The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Driving accounts for 62 percent of all trips in San Francisco - the same level as when the city's pioneering transit-first policy was adopted 40 years ago. Aaron Bialick looks at the reasons why the policy has led to "scant visible progress."

March 25 - SF.Streetsblog

With booming shale oil production in North Dakota and Texas and possibly Canada's vast oil sands, there is talk of energy independence as the U.S. reduces its oil imports. But why not be less dependent on oil - domestic or imported?

March 25 - The New York Times - Sunday Review

Christopher Hawthorne continues his exploration of the changing face of Los Angeles, as seen along its boulevards, with an examination of the street where the city has perpetually "embraced and tested out the future" - Wilshire Boulevard.

March 25 - Los Angeles Times

San Antonio City Design Center's Executive Manager Mark Brodeur describes his observations of the nationwide trend in cities establishing independent urban design departments.

March 25 - UrbDeZine.com

Faced with paralyzing gridlock, North America's fourth-largest city is studying several potential solutions for easing congestion - including traffic lights that think for themselves.

March 25 - The Globe and Mail

Alan Feuer profiles the work of New York City's Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, a "geek squad of civic-minded number-crunchers" turning the city's trove of digital data into actionable information.

March 25 - The New York Times

A new study conducted by the Center for Neighborhood Technology shows that homes in close proximity to transit stations lost much less of their value during the collapse of the housing market, reports Tanya Snyder.

March 24 - DC.Streetsblog

A new study conducted by the City of New York shows that after years of phenomenal growth, commuter cycling remained flat in 2012 during the typical riding season, reports Matt Flegenheimer. However, ridership during the colder months did increase.

March 24 - The New York Times

How well could today's futurists predict how everyday life will change by 2038? This was the task that the Los Angeles Times Magazine embarked on in 1988. A class of graduate students at USC has been looking into which predictions came true.

March 24 - Los Angles Times

A two-year negotiating process has culminated with a set of 15 voluntary standards to make for more responsible fracking to safeguard the environment in Appalachia. Some environmental groups are skeptical, and not all energy companies are on board.

March 24 - National Public Radio

Chicagoans sure take their urban agriculture seriously. While the city focuses on converting vacant land to farms in some of the city's struggling neighborhoods, entrepreneurs are doing the same indoors.

March 24 - Huff Post: Chicago Impact

Data from the Federal Railroad Administration shows that rail is competing well (and mostly winning) against air to claim market share in eight major city-pairs, many outside of the traditionally strong Northeast Corridor.

March 23 - Better Institutions

One of the nation's most-watched and complex gas tax bills made significant progress in the House of Delegates. It retained one of its most significant parts, indexing the tax (and transit fares) to inflation, overcoming opposition by Republicans.

March 23 - The Baltimore Sun

If you paid attention to the visions unveiled a year ago by the teams competing to develop a master plan for the area around L.A.'s Union Station, you might expect to see a development-focused final product. Apparently, you'd be wrong.

March 23 - Curbed LA

Pollution is a growing problem throughout China - one that even tight-lipped public officials have been forced to acknowledge. But conflicting government interests - between state-run polluters and concerned policy-makers - are holding back fixes.

March 23 - The New York Times

NBC News looks at the plight of the Simons family in West Hartford, Connecticut, to examine the growth of suburban poverty in the United States.

March 23 - NBCnews.com

Warning: you can't unsee the images gathered as part of BuzzFeed's "26 Things You'll See on Public Transportation", a candid reminder that when is comes to public transit, some things are better left in private.

March 22 - BuzzFeed

New analysis of census data has found that a quarter of the condos in some areas of downtown Vancouver are empty or occupied by non-residents, leading analysts to raise concerns about the role of investors in the city's housing market.

March 22 - The Globe and Mail

Architecture website Architizer has announced the 87 winners of its new A+ Award. Selected via jury and 150,000 votes, the awards honor buildings in 52 categories. If for no other reason, just check it out for the stunning images.

March 22 - Architizer

The March Madness bug has bitten the staff of Streetsblog. Based on nominations submitted by readers, the website has organized a Parking Madness tournament to determine the "ugliest parking scar draining the life from [an American] downtown."

March 22 - DC.Streetsblog