The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Recent MTA budget cuts have forced New York City to axe a few of its bus routes, but they've had the effect of spurring a new wave of private bus initiatives.

August 20 - Market Urbanism

As rural and urban runoff taints the waters of the Yangtze River in China, environmentalists have joined forces with Coca-Cola to try to improve water quality -- a move that's good for water users in China, and for the water-dependent business.

August 20 - Knowledge@Wharton

Chandigarh, the modernist city designed by Le Corbusier in India, is becoming increasingly popular among scholars, critics and a rising residential population. But some of the best parts of the city are closed to the public.

August 20 - Change Observer

The city of Rome is looking for a private sponsor to buy advertising rights on its historic Colosseum. The $33 million contract would pay for renovation on the site.

August 20 - Bloomberg

The Bonneville Salt Flats in Western Utah are where drivers and engineers attempt to break the land speed record -- an activity that has transformed this otherwise unused space into one of the more important sites of modern human history.

August 20 - Places

Various rules and regulations control the form of today's cities. This info graphic and article from <em>re:place</em> looks at how those systems control the urban environment and how they compare.

August 20 - re:place

<em>The City Fix</em> looks at a new report that focuses on how Brazil can create a long-term benefit from the billions its investing in the 2014 World Cup.

August 20 - The City Fix

More capacity for the same cost is the case with double-decker commuter cars -- if they can fit into tunnels, that is. Bi-level train were once more common in the commuter trains serving NYC. However, these cars can have their own disadvantages.

August 20 - The New York Times - N.Y/Region

The fishing industry has been in decline for years in Portland, Maine, which is hurting many of the industry-related businesses on the city's waterfront. Local business people see salvation in diversity.

August 19 - The New York Times

With her Foodprint project, Nicola Twilley wondered what one could learn about a city by looking at it through the lens of food. In this piece on <em>Urban Omnibus</em> she shares what she's learned.

August 19 - Urban Omnibus

A new themed subdivision is under development in South Carolina. But this is no golf course community. It's a cyclist oriented, car-free experiment called Bicycle City.

August 19 - Architizer

The new album by Arcade Fire is themed around suburban sprawl, offering an interesting commentary on city planning and development.

August 19 - SPUR Urbanist

Consistently ranked one of the worlds most expensive cities to live in, many of its workers are now forced to commute from the campsites encircling the city.

August 19 - The Guardian

By expanding its car-sharing requirements on new non-residential buildings, the city of San Francisco is looking to make car-sharing more viable and accessible in the transit-friendly city.

August 19 - San Francisco Chronicle

The James River runs right through downtown Richmond, Virginia. But with few public access points, the river is a largely ignored part of the urban realm.

August 19 - Richmond Times-Dispatch

The City of Los Angeles Planning Commission has reintroduced sweeping reform of the zoning codes in an effort to streamline planning processes. "This marks the first overhaul of codes since their last revision in 1946," said City Planner Alan Bell.

August 19 - Architects Newspaper

Kerwin Datu suggests that transit in cities of the future should no longer be organized around a distinct center. "Rather than think of a city as a centre surrounded by suburbs, think of it as a patchwork of specialised districts woven together."

August 19 - The Global Urbanist

The rise of megacities and innovation hubs is leading to a balance shift that will make cities, not nations, the most powerful drivers in the world economy, according to Parag Khanna.

August 19 - Foreign Policy

Researchers estimate that roughly three-quarters of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico is still dangerously concentrated in the water, a claim that disputes official word from the government that much of the oil has been safely dispersed.

August 18 - The Wall Street Journal

A renewable energy company wants to build a major solar power farm on former ranchland in rural California. But environmental concerns over habitat and scenic beauty could stall the process.

August 18 - NPR