The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

FEATURE

Architect William A. Browne, Jr., FAIA, LEED AP, explains how he and his firm use narrative when designing buildings and spaces.

November 15 - William A. Browne Jr.

Joe Peach explains the technology behind five materials that will dramatically increase sustainability in the building industry. Among the list are wool bricks which are stronger, greater insulators and don't require firing to set.

November 15 - This Big City

Federal incentives have set off a rush to get solar power plants permitted for the California deserts. Plants approved before January could cover a combined 53 square square miles. Clean energy fans are happy. Desert tortoises, not so much.

November 15 - California Planning & Development Report

A new group of activists in Los Angeles is warning that recently approved changes to the city's planning code could make it easier for transit-related projects to be approved even if they are not in alignment with neighborhood planning documents.

November 15 - Streetsblog L.A.

Just months after the completion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, expensive stadia built for the event sit empty and unused.

November 15 - Bleacher Report

A study of cyclists in Ashland, Oregon has found three distinct types of bike riders, the majority of which are interesting in riding, but concerned about safety issues.

November 15 - Ashland Daily Tidings

BLOG POST

<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Virtually every modern economy is mixed: governments produce some goods and services and private companies produce others. Governments generally provide those goods and services that are either considered essential and should be available to everybody regardless of ability to pay, or that require strategic coordination, including police protection, basic education, transportation infrastructure, parks, and public health services.</span> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Transportation facilities and services are among these basic government functions.

November 15 - Todd Litman

Three possibilities for tolling San Francisco's downtown have been advanced by the Board of Supervisors; two involve tolling the 'Southern Gateway', the only entrance to the peninsula city that is untolled. However, Prop 26 could doom the plan.

November 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

The square footage of homes in the U.S. continues to decline, according to a new survey.

November 14 - CNBC

Architect Claire Lester reimagines Chicago's O'Hare as a dynamic, multipurpose environment.

November 14 - The Architect's Newspaper

A small-scale urban agriculture project in Oakland, California is set to receive a $4 million grant to expand its work.

November 14 - Grist

This photo slideshow from <em>Places</em> offers a look at the city of Berlin and the fast pace of change underway there.

November 14 - Places

Researchers in Taiwan have discovered that gold nanoparticles can create luminescence in tree leaves, opening the possibility of glowing trees that cold act as streetlights.

November 14 - Gizmag

In this reflection on the new book "Los Angeles in Maps", James Rojas wonders what shape the city will take in the near and far future.

November 13 - KCET

Officials in Finland are building a nuclear waster storage facility that is designed to last for at least 100,000 years.

November 13 - CNN

As chain stores move into a Brooklyn neighborhood, some locals worry about the loss of local character and small businesses.

November 13 - The New York Times

After a year of outreach and research, Indy Connect has published its report yesterday outlining recommendations for the next 25 years of public transit expenditure. They call for $2.4 billion on transit and $8.4 on road expansion and maintenance.

November 13 - the transport politic

Hollywood producers are planning a film version of the Chicago-focused book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America.

November 13 - Deadline New York

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-family: Tahoma"><span style="font-size: small">Back when Vancouver was first discussing the concept of laneway housing as part of the EcoDensity Initiative in 2006-2008, we nick-named it &quot;hidden density&quot; because it didn&#39;t significantly change the way single-detached housing blocks looked from the street. We did so, recognizing that the word hidden is a relative term.</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma"><span style="font-size: small"> </span></span> </p>

November 12 - Brent Toderian

A play area for children at the Salt Lake City airport is eerily representative of modern city development patterns in the United States, says the Conservative Planner.

November 12 - Conservative Planner Blog