The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The State of Virginia wants to put up 2/3rds of the cost of a new private railyard in Montgomery County. County officials say it doesn't fit the character of the rural area, and have sued to stop it from being built.

October 17 - The Roanoke Times

Freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Our cities will need to address these shortages with better design, according to author Steven Solomon.

October 16 - Grist

In the last ten years, more than two thirds of poverty growth has happened in suburban areas of American cities. According to Brookings', social services such as transit have failed to keep up in the face of decreasing tax revenue.

October 16 - The Next American City

<em>Next American City</em> talks with urban designer and bicycle planner Mike Lydon about cycling, ciclovias, and open streets.

October 16 - Next American City

The gas tax is becoming an increasingly outdated and unsustainable idea. This piece from <em>Miller McCune</em> looks at the prospect of replacing it with a tax based on vehicle miles traveled.

October 16 - Miller-McCune

London's 10-week old bike sharing program appears to be on its way to turning a profit, a rarity in the public transit world.

October 16 - Guardian

A ruling this week by the California Coastal Commission will allow a dozen new picnic areas and up to five new trailheads, in addition to camping areas for 280 people and new access to the Coastal Slope Trail. The camping will be the first in Malibu.

October 15 - The Planning Report

With suburban markets saturated, discount food chains are moving into urban food deserts. While this may be convenient for residents, some are concerned that such stores will do little for local economies.

October 15 - Huffington Post

The city Yokohama could be Japan's next exportable good. officials there want it to be a low-emissions "smart" city -- a model they hope to be able to convince other cities to replicate.

October 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

Trails and walking paths are commonly built in suburban areas. But their mere presence doesn't automatically mean they'll be used, according to a new study.

October 15 - Miller-McCune

A town built in the Namibian desert has been abandoned for decades. The sand has taken over.

October 15 - Environmental Graffiti

The New York Times editors are wondering if high speed rail is a practical consideration for the U.S considering recent political developments where it has become popular to reject federal rail funds, so they asked six experts to present their views.

October 15 - The New York Times - Opinion

Blair Kamin looks at "Go to 2040", a new regional plan for the Chicago area that he says has few goals to get excited about and "reflects an era of scarce resources."

October 15 - The Chicago Tribune

English architect Ben Hamilton-Baillie sees possibility in a section of Harvard Square that has all the qualities of a "woonerf"; mainly, that cars, bikes and pedestrians all share the street equally.

October 15 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog

Canadian architect Stephen Boulton implores his fellow architects to stop hiding behind the excuse that their field is client-driven and lead the way to more urban and sustainable development.

October 15 - Daily Commercial News and Construction Record

In this podcast, <em>Next American City</em> talks with Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution about the future of transportation in America.

October 15 - Next American City

Jeff Speck, co-author of "Suburban Nation" (along with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk), offers the "10 worst things about sprawl" in a slideshow on Huffington Post.

October 14 - Huffington Post

The factors that make homes attractive to buyers have changed considerably since the market crash, says Builder Magazine, which features three homes that exemplify the new realities of the market.

October 14 - Builder Magazine

In an interview with the New York Times, President Obama admits that, quote, "there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects."

October 14 - Transportation Nation

A controversial $2.5 B wind farm planned off the shores of Cape Cod is touted by supporters as a way to jumpstart the state's green economy. Beth Daley argues the project was rushed to the drawing board despite not making economic sense.

October 14 - The Boston Globe