The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The futuristic sounding "Domain Awareness System," NYC's newest crime fighting tool, utilizes cutting edge technology to further cut down on crime in what has become "one of the safest big metropolitan areas in America."

August 10 - The Guardian

As the fear of more local government bankruptcies rises, William Fulton argues that sprawling development patterns play a key role in leading cities to run in the red.

August 10 - CNN

Modern architecture's infatuation with glass, seen in sparkling residential and office towers rising in cities across North America, has been a bird killer of staggering proportions. Christopher Joyce profiles those trying to solve the problem.

August 10 - NPR

In a city where urban water infrastructure ranges from "insufficient" to "nonexistent," Lagos entrepreneurs have developed a bustling trade in "sachet water." Is it time to focus more attention on regulating the sachet industry?

August 10 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Steven Yaccino reports on the ongoing controversy over the proposed demolition of Prentice Women's Hospital, designed by famed Chicago architect Bertrand Goldberg, as officials continue to skirt the issue.

August 10 - The New York Times

The Guangzhou Opera House was recently recognized by Architectural Record with its "Best Public Project: Honor Award." Larry Speck argues why recognizing this poorly designed and executed building reflects poorly on the Architecture profession.

August 9 - Archinect

With an astounding 6,000 new rental units due to come on the market in D.C. by the end of the year, the city's renters are about to get a welcome respite, report Brady Dennis and Amrita Jayakumar.

August 9 - The Washington Post

Although for seemingly different reasons, Portland-based Alta Bicycle Share is at the center of delays in launching highly-anticipated bike share programs in both Chicago and New York.

August 9 - Chicago Sun-Times

While California's cities continue to be a drag on the country's job growth, cities in the Northeast and the South are doing better than average, says a new report from the Urban Institute.

August 9 - The Wall Street Journal

BLOG POST

<p> Do we sense a subtle shift in the too often pedantic world of planning and design from private conceits to public conscious constructs, and in of all places Los Angeles, as evidenced by the heralded dedication this summer of a new downtown park? </p> <p> To be sure, the first phase of the 12 acre park is a promising space, linking in a series of terraces edged by select plantings and brightly painted seating, from the neomodern Music Center to the west to the neoclassical City Hall to the east. Helping in particular these dog days of summer is a refurbished memorial fountain that invites wading and splashing, as well as the office workers out of the adjacent government buildings. </p>

August 9 - Sam Hall Kaplan

Zoning codes, street standards, parking regulations, and other hidden determinants of the built environment are like regulatory zombies from the distant past, throwing up barriers in the path of human-scale placemaking, writes Robert Steuteville.

August 9 - Better! Cities & Towns

<em>Mashable's</em> Brian Solis sits down for an interview with San Francisco's CIO, or "Chief Innovative Officer," to discuss the many ways the tech community is changing the way the city's government operates.

August 9 - Mashable

Dueling pieces in <em>Foreign Policy</em> and the <em>Christian Science Monitor</em> come to completely different conclusions on the connection between the great Indian blackout of July 31 and the country's reliance on coal.

August 9 - Foreign Policy

Leading the way in establishing Hong Kong's ambitious new $2.8 cultural district is the M+ Museum, which, at more than twice the size of the Tate Modern, intends to be Hong Kong’s answer to the Centre Pompidou or the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

August 9 - Bloomberg

The beauty of a ride along Route 66 can be appreciated as much from behind a set of handlebars as from behind a steering wheel. Sarah Laskow reports on efforts to create U.S. Bike Route 66 as the first national bike route.

August 9 - Grist

Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Portland, Oregon and LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky discuss the recently signed federal transportation bill, whether it's a sound policy, and how it may impact local government and transportation initiatives.

August 9 - The Planning Report

Julie Iovine praises the Bloomberg administration's entrepreneurial spirit in remaking New York City, but fears what might come next.

August 8 - The Architect's Newspaper

Charles Piller reports on the investigation into suspect safety test results for roads and bridges across CA, including the new Bay Bridge, revealing a string of troubling data for which officials and critics are holding Caltrans accountable.

August 8 - The Sacramento Bee

The Washington Post has found that the D.C. government reduced the assessed value of commercial properties owned by some of the city's biggest developers last year to the tune of $2.6 billion, which translates to $48 million in lost tax revenue.

August 8 - The Washington Post

Recent articles on uncomfortably loud environments in New York and Los Angeles raise an interesting question - is noise pollution a necessary part of city living or is it a health hazard that should be addressed?

August 8 - The Atlantic Cities