The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Living at the Mall - Not Just a Figure of Speech

What comes next for the doomed, enclosed mall across America? This article highlights a number of solutions, including an adaptive reuse model that incorporates housing units inside the mall itself.

January 8 - HousingWire

FEATURE

TOD Q&A With John Renne and Jeff Wood

Transit oriented development experts John Renne, PhD, and Jeff Wood recently fielded questions from Planetizen readers about TOD, its current applications and its future.

January 8 - Planetizen

Trans-Texas Corridor Plans Dropped

Plans for a broad statewide highway project known as the Trans-Texas Corridor have been abandoned by state officials.

January 8 - The Dallas Morning News

Miami's Highway Shoe Mystery Remains Unsolved

Was it a walkability protest, political demonstration, or just an accident? Regardless, the thousands of used shoes that covered Miami's Palmetto Expressway last week, delaying traffic for hours, are now on their way to Haiti.

January 7 - Miami Herald

One Victory for the City in Billboard Battle

A federal court has knocked down a previous ruling that Los Angeles' billboard ban is unconstitutional.

January 7 - Los Angeles Times


Oregon UGB Expanded

Bend, Oregon councilmembers took no more than five minutes to vote to expand the city's urban growth boundaries, adding nearly 9,000 acres of developable land to the city's map.

January 7 - KOHD

Canada on Verge of Wind Energy "Breakthrough"

Canada is now on the road to developing enough capacity to have at least some residents in every province receiving at least some of their energy from turbines.

January 7 - The Globe and Mail


For Amish, Building Code and Religion Don't Jibe

Eleven Amish families have sued their own town for religious discrimination in its building code.

January 7 - Chicago Tribune

Obama Knows Jane Jacobs

Last summer in Toledo, former mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski handed Barack Obama a book, saying it is the most important book about rebuilding cities. Obama responded, 'Is it Jane Jacobs?'

January 7 - BeyondDC

Cities and Cognitive Burnout

Compared to natural settings, busy urban environments can be detrimental to cognitive functioning and self-control. Well-designed, biodiverse parks are integral to counterbalancing the concrete jungle.

January 7 - The Boston Globe

Young, Japanese, and Car-Free

Young Japanese men and women are ditching the car as a status symbol, sparking concern for car companies.

January 7 - The Oregonian

More Signage, More Business

Cities like Alexandria, VA and Agoura Hills, CA have taken to relaxing sign restrictions for the sake of boosting local business.

January 7 - USA Today

Are We Resuscitating a Dinosaur?

A panel of experts weighs in. Is rebuilding rail transit the way of the future, or just reviving a system that should stay extinct?

January 7 - The Hawaii Reporter

Instant Architecture (Don't Add Water)

Oobject collects examples of instant architecture, temporary structures created mostly for the military to serve as hangars, sleeping quarters, or tactical command posts.

January 6 - oobject

TOD at Hollywood & Western, 10 Years Later

Stephen Box, a bicycle advocate in Los Angeles, reviews the famous TOD project at the intersection of Hollywood and Western 10 years after it opened. Is "It's Not As Bad As It Used To Be" enough?

January 6 - SoapBoxLA

Rio's "Eco Barrier" Draws Fire

Plans to erect a concrete "eco barrier" around Rio's slum areas being heavily criticized by human rights activists and environmentalists.

January 6 - Guardian (UK)

Sydney Pins New Growth to Mass Transit Plans

Officials in Sydney, Australia, are creating a blueprint for the city that envisions a broad mass transit system, increased density in the inner city and the suburbs and a much higher skyline.

January 6 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Inauguration Puts D.C. in Crowd Control Mode

The city of Washington D.C. is trying to get ready for the Presidential Inauguration -- likely to be the largest gathering of people in U.S. history.

January 6 - Governing

Long Term Planning and the Importance of Soil

Degradation of soils has brought down many human civilizations. Our current industrial agriculture practices threaten the future of human existence. A 50-year farm bill is needed to guide policy on a more sustainable path, according to this oped.

January 6 - The New York Times

Importing the Tijuana Model

Architect Teddy Cruz is creating new models of affordable housing using the shantytowns of Tijuana as his inspiration.

January 6 - GOOD Magazine

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