American City

By 2030, China will have 220 cities containing a population of 1 million or more, 24 of which will be megacities. The boom China is expected to go through, 'boggles the imagination of North Americans and Europeans.'

June 30 - World Changing