The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Why You Should Pay Attention to Rio's Earth Summit

Diana Lind previews the 2012 Earth Summit being held in 100 days in Rio, and argues why one of the year's most significant climate change conferences should receive more attention.

March 12 - Next American City

Red White and Green?

Jeffrey Spivak reports on the federal government's pioneering efforts in net-zero building design and construction.

March 12 - Planning

Public Transit Use in the US Rose in 2011

A new study released today by the American Public Transportation Association shows that public transportation ridership across the United States increased by 2.31% in 2011 over the previous year, rising to the second highest level since 1957.

March 12 - USA Today

In Battle Between Oldtimers and Newcomers, Which Side Are You On?

Richey Piiparinen examines the two, often antagonistic, worlds that he straddles as a mid-30′s native Rust Belt romantic, and finds fellowship with those in other legacy cities.

March 12 - Rust Wire

Starchitects Struggling?

Vivan S. Toy examines the fate of several condo developments in New York that employed brand name architects to sell their products during the housing boom, and finds mixed results.

March 12 - The New York Times


A Look at the Country's Worst Municipal Branding Campaigns

<em>Grist</em> has asked its readers to help it compile some of the country's "most craptastic urban rebranding efforts ever." And boy have they delivered.

March 12 - Grist

In D.C., an Attempt at Crowdsourcing Real Estate Shows Promise

Emily Badger writes of the traditional process by which developers identify what kinds of new development a neighborhood needs (i.e. by not asking anyone in said neighborhood), and a web tool in unveiled in December aimed at changing this.

March 12 - The Atlantic Cities


Controversy Brews Over NYU's Plan for the Village

NYU's plans to expand further into Greenwich Village, with the square footage of four new buildings proposed in their strategic plan equivalent to that of the Empire State Building, have raised concerns for the fate of the signature neighborhood.

March 12 - The New York Times

Scooter Sharing to Premiere in the Bay Area

The next wave in shareable transportation is coming to San Francisco. Ariel Schwartz reports on the "Zipcar of electric scooters".

March 12 - Fast Co.Exisit

San Francisco Grows Less Diverse

Heather Knight reports on a trend concerning officials and family advocates throughout San Francico, the exodus of families with children who can no longer afford housing in a city that is becoming older, whiter and richer.

March 11 - San Francisco Chronicle

Relocating An Entire Country To Escape Climate Change

You think the preparations your coastal town are considering making to accommodate rising seal levels are onerous? Well read about the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, who are considering the need to move their entire populace to Fiji.

March 11 - Inhabitat

Getting To $2.50 Gasoline - A Marketplace Final Report

In this second and final look at how to achieve Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's promise of $2.50 gas, Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal reports on a subsidy strategy discussed in The Atlantic. Earlier he presented a price controls approach.

March 11 - Marketplace (American Public Media)

Untangling Our Emotions From Transit Planning

Eric Jaffe interviews Jarrett Walker, the author of a new, nonpartisan treatise on thinking rationally about transit.

March 11 - The Atlantic Cities

California Legislature Considers Reviving Redevelopment

Though Gov. Jerry Brown still appears to be opposed to the idea, both houses of the California Legislature are pondering the possibility of bringing back tax-increment financing in a limited form.

March 11 - California Planning & Development Report

Public Transit on the Chopping Block in Detroit

The 100,000 daily riders who depend on Detroit's bus system have been feeling the effects of public transportation cuts: commute times have doubled, paychecks have suffered. But Quin Klinefelter reports the worst may be yet to come.

March 10 - NPR

Do You Know How Big Your City Is?

Samuel Arbesman pens a fascinating piece in <em>The Atlantic Cities</em> analyzing our subjective concepts of scale and context in relation to our ideas about the importance and size of cities.

March 10 - The Atlantic Cities

Revisiting a Prophetic Essay by Jane Jacobs

Fortune has re-published a provocative essay by Jane Jacobs, originally published in the magazine in 1958, as large scale urban renewal projects were taking off in cities across the country.

March 10 - CNN/Money

The Kimmelmania Backlash

Matt Chaban explores the divided opinions on the work of the fairly new architecture critic for <em>The New York Times</em>, Michael Kimmelman, who some complain isn't writing enough about Architecture.

March 10 - The New York Observer

As Transit Takes Off in LA, Making Sure LAX Doesn't Get Left Behind

A subject that has flummoxed transit advocates and planners in L.A. for decades is how to best connect to the city's largest airport. As planning advances for billions of dollars in transit projects, Yonah Freemark explores how best to make the link.

March 10 - the transport politic

Friday Funny: The "Shut Up" Gun

Ever wanted to silence aggressive cell phone talkers or that intractable opponent speaking out against your brilliant redevelopment plan? Well researchers in Japan have developed just the product for you, reports Mark Hachman.

March 9 - PCMag.com

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