The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Whether we've embarked on a new era of global urbanization is indisputable. The ability of architects to design attractive and humane high-rise towers to house the urban masses, however, is open to discussion, writes Sarah Williams Goldhagen.

May 28 - The New Republic

Shell Oil's seven-year, $4 billion investment has paid off. Awaiting final Interior Dept. permits, two drilling ships, moored in Seattle, are poised to travel to the Arctic to begin drilling test wells in 150 ft of water off northern Alaska in July.

May 28 - The New York Times - Environment

<em>The Atlantic</em> offers a brain teaser tailor made for the readers of Planetizen.

May 28 - The Atlantic

Tim De Chant compares satellite images of neighborhoods from cities around the world to see if inequality is manifest in the patterns of the landscape. The differences are striking.

May 27 - Per Square Mile

20 years after its last makeover, and with successive grand renovation plans developed and abandoned in between, last week saw the release of a new master plan for America's third-busiest railroad terminal, reports Fran Spielman.

May 27 - Chicago Sun-Times

The sale of distressed mortgages is far less publicized than talk of the market for foreclosed properties. But these loans are being actively traded—in 2011 this activity included 149,000 loans which translates to roughly $26 billion in trades.

May 27 - Shelterforce Magazine

As Detroit struggles through major economic and population losses, the mayor plans to turn off approximately half of the city's streetlights, Chris Christoff reports.

May 27 - Bloomberg

As libraries and and post offices are replaced by private development while streets and sidewalks lack funding, what can be done to enliven the public realm?

May 27 - PlaceShakers

Nate Berg profiles an innovative program being taught at a private school in the Bronx, or as he calls it: "The High School Curriculum Every Urban Planner Wishes They'd Had."

May 26 - The Atlantic Cities

In an opinion piece for <em>The New York Times</em>, Christopher B. Leinberger summarizes a new report he's co-authored for the Brookings Institution that demonstrates the correlation between walkability and real estate value.

May 26 - The New York Times

Looking for a long read this long weekend? Check out Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley's article on the keys to creating collaborative metropolitan areas that can successfully compete in the global economy.

May 26 - Next American City

The annual budget for Paso Robles' road maintenance fund went from $400,000 to $38,000 after Gov. Schwarzenegger and the legislature agreed in 2010 to a complicated gas tax maneuver dubbed the "fuel tax swap" to balance the budget.

May 26 - The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune

On the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, Richard Gonzales visits with those who made the first crossing on foot.

May 26 - NPR

For your holiday weekend delight, we bring you some astonishing HD time-lapse videos of Earth taken from a Russian weather satellite.

May 25 - The Atlantic

Well that didn't take long. After falling out of favor during the economic downturn, AnnaMaria Andriotis examines how the rise in new home sales is being driven in part by demand for those maligned symbols of conspicuous consumption.

May 25 - The Wall Street Journal

Emily Badger reports on pioneering research that is looking into ways to utilize the heat trapping properties of asphalt, rather than fighting it.

May 25 - The Atlantic Cities

The result of a contentious battle over its eventual relocation from a Philadelphia suburb to downtown, the new building designed to house the renowned Barnes Collection is reviewed by Ada Louise Huxtable, no less a national treasure herself.

May 25 - The Wall Street Journal

As cash-strapped and technologically savvy governments increasingly look to harness the power of the crowd, William D. Eggers and Rob Hamill offer suggestions for "Five Ways Crowdsourcing Can Transform the Public Sphere."

May 25 - Governing

A new book by trained architect-turned photographer/pilot Alex MacLean captures the ironically suburban trappings of New York City's hidden rooftop world. <em>Web Urbanist</em> author Delana pens a review.

May 25 - Web Urbanist

Norimitsu Onishi describes a feud ripe for the pages of a Hollywood script, between movie mogul George Lucas and his wealthy neighbors over his plans to build affordable housing in Marin County.

May 25 - The New York Times