The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Pittsburgh's public art program has resulted in a number of new, contemporary works in public spaces, ranging from a futuristic mural called 'Yesterday's Tomorrow' to a giant, seated rabbit.

March 12 - Pop City Magazine

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Livable streets proponents look back on 2008 as the year some of the movement’s best laid plans became mainstream. Bicycle sharing systems launched in both Washington DC and Montreal. Auto-dependent Charlotte saw its LYNX light rail surpass 2025 ridership projections, while Seattle also beat ridership projections on its snazzy new Streetcar. And New York City and Portland continued to reclaim space for less auto-centric uses—witnessing 35% and 25% growth respectively in bicycle mode share.

March 11 - Mike Lydon

Some cities in Los Angeles were caught cutting deals to sell shares of their federal stimulus funds to the highest bidder. The MTA has put the kibosh on any money swapping.

March 11 - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Though challenged with facing a multi-tiered government, Nicholas Sarkozy has nonetheless devised one of the most ambitious plans ever for Paris. To reimagine this bolder, greener "Grand Paris," he has put 10 teams of architects and planners to work.

March 11 - AFP

Since the creation of the Interstate highway system, Americans have never ridden public transportation as heavily as they did in 2008. This year, however, the upward trend will probably not continue.

March 11 - The New York Times

Ray LaHood rejected raising the gas tax, then President Obama rejected a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. What's left is "out-of-the-box" ideas like tolling and public-private-partnerships.

March 11 - The Wall Street Journal

As money-poor mega-developments become less feasible to construct, builders may soon have to revert to developing at a smaller scale--a strategy that makes still more sense economically.

March 11 - Greater Greater Washington

Car-free for more than 15 years, Chicago opened its dying pedestrian mall on State Street to vehicular traffic in 1996, with huge success. Should Boston planners and officials consider a similar strategy for its Downtown Crossing?

March 11 - The Boston Globe

A group of surfers has successfully blocked an environmentally-harmful beach dredging and repair project in Florida, at least temporarily. The project was meant to counteract beach erosion problems, but was protested over concerns about local reefs.

March 11 - The New York Times

This piece from <em>Metropolis</em> looks at a rail line that was converted into a bike trail in Detroit, and how it has become a well-used neighborhood connector.

March 11 - Metropolis

The Seasteading Institute claims to be only a few years away from launching a prototype of a floating city.

March 11 - CNN

As commercial vacancies increase, cities are feeling the pain of lower tax revenues.

March 11 - BusinessWeek

Roads and bridges are crumbling in America. The Highway Trust Fund is broke and new revenue other than stimulus funds are unlikely, so some state transportation officials are applying innovative methods to spread the road funding they have secured.

March 10 - Parade

BrandWeek says that the downturn in the economy makes more ads in public spaces 'a no-brainer', because cities get revenue and advertisers get exposure in previously untapped locations.

March 10 - BrandWeek

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<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; line-height: normal" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">Is a $50,000 annual income wealth or poverty in North America? By historical or international standards such an income should be considered wealthy and luxurious, but most people I know consider it poverty because of the high cost of living. </span> </p>

March 10 - Todd Litman

State legislators have proposed a plan to break up a state agency in charge of managing growth. The move is one of a host of measures proposed by lawmakers to stimulate the state's economy.

March 10 - St. Petersburg Times

The $8 billion in stimulus funds allocated to high speed rail marks a turning point in a road-airport dominated U.S. transportation network, but the politics of allocating the funds may prevent results needed to showcase HSR.

March 10 - Washington Post

<em>Los Angeles Times</em> architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne offers three pieces of advice to recently re-elected L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for improving his city -- and his urban planning credibility.

March 10 - Los Angeles Times

The Olympic Forest Park in Beijing is standing out as one of the rare Olympics-related projects to remain in use after the 2008 event. Hu Jie, the park's designer, talks about its planning and the role of public space in Beijing.

March 10 - Bangkok Post

CA's Air Resources Board has issued a new regulation to reduce carbon from fuels - and the ethanol industry isn't happy.

March 10 - Los Angeles Times