The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

With a fleeing population, Youngstown, Ohio was ahead of the current trend on "shrinking cities." So what can planners learn from Youngstown's example?

January 13 - New Urban Network

Cities across the developing world are dealing more with rising obesity rates as urbanization occurs, reports TheCityFix's Jonna McKone.

January 13 - TheCityFix

The city still known for its smog will not have its buses to blame - the last of its diesel-fueled ones retired Jan. 12 in a celebration. All but 7 of the 2,221 buses will be compressed-natural-gas powered; electric and gas-electric the remainder.

January 13 - Los Angeles Times: Environment

RThe impact of cities is spreading beyond local and even national borders, argues Robert Neuwirth in this piece from <em>What Matters</em>.

January 13 - What Matters

While Planned Parenthood isn't even currently considering an office in Gardner, Mass., opponents of the nonprofit have petitioned the Planning Board to create zoning limitations that would exclude them from opening up shop.

January 12 - Telegram & Gazette

One of columnist Steve Berg's New Year's resolutions is to explain to how supporting urbanist ideas like using cars less and retrofitting suburbs come from sound principles and aren't based in elitism.

January 12 - The Minneapolis Post

The decline in housing prices during the Great Depression of the thirties peaked at a average loss of 25.9%. In November of last year, the current decline ticked past that landmark to hit 26%.

January 12 - The San Jose Mercury News

Beyond the fact that supplying lots of parking encourages driving, a new study quantifies the environmental impact of parking lot construction.

January 12 - The Infrastructurist

The Record talks with June Williamson, co-author of the popular book "Retrofitting Suburbia", about the importance of preparing suburbs for a new and different future.

January 12 - The Record

Critic Philip Kennicott attends a lecture by architect Robert Gatje on great public squares and bemoans the fact that Washington, D.C. has a serious lack of them.

January 12 - The Washington Post

The Marché en Fer, a 19th-century era food market and a favorite Haitian hangout, has reopened its doors to the delight of locals.

January 12 - The New York Times

As part of its ongoing series on Canada's aging population, the Globe and Mail looks at what is being done to adapt cities for a large cohort of senior citizens.

January 12 - Globe and Mail

Mayor Villaraigosa of L.A. and Mayor Chuck Reed of San Jose have both spoken publicly against Governor Jerry Brown's plan to eliminate all of the state's redevelopment agencies to save cash.

January 12 - Curbed LA

Opting for a small residence and living car-free can bring other environmental consequences, writes Carla Saulter.

January 12 - Grist

Parag Khanna suggests that cities are the building blocks of humanity, and will take increasing control over the future shape of the world in the coming decades.

January 11 - What Matters

In a review of the new bike sharing program in London, <em>The Economist</em> raises the question of whether the city wrongly predicted the existing demand for the service.

January 11 - The Economist

NIMBYism is obstructing the urban planning process, according to architect and New Urbanist Andres Duany. He suggests changing the public participation process to unclog the system.

January 11 - Architect

Metro stations, train stations and streetcar systems have distinct ways of showing how to get from one area to another. TheCityFix's Jonna McKone looks at mass transit systems from Mexico City to Paris and the visual representations used in each one.

January 11 - TheCityFix

In this piece, Stewart Brand argues that squatter cities will grow greatly over the next few decades, and the world will be better because of it.

January 11 - What Matters

<em>Toronto Star</em> critic Christopher Hume predicts a lackluster 2011 for Toronto -- both in terms of architecture and urbanism.

January 11 - The Toronto Star