The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

All summer long the newly installed BRT in Bangkok will offer free rides to passengers as the kinks are worked out of the system.

July 1 - TheCityFix

Yonah Freemark explains how Barcelona has managed to get a better deal for its new metro extension than those in New York and Los Angeles.

July 1 - the transport politic

The Cities of Service coalition, a new initiative funded through Rockefeller Foundation grants, aims to facilitate local volunteer-based efforts to meet community needs.

July 1 - Huffington Post

The City of Detroit has announced plans to close 77 city parks this summer in an effort to cut costs.

July 1 - The Detroit Free Press

This piece from <em>Next American City</em> looks at pollution in small town New Mexico and how court rulings have made it hard for a local organization -- and those in other communities -- to fight environmental battles.

July 1 - Next American City

By 2030, China will have 220 cities containing a population of 1 million or more, 24 of which will be megacities. The boom China is expected to go through, 'boggles the imagination of North Americans and Europeans.'

June 30 - World Changing

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt">Many ancient religions required animal sacrifice to satisfy their gods’ desires. We now sacrifice pelicans, marine mammals and sea turtles to satisfy our desire for cheap oil. </span> </p> <p> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt"><img src="http://protectfloridasbeaches.org/blog/bird_in_oil_epa.jpg" width="414" height="298" /></span> </p>

June 30 - Todd Litman

Decades of expectations appear to have been finally realized in the Terrafugia Transition, the world's first street-legal flying car.

June 30 - Huffington Post

This article from <em>City Journal</em> suggests that California's much-reviled Proposition 13 limits on increases in property tax is not at fault for the state's crippling fiscal situation.

June 30 - City Journal

The Bay Area's first experience in peak-hour road tolling starts July 1. At 10 am, the Bay Bridge toll decreases to $4 from the $6 commute toll that starts at 5 am - will motorists intentionally slow to save $2 as they approach the tolls at 10 AM?

June 30 - San Francisco Chronicle

In their attempts to deal with their budget deficits, state and local governments are slashing public transit funding, which may leave residents little choice but to return to their cars.

June 30 - Guardian (UK)

This infographic from <em>GOOD</em> shows how walking and cycling have grown in America -- and how federal funding for bike and pedestrian projects have steadily increased.

June 30 - Good

Jane Jacobs, often viewed as the patron saint of the progressive urban planning world, maybe be given too much credit, according to this piece from Andrew Manshel.

June 30 - The Wall Street Journal

Face-to-face interactions between neighbors may be declining in some cities, but, increasingly, neighbors are connecting with each other online.

June 30 - Next American City

London Mayor Boris Johnson wants his entire city wired with wi-fi networks -- even the tube.

June 30 - Tech Watch

Amtrak Chief Joseph Boardman says now is a good time for the much-troubled national rail system. Support from the federal government is helping the system grow and improve, according to this interview.

June 30 - Los Angeles Times

A 20-stool burger stand in Los Angeles could be eligible for historic preservation status, much to the dismay of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency that shelled out over $5million for the surrounding land.

June 29 - The Los Angeles Times

This story from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> looks at the downfall of exurban growth in the High Desert of Southern California, and the families caught in the downfall.

June 29 - Los Angeles Times

The Disney Company is betting against the struggling Florida housing market with plans to build million-dollar luxury homes near its Orlando theme park.

June 29 - The Wall Street Journal

A new book by Robert Sullivan documents his explorations of the Meadowlands, an expanse of swamp five miles outside New York that has seen its share of dumping.

June 29 - BLDGBLG