The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin talks mobility on the Westside and the region. With another transportation sales tax extension in the works, Bonin sees a sunny future for LA, but no easy fix to end congestion.

March 30 - The Planning Report

Urban water systems generally aren't responding to the California drought by suspending new water connections, as they did in past drought years like 1991. What are the implications?

March 30 - California Planning & Development Report

In September, 2011 the above title read two million. Figures from both years are based on reports from the World Health Organization, a United Nations agency. Is air quality getting worse, or are more deaths being attributed to air pollution?

March 30 - The Atlantic Cities

Most bikers are white and have a college degree. A recent article examines the Baltimore Bike Experience as an example of the types of programs that could expand the use of biking into other parts of the city, among other benefits.

March 29 - Governing

Nathanael Johnson reports on what makes healthy grocery stores succeed in food deserts.

March 29 - Grist

Ben Adler considers the availability of car-sharing and cab services in maintaining a car-free population.

March 29 - Grist

Charles C. Mann reports on the benefits and obstacles to cleaner coal and why we need to explore carbon capture and storage even as we transition to renewable energy.

March 29 - Wired.com

The facts are in—N.J. Gov Chris Christie did not know of the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, much less order them, according to an internal report commissioned by the governor himself that did not interview any of the key witnesses.

March 29 - The Star-Ledger

Initial attempts at making city streets more encouraging to cyclists have often been marred by poor design.

March 28 - Better! Cities & Towns

The mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston recently announced their support of a high-speed rail connection between the two metropolitan areas. The line would be privately funded.

March 28 - Dallas News

Bill Fulton says a legal challenge from the building industry may teach a useful lesson: the California Environmental Quality Act isn't the only tool planners can use to keep projects and their occupants out of harm's way

March 28 - California Planning & Development Report

For the second installment in a five-part series on economic segregation in U.S. metros, Richard Florida examines the cities where poverty stays most hidden from "everyone else."

March 28 - Atlantic Cities

A new paper in the Regional Science and Urban Economics journal presents a lukewarm review of the Minneapolis Blue Line’s impact on development through 2010—doing little to buoy the market during the Great Recession.

March 28 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

Manhattan has long been one of—if not the—centers of the literary universe. What does it mean for the borough if bookstores—independent or otherwise—can no longer afford the rent?

March 28 - New York Times

The Los Angeles Times reports on the Los Angeles Conservancy's 2014 Preservation Report Card, which "grades" each of L.A. County's local governments on their preservation programs (or lack thereof).

March 28 - Los Angeles Times

When it comes to allowing voters to decide whether to increase local or state taxes for transportation, the most common option by far is the local or state sales tax. But what about income taxes; has it been tried before? And for public transit only?

March 28 - Nuvo

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, this week released the annual County Health Rankings. The rankings aim to inspire healthy community action.

March 28 - The Washington Post

The Onion has once again focused its satirical gaze on the art and science of planning, this time telling the fictional story of a planner in Des Moines, Iowa, who just couldn't help but copy Philadelphia.

March 28 - The Onion

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was first elected to the city council in 1993. He’s expected to be indicted on public corruption charges next week after accepting more than $48,000 for “the use of his official position..."

March 27 - Charlotte Observer

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a $9.3 billion settlement with Bank of America following a 2011 suit tied to the bank’s role in selling faulty mortgage-backed securities to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

March 27 - The Hill