The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Five years ago, Graham Weston, the chairman and co-founder of Rackspace, had a wild vision to transform an abandoned mall into his company's headquarters. His unique approach has revitalized the adjacent city of Windcrest, a suburb of San Antonio.

November 1 - The New York Times

What do we lose when we narrowly associate planning with an 'urban' or 'city' context? The ability to effectively plan for rural, transitional, regional, and even urban areas, says Ruth Miller.

November 1 - Colab Radio

For 10 years now, Michael Lejeune, Creative Director for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (M.T.A.), has made taking transit in L.A. seem a lot cooler. These re-branding efforts have contributed to a 38 percent increase in ridership since 2005.

November 1 - The New York Times

In the face of slow development in the U.S., renowned architects Richard Meier and Robert A.M. Stern have been exporting their distinctive styles overseas, where “people want to bask in the reflective glow of New York.”

November 1 - The New York Times

A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identified twenty coastal cities, which by population, would be most exposed to flooding and superstorms. Fifteen are mega-cities in Asia.

November 1 - Channel News Asia

What does it mean to truly involve the public in planning processes? Neeraj Mehta finds "too much placation, manipulation and tokenism in our engagement efforts," and identifies principles for collective problem-solving and shared decision-making.

November 1 - Next American City

FEATURE

Planning education and practice fail to recognize the importance of physical design and spatial planning. Randall Arendt diagnoses the root of the disorder and suggests some treatments for returning urban planning to good health.

October 31 - Randall Arendt

After much anticipation, Richard Florida has published his extremely scientific (no joke) 2012 Halloween Index, which identifies "the metros best primed for trick-or-treating and Halloween revelry."

October 31 - The Atlantic Cities

Among the iconic images of Hurricane Sandy's devastation is sure to be the video of the construction crane on the tallest residential building under construction in NYC being toppled by hurricane force winds and left dangling perilously in Midtown.

October 31 - CNN U.S.

The past week has seen the deaths of renowned architects Lebbeus Woods and John Johansen.

October 31 - BLDGBLOG

Richard Florida warns about America's increasing “economic Balkanization”: a shrinking working class and the attendant swelling of low-wage service sector employees and the unemployed on the one hand, and the prosperous creative class on the other.

October 31 - The Atlantic Cities

Tony Barboza discusses how the disappearance of expected funding has dimmed the City of Irvine's vision for turning the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into "the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century."

October 31 - Los Angeles Times

After nearly a decade of ignoring warnings about the type of disaster witnessed this week, New York City and State officials may no longer be able to push off implementing drastic plans to safeguard the city from rising seas and super storms.

October 31 - The New York Times

Is the adoption of cargo bikes the next step in America's evolution towards a European model of bikeability?

October 31 - Next American City

Qatar Airlines is gearing up their jets to run on a fuel derived from natural gas - so don't expect to see fuel tanks holding liquefied gas. Similar to the "Messerschmitt Fuel" in World War II that was derived from coal, they are called synfuels.

October 31 - The New York Times - Green Blog

Jean-Francois Mayet, the mayor of Châteauroux, introduced free ridership in a bid to turn around his town's failing transit system. Eleven years later, total ridership has increased 208 percent. Henry Grabar examines whether free transit is scalable.

October 31 - The Atlantic Cities

Although still being measured, the damage superstorm Sandy inflicted upon New York was clearly historic. But the stunning conclusion reached by Richard Barone of the Regional Planning Association, is that "[i]t can get a lot worse than this."

October 31 - Capital

Inga Saffron reviews a trio of environmentally friendly rowhouses built for low-income families in Philadelphia's Logan neighborhood, which she proclaims are "superior to anything Philadelphia has done in half a century."

October 30 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Chicago is planning to join the list of cities monetizing their public spaces and facilities by selling ad space on city property. Past efforts by the city to launch so-called “municipal marketing” efforts have been beset by delays and missteps.

October 30 - WBEZ

Hurricane Sandy demonstrates that the impacts of climate change -- rising sea levels and more extreme weather patterns -- mean that the future of America's coastal cities is in doubt.

October 30 - The Nation