The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Housing Program Lowers Construction Hurdles in Cleveland

A unique partnership is making it easier to construct and own a home in the Cleveland neighborhood of Ohio City, located in Cleveland..

March 26 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Where Transit and Inequality Intersect in Baltimore

The "Inequality Chronicles," now in their third installment by Places Journal, are essential reading.

March 26 - Places Journal

End of the Mall

How To: Makeovers for Struggling Malls

Lean Urbanism recently released a "lean" guide to sprawl repair—focusing on how to bring struggling shopping malls back to life.

March 26 - Lean Urbanism

Wind Powered New Energy Construction in 2015

The overhaul of the U.S. energy grid is already well underway.

March 25 - Fusion

Beijing Plan Model

The 3,000-Year-Old Document That Planned Beijing

The Guardian Cities details how the Kaogong Ji brought an ancient order to the sprawling city of Beijing.

March 25 - The Guardian Cities


New Jersey Considering Fines for Distracted Pedestrians

Having launched a pedestrian safety campaign focused on education, legislators may go a step further to tackle another 'E'—enforcement. But rather than drivers, pedestrians looking down at their smart phones will be the targets.

March 25 - NJ.com

Critic Sees 'Dallas Logic' in Latest Trinity River Plans

Mark Lamster has eviscerated the city of Dallas for its plans to build the Trinity Toll Road before—and he'll probably do it again.

March 25 - The Dallas Morning News


Friday Funny: Nation in Rapture Over Construction Project

Reading The Onion's latest satire of the built environment is a bit like the experience it describes: watching as a crane moves a large object on a construction site, otherwise known as being easily distracted by harmless fun.

March 25 - The Onion

Detroit Streetcar: Dan Gilbert Dubs Thee 'QLINE'

After purchasing the naming rights of the streetcar line formerly known as M-1 for $5 million, Dan Gilbert made a big reveal Thursday in Detroit.

March 25 - Detroit Free Press

How Not To Measure Traffic Congestion, Redux Again

TomTom's annual traffic congestion rankings predictably generated horrified, self-pitying headlines about awful congestion in top-ranked cities. But there are big problems with their methodology.

March 25 - City Observatory

Chicago Mayor Emanuel Announces Park Plans to a Skeptical Audience

In a much-hyped address earlier this week. Mayor Rahm Emanuel chose the title "Building on Burnham" to describe his survey of the Chicago's ongoing and future plans to develop parks and open space.

March 25 - Chicago Tribune

State Legislation Would Dramatically Reform Tolling in New York City

It remains to be seen if the ambitious changes in toll pricing around New York City proposed by AO9633 has the support it needs for approval, but at least the tolling agenda proposed by Move NY is now up for consideration by the State Legislature.

March 25 - StreetsBlog NYC

Population Growth Trends Return to Pre-Recession Norms

It's almost like the Great Recession and the Great Urban Renaissance never happened, as Americans are moving to the suburbs and the Sunbelt than to the nation's urban areas.

March 25 - Jed Kolko

Atlanta BeltLine

On Atlanta's BeltLine and 21st-Century Infrastructure

In an interview, Atlanta BeltLine visionary Ryan Gravel discusses the ongoing project and how it fits an emerging, multidisciplinary understanding of what good infrastructure can be.

March 24 - Streetsblog USA

Vehicle Assembly Building Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral in Flux

Caught between the end of the space shuttle and the potential rise of private sector spaceflight, Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center present a unique land use challenge.

March 24 - CityLab

Detroit Street Art

Backers Still Optimistic on Detroit Placemaking

After three years, an ambitious placemaking plan for downtown Detroit has delivered results, but not as quickly as its architects hoped.

March 24 - Crain's Detroit Business

Four-Lane Freeway

Reports of 'Mega-Commutes' Greatly Exaggerated

No one is denying that many Americans endure long, arduous commutes. But the data does not verify reports that "mega-commutes" are on the rise.

March 24 - City Observatory

U.S. DOT Announces First Year of Grant Funding for State VMT Fee Pilot Programs

$15 million in a U.S. Department of Transportation grant program is now available for states to implement pilot projects based on a "user-based alternative revenue mechanism," aka vehicle-miles-traveled fee.

March 24 - Planetizen

Four Cities to Explore the Frontiers of Infrastructure Finance

City Accelerator selected four cities to test new options for financing the infrastructure investments of the 21st century and beyond.

March 24 - Governing

Chicago Spire

Chicago's Never Built Skyscraper—Now a Hole in the Ground and a Pile of Dirt

The high-water marks showing where the last boom broke under the pressure of the Great Recession are still visible in cities all over the country. The Chicago Tribune recently checked on a particularly poignant example in Chicago.

March 24 - Chicago Tribune

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