The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

<p> A few days ago, I was in a Chicago neighborhood called Lincoln Square, on Lincoln Avenue just south of Lawrence Avenue.  Lincoln Avenue looks like many posh urban neighborhoods- narrow, walkable streets inhabited by gelato-eating, prosperous-looking people.  Even on a weeknight, the shops and streets of Lincoln Square betrayed no evidence of a recession.* </p>

July 29 - Michael Lewyn

Non-profit TerraformOne held a design contest for ideas for creating productive green spaces in cities. Winners include plans to put seniors to work as farmers and a global system of levees.

July 29 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">Canadian city planners and urbanists have been active in the discussion and debate over the last few weeks, regarding the Federal government&#39;s decision to change the mandatory long form census to a voluntary approach. As un-sexy as the census might seem to many (I myself never thought I&#39;d be writing a post about the census), the national media has been all over this, giving extensive coverage to the numerous experts and professional organizations who have been unanimously critical of this move, and the effects it will have on the planning and management of cities and communities.

July 29 - Brent Toderian

The London bus network carries over twice the number of people as the underground network. "But with Britain's new coalition government preparing comprehensive budget cuts, the future of London's transport network is uncertain."

July 29 - The Global Urbanist

The Riverside County Planning Commission is considering opening up more areas to churches, but local wineries are fighting the move, saying that the alcohol business and church don't mix.

July 29 - The Press-Enterprise

The Public Buildings Service, which is responsible for charging and collecting rent on 9,600 public buildings across the 50 states, has been asked to go green by retrofitting and smartening its aging buildings.

July 29 - Fast Company

In Lewiston, Maine, planners are reforming old zoning laws governing "boarding houses", an old-fashioned term that refers to lodging where meals are provided. By allowing "lodging houses" instead in those zones, more affordable housing can exist.

July 29 - The Sun Journal

Yonah Freemark looks at the plan for a new streetcar line on St. Louis' Loop, and concludes that the project is a valuable addition to the city more for the economic boost it will bring than the increased mobility it will bring.

July 29 - the transport politic

Chinese urban sprawl has the potential to be transformed into urban sustainability.

July 29 - TheCityFix

An artist collective staged a tongue-in-cheek interactive game in Brooklyn last month they called "Gentrification: The Game," putting developers against locals and with a generous helping of hipsters.

July 29 - The Toronto Star

The Times chose to investigate claims by transit agencies of high, on-time performance of LIRR, Metro-North, and NJ Transit by doing their own analysis and found major discrepancies. The article also indicates the infrastructure problems responsible.

July 29 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Melissa Lafsky at The Infrastructurist poses the question. With raising the gas tax a political impossibility, how can we repair our ailing infrastructure? A lot more toll roads, says Lafsky.

July 28 - The Infrastructurist

Blueprint America reports from suburban Atlanta, where getting to the other side of the road is nothing to take for granted.

July 28 - PBS - Blueprint America

The Wall St. Journal reports that some homeowners are selling their underwater homes at a loss and turning right around and investing in new homes with lower mortgage rates and getting more house in the process.

July 28 - The Wall St. Journal

In this radio interview, KQED-FM reporter Kitty Felde interviews UCLA professor and parking guru Don Shoup on what he now calls "performance parking", a form of smart parking that includes congestion pricing used in D.C., SF, and soon LA.

July 28 - KQED: California Report

July 29th is the day Arizona's new tough illegal immigration law goes into effect. As immigrants flee the state in fear of being arrested, neighborhoods are emptying and small businesses are feeling the lack of customers.

July 28 - The Los Angeles Times

San Francisco has always been home to utopian dreamers. With a clean slate to work on in the middle of the bay, the city has drafted plans for a sustainable utopia. With politics and money kicking in, will the dream be dashed?

July 28 - Shareable

Bike Blogger Richard Masoner offers some tips on how to successfully advocate for effective bicycle facilities, covering the gamut from bike parking to placement of bike sharrows.

July 28 - Cyclelicious (bicycle blog)

A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that many parts of the Great Plains and the Southwest U.S. are facing severe water shortages in the near future.

July 28 - National Geographic

Firearms collected by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in a collection drive will be melted down and turned into rebar used in state infrastructure projects.

July 28 - Los Angeles Times