The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Following a long winter, the Philadelphia Streets Department is on pace to break records for pothole repair, but that won’t be the only improvement paid for by a proposed 33 percent increase in funding to the Streets Department.

March 18 - PlanPhilly

As coastal real estate markets—especially in California—grow more expensive, it’s harder for teachers to afford a home. A recent article breaks down the affordability of homes for teachers around the country.

March 18 - The Wall Street Journal

In an effort to improve on-time performance of Muni, San Francisco has begun painting transit-only lanes a shade of Golden Gate Bridge red.

March 18 - San Francisco Examiner

Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden recently told a gathering about the state’s reliance on federal money for transportation, saying, “We’ve got to find a way to break away from our dependence on federal dollars.”

March 18 - Marietta Daily Journal

A visit to Cal-Earth in Hesperia leads aspiring environmental designer Daniel Ebuehi to examine how some aspects of desert living could translate to an urban environment.

March 18 - UrbDeZine

BLOG POST

Cars, smartphones, and Paris’ air quality crisis.

March 18 - Scott Le Vine

Larry Kosmont, CRE, President and CEO of Kosmont Companies, spoke with The Planning Report about tools for creating economic development in California without redevelopment agencies and traditional tax increment financing.

March 18 - The Planning Report

A writer claims that two buildings by architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, including the newly opened Pérez Art Museum, create a new style endemic to Miami—a city more known for its art deco proclivities.

March 18 - The Architect's Newspaper

Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 recently got national media attention from Forbes. The article describes Minicozzi as a kind of evangelist, making a strong, rational case for cities of all sizes to invest in their downtowns instead of big box retail.

March 18 - Forbes - BrandVoice

Late last week, Virginia state transportation officials shut down contract and permit work on the U.S. 460 expansion project. The project has already spent $300 million of a budgeted $1.4 billion—without even breaking ground.

March 18 - Richmond Times-Dispatch

One of Oklahoma City’s most architecturally significant buildings, the Stage Center (known as the Mummers Theatre when it opened in 1970) will be demolished after the city denied an appeal to save the building.

March 17 - The Oklahoman

“Lean urbanism” is the latest buzz-worthy term to enter the discussion on planning and urbanism. A recent article in Atlantic Cities explains the concept—which appeals to the younger generation as well as those with libertarian leanings.

March 17 - The Atlantic Cities

America’s electricity infrastructure is vulnerable to physical attack. And while federal regulators have known this for years, they’ve been slow to compel security upgrades.

March 17 - Los Angeles Times

The 2015 federal budget proposes a $50 minimum rent on subsidized rural rental housing to encourage “financial responsibility.” Will this really help the rural poor?

March 17 - Rooflines

When planners are looking to find out what kind of developments residents like, one way is to ask them to weigh in. Planner Clement Lau shares key lessons learned about conducting and creating surveys as part of the planning process.

March 17 - UrbDeZine

The Port of Albany is thriving as a major hub for CBR shipments from the Bakken field in North Dakota and Saskatchewan province. But we learn there are limits to further growth after the city slapped a moratorium on expansion to oil sands from Canada

March 17 - Climate Progress

Laura Kane listens to the ideas of three of Toronto’s ‘hidden’ transit experts – those who have spent their careers on it's front-lines. A streetcar driver, repair worker, and a transit app developer share their pragmatic insights.

March 17 - The Toronto Star

We've come to expect hight air pollution levels in Beijing and other Asian cities with high traffic levels and surrounded by dirty coal plants, but not in cities using emission-free nuclear energy and lots of bikes and mass transit. So why Paris?

March 17 - The New York Times - Europe

The same minority groups hit hardest by the housing bust are benefiting least during recovery.

March 17 - MetroTrends Blog

In the "Cost of Carbon Pollution" report, the Environmental Defense Fund, New York University's Institute for Policy Integrity, and the Natural Resources Defense Council claim the Obama Administration underscored the social cost of carbon pollution.

March 17 - Huffington Post