The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A decade of high-rise condo construction has transformed Toronto's skyline. But it appears the sky's not the limit when it comes to more skyscrapers. A proposal to build three 80-story towers designed by Frank Gehry has sparked a debate over density.

October 14 - The Toronto Star

After waiting more than five years, Elk Grove, one of the fastest growing cities in California and the country, will soon learn whether it can expand its planning area by another 8,000 acres to accommodate more residents.

October 13 - Sacramento Bee

In a slideshow of stunning photos by renowned photographer Iwan Baan, The New York Times shows the latest example of what spending an estimated $6 billion a year on architectural splendors will buy you.

October 13 - The New York Times

The Hollywood sign is a global icon and magnet for travelers to L.A., who seem unwilling to admire it from afar. For the residents of the neighborhoods underneath the historic sign, the hordes of tourists bring safety and quality of life concerns.

October 13 - Los Angeles Times

The NYPD's failure to produce usable traffic crash data, or agree to change their data gathering and reporting procedures, is just one example of the obstacles confronting implementation of the city's landmark open data law.

October 13 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

As hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, transforms America's energy sector and environmental policy, Europe has been reluctant to embrace the drilling technique. Will this reluctance harm the continent's economic growth and emission curbing efforts?

October 13 - The New York Times

“MythBusters” has put another urban debate to bed. According to a recent episode of the Discovery Channel show, roundabouts really are more efficient than four-way stops.

October 12 - nextSTL.com

Bearing 125 mph winds, Cyclone Phailin made landfall along India's eastern coast on Saturday evening. Though hundreds of thousands were evacuated from the area, some are questioning whether the Indian authorities took the storm too lightly.

October 12 - The New York Times

As one of the cities most effected by the housing crash, one would think the recovery of Phoenix's real estate market would be cause for widespread celebration. But a confluence of factors is making it hard for many to find a place to live.

October 12 - The New York Times

Micheline Maynard writes about an AASHTO study showing that the share of American families who don't own cars had been declining since 1960 but stopped in 2007 at 8.7%. By 2011, it had budged up to 9.3%. She suggests four reasons for the reversal.

October 12 - Forbes

With urban inequality getting increased attention from politicians and pundits, many have wondered whether cities actually have the tools to address this growing challenge. A new federal initiative offers a promising solution.

October 12 - The Washington Post

They're used to designing homes and vanity projects for dictators and developers, but have the world's leading architects ever designed for a doll?

October 11 - The Guardian

One of Brooklyn's busiest streets has been branded a "Bike-Friendly Business District", with cyclists offered discounts at participating stores. But without plans for a dedicated bike lane, cycling advocates are skeptical of the pronouncements.

October 11 - The Brooklyn Paper

This week the World Monuments Fund (WMF) published their biannual list of the globe's cultural heritage most at risk "from the forces of nature and the impact of social, political, and economic change." 67 sites in 41 countries made this year's list.

October 11 - Architect Magazine

A new report from the National League of Cities shows municipal revenues climbing across the U.S. in the aftermath of the worst economic crisis in decades. But pension and health costs, and federal budget issues, are causing concern.

October 11 - The New York Times

The financial data is clear: BRT costs much less to go further and serve far more riders. Case closed, or is it? The Denver Post editors look at HNTB's cost and ridership estimates for the Northwest Rail Line and offer a recommendation, sort of.

October 11 - The Denver Post

In a keynote speech at the Urban Land Institute’s “Transit Oriented Los Angeles” conference, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the launch of a "Great Streets" program to coordinate work on, and investment in, "the City’s largest public space asset."

October 11 - LA.Streetsblog

New York's chief urban designer, Alexandros Washburn, addresses the monumental task of rebuilding New York after Hurricane Sandy and preparing for the next storm.

October 11 - Places Journal

Is your property the scene of a famous murder? Or perhaps a group suicide? Andrew Khouri profiles Randall Bell, a specialist real estate appraiser, who'll estimate just how much that "doom-and-gloom" is going to hurt your bottom line.

October 11 - Los Angeles Times

As housing (un)affordability continues to plague Canada’s big cities, some would-be city dwellers are looking to the suburbs to meet the budget. Using a hypothetical Toronto couple as its basis, number-crunching suggests little long-term savings.

October 11 - The Globe and Mail (Toronto)