The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

An agreement that would provide Citi Bike with a substantial capital investment—greatly expanding its geographic reach and number of bikes—is in final stages of negotiations, according to the Wall Street Journal.

July 25 - The Wall Street Journal

The proposed Grand Paris Express program, which began construction this summer and is expected for completion in 2030, will serve 2 million people a day at "wildly fast speeds." Then there's light rail in the United States.

July 24 - the transport politic

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering adopting an "Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone" policy to incentivize the development of urban gardens on empty lots (which actually do exist in San Francisco).

July 24 - KPIX

One writer takes issue with the city of Detroit's decision to subsidize a $450 million arena plan for the Detroit Red Wings. The Ilitch family, owners of the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings, are worth $3.6 billion.

July 24 - Deadspin

Baltimore is increasing lawsuits against negligent property owners with outstanding code violations. As part of the city's "Vacants to Value" initiative, forfeited properties are transferred to receivership and auctioned to new owners.

July 24 - The Baltimore Sub

It will come as no surprise to those tracking the built environment in Los Angeles that City Planning currently faces a number of challenges.

July 24 - The Planning Report

No, the debilitating lawsuits haven't been resolved, so the HSR Authority still can't tap the $10 billion in voter-approved bonds, but the new state budget based on cap-and-trade revenue for HSR is sparking inquiries from private investors.

July 24 - Inside Bay Area

A Philadelphia Inquirer blog post details what it calls a "brain drain" problem in the state of New Jersey—where more residents go out of state for college than in any other state.

July 24 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Some restaurants have found ways to circumvent the expense of liquor licenses in Philadelphia by opening pop-up beer gardens operating under a much, much cheaper catering permit. Cue state legislation to curb the practice.

July 24 - PlanPhilly

A growing body of research examines the question of how to make places more attractive and healthy, without then making them more expensive.

July 24 - Next City

FEATURE

The increasing use of online civic engagement platforms offers a chance for planners to improve the planning process—that is, if they take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the new technology to showcase their expertise.

July 24 - Karin Brandt

More cities—many of them "revitalizing" their urban cores at the same time as a national recession and a real estate market beset by diminishing supplies of low-income housing—are criminalizing homelessness.

July 23 - PBS NewsHour - The Rundown

In an article for the Dallas Morning News, Tom Benning introduces Ashley Haire as the city of Dallas' new bike coordinator. Haire comes to the job of delivering more bicycle infrastructure to Dallas by way of Portland and TxDOT.

July 23 - Dallas Morning News

Tom Jacobs details the findings of a study out of France that finds evidence of what researchers call "green altruism"—or people treating each other better after period of immersion in a natural environment.

July 23 - Pacific Standard

Michael Demkowicz says that steel, aluminum, and concrete are among materials we understand least, but all have big possibilities for engineers.

July 23 - MIT Spectrum

A deal may be near between energy and rail industries and the Department of Transportation to phase out the DOT-111 tank car—the same kind implicated in the horrific explosions of oil trains, particularly those carry Bakken crude from North Dakota.

July 23 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

A study investigates the effect of air conditioning systems on air temperature and electricity demand. The study's findings: the release of waste heat (via AC systems) exacerbates the nocturnal urban heat island, thus increasing cooling demands.

July 23 - Treehugger

After plans to create a transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly district in the Austin suburb of Leander fizzled due to the recession, the city has cut back minimum height and density requirements in the hopes of attracting more investment.

July 23 - Austin American-Statesman

Unlike the message of an annoying commercial, bigger may not be better in the real estate market. Residential developers in Washington D.C. have found that millennials like small studios, or micro-units, provided the spaces are well designed.

July 23 - The Washington Post

A pair of articles sounds separate warnings about what a future of autonomous vehicles will mean for law enforcement and fuel consumption. The warnings are far from the utopian ideal that many desire for the technology.

July 23 - Bloomberg