The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Economic Extremes Measured by New York City's Skyscrapers

The Washington Post performs a sort of reverse archaeology: looking skyward to the heights of building for a record of the country's economic fortunes.

January 11 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Wise Use Movement Galvanizes Oregon Wildlife Refuge Occupation

In an news analysis for The New York Times Sunday Review, Alan Feuer sees the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon as another struggle between the Wise Use movement, which began is the 1980s, and the mainstream.

January 11 - The New York Times

Bridge, Kennewick, Washington

Washington Port City Seeks To Attract Visitors With Wine Village

The Port of Kennewick, Washington, along the Columbia River, is hoping to combine some underutilized waterfront property and nearby wineries into a new attraction for wine lovers.

January 11 - Seattle Daily Journal Of Commerce

SEPTA Token

Philly Transit Riders Need To Keep Those Tokens Handy, For Now

While most big city transit systems have moved on to electronic passes or paper tickets, Philadelphia's riders are left to deal with tokens and transfer slips until SEPTA's plans for a system upgrade come to fruition.

January 11 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Wheelchair Ramp

Finding Homes Harder For Those With Disabilities

A new study finds that the number of units available to those with a disability is insufficient to meet the growing needs of an aging population.

January 11 - CityLab


Guess What 'Empire Station' Replaces

An earlier post on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's big capital project proposal this week gave barely a mention of his new plans for the renovation, or rebirth, of Penn Station, America's busiest rail station.

January 11 - The New York Times

A New Jersey Town Comes Undone Over Affordable Housing

Faced with a court ordered requirement to provide its fair share of affordable housing, one New Jersey town's residents have lashed out with some anti-Semitic overtones against plans for a new development.

January 11 - The Atlantic


aerial view of identical suburban homes

A Brief Explainer of the Urban vs Suburban Migration Inflow/Outflow Argument

Has the renaissance of our urban cores petered out or will the movement of suburban refugees to denser metro neighborhoods continue? Let's see what demographics and economics tell us.

January 11 - Medium

Cars in the snow

BLOG POST

It's Snowing—There's An App for Tracking That

A snow storm came through overnight, your street hasn't been cleared. When can you expect to have your street cleared? Cities are increasingly providing snowplow tracking information to residents.

January 11 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

fisheye photo of DC subway in station

How Do We Solve the High Cost of Building Transit?

Compared to other countries, building mass transit in the United States has proven significantly more expensive. But why? And how do we fix this?

January 10 - Greater Greater Washington

Atlanta streetcar

Atlanta's Nascent Streetcar Systems Begins Charging, Critics Pounce

After a stumbling start getting off the ground, proponents of Atlanta's new streetcar see hope in its future while others question further investment.

January 10 - New York Times

Peterborough: a City Shaping Its Own DNA

Peterborough is the winner of the 2015 World Smart City Award.

January 10 - Cities of the Future

Federal Funding Authorized for States to Test Gas Tax Alternatives

The five-year transportation reauthorization known as the FAST Act relies on $70 billion of one-time, non-user fees to fund the $302 billion bill. The act also allows the government to fund the development of sustainable funding options by states.

January 10 - The Hill

Gentrification and 'The Slums of Beverly Hills'

There is hidden economic diversity even in one of the most famous (and toniest) of zip codes.

January 10 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Child Bikes

The Sign of a Successful Bike Plan: Slow Biking

A bike plan isn't meant for the peloton. Here's how you can tell.

January 9 - Vancity Buzz

Even Homer Nods: Responding to Paul Krugman on Housing

New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman, usually an astute observer, must have been having an off day when he made a completely incorrect assessment in his column on gentrification in New York City.

January 9 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Oakland Eases Restrictions on Secondary Housing Units

Following the recent example of cities like Vancouver, Austin, and Berkeley, Oakland, CA recently made it much easier for residents to create secondary units, also known as accessory dwelling units.

January 9 - East Bay Express

Google bikes

Impacts of Self-Driving Cars on Bicycle Planning

This article considers the impacts of driverless cars, or autonomous vehicles, on bicycle planning and what a 'low stress' bicycle route may look like in the future.

January 9 - Good Urban Places

New Federal Rule Decriminalizes Walking to School

The recently approved federal education law includes a provision that allows students to take alternative forms of transportation to and from school with parental permission.

January 9 - New York Post

Nightime view of San Diego skyline

Big Development Plans Proposed for Downtown San Diego

A local developer has proposed a $400 million development that would add several game-changing uses to Downtown San Diego.

January 8 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

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