The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Aaron Renn argues that when it comes to thinking on large cities, "too many people remain stuck in the 90s." Now that the recession has civic finances in a vice grip, we ought to focus not on condos or bike shares, but straightforward job creation.

August 23 - New Geography

A recipient of AICP National Planning Landmark Award, Country Club Plaza is part of Kansas City's historic shopping district. A developer is proposing to replace two historic buildings on the Plaza with contemporary designs.

August 23 - The Kansas City Star

A Portland transit planner from the days when buses were the primary means of getting around says the system is headed in the wrong direction and service is declining.

August 23 - EnzymePDX.com

Bill Barnes of the National League of Cities argues that we don't need acolytes of Jane Jacobs; we need people who will think as hard and as well as she did about "the kind of problem a city is."

August 23 - Nation's Cities Weekly

And the result is fairly obvious - longer the commute, lower the reading. Well-being is a measurement of both physical and mental health, including ailments such as back pain and anxiety. No mention of modal type (e.g, driving, biking, transit).

August 23 - Gallup

Chikodi Chima looks at the innovative ideas coming out of China like the famous road-straddling bus announced earlier this month, and asks, has America lost it's edge?

August 23 - AltTransport

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt">The graph below shows the most recent USDOT vehicle-travel d</span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt">ata covering the last 25 years. Although vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) grew steadily during most of the Twentieth Century, in recent years the growth rate stopped and even declined a little. It is now about 10% below where it would have been had past trends continued.</span> </p> <p> <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt"><img src="http://www.vtpi.org/images/VMTtrends.jpg" alt="US VMT Trends" title="US VMT Trends" width="656" height="359" /></span> </p>

August 22 - Todd Litman

BLOG POST

<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Verdana" class="Apple-style-span">As the post-recession economy continues to plod along, those in the non-profit sector continue to face stiff funding competition. Organizations furthering the smart growth/new urbanism cause may find this to be particularly frustrating, as re-working how and where America builds has never been so important. <span> </span></span></p>

August 22 - Mike Lydon

This post from <em>Citiwire</em> looks at Salt Lake City and the state of Utah as home to some of the most active and progressive planning practitioners.

August 22 - Citiwire

Unlike the nearby Bay Bridge that was built to accommodate the Key System streetcars, the Golden Gate displaced existing ferry service. Carl Nolte, the Chronicle's historian, provides the background for the 40th anniversary of its ferry service.

August 22 - San Francisco Chronicle

To help pay for transportation needs, a Kansas City suburb approved a "driveway" tax based on the amount of traffic a property is expected to generate.

August 22 - The Kansas City Star

The annual week-long art festival Burning Man is kind of hard to define. This infographic provides some data and context about the event and the temporary city it forms in the Nevada desert every year.

August 22 - SPUR Urbanist

As high speed rail projects begin to take shape across America, commuters are anticipating eased travel but skeptics remain critical.

August 22 - CNN

New rules in Japan say that cyclists are liable for accidents between themselves and pedestrians, especially on the country's sidewalks.

August 21 - The Mainichi Daily Times

Google CEO Eric Schmidt discusses what makes a city smart and successful in this interview with <em>Foreign Policy</em>.

August 21 - Foreign Policy

Looking at Census data for urbanized areas and auto ownership, Randal O'Toole argues that denser areas have high rates of auto ownership per square mile, a correlation that is likely to increase congestion.

August 21 - The Antiplanner

The Wall Street Journal reports on an extensive street redesign plan in New York City to be completed by 2030. The plan is aimed at an especially dangerous area.

August 21 - The Wall Street Journal

Salon interviews author J.C. Hallman about his new book "In Utopia," which explores modern-day utopian projects and how they differ from those of the past.

August 21 - Salon.com

Officials in Southern Sudan are floating a fleet of proposals to build new cities in the shape of animals and fruits.

August 20 - Associated Press

Despite its reputation as a planner's dream, the city of Vancouver has incredibly high housing prices, which is part of the reason <em>New Geography</em>'s Steve Lafleur calls it a middle class nightmare.

August 20 - New Geography