The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Remaking Southern California Cities

A video created for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) presents a serious look at what infill development would look like in Ventura and Fullerton.

May 24 - The Source: Transportation News and Views

What's missing in the mixed-income units?

A wish for stronger community ties and social interaction is prevalent among mixed-income Chicago residents, study finds.

May 23 - The New York Times

Urban and rural, both just as dangerous for children

Urban children are no more likely to die from gunfire than rural youth

May 23 - The New York Times

The Architecture of Trash

Architect Juliette Spertus has assembled a new exhibit called "Fast Trash! Roosevelt Island's Pneumatic Tubes and the Future of Cities" that peels back the layers of the city to look at the infrastructure underneath.

May 23 - Urban Omnibus

Missing Britain

A new book documents great buildings demolished throughout Britain. Nicolas Lezard points out how many were lost not to German bombs but to poor planning decisions.

May 23 - The Guardian U.K.


Calthorpe, California and Climate Change

Peter Calthorpe sees California Assembly Bill 32, the law mandating a state-wide reduction in carbon emissions, as the key to pushing through great urbanism.

May 23 - Fast Company

Report: Senate Climate Legislation Good For Economy

In the first major study of how the Senate climate legislation would affect the economy, a non-partisan think tank indicated it would create new jobs and reduce American reliance on oil and coal while increasing usage of both nuclear and renewables.

May 23 - Greenwire via The New York Times - Energy & Environment


Locals Kill Low-Income Housing, Want Park Instead

In Frisco, Texas, locals fought a non-profit that wanted to build a 200 low-income apartment building near Bicentennial Park.

May 23 - The Dallas Morning News

Opening Data Makes Finding Urban Solutions Easier

<em>Next American City</em>'s Christian Madera reports on a series of seminars looking at how the growing open data movement is helping to offer cities solutions to some of their operational problems.

May 22 - Next American City

Pianos in Public Places

A public art piece titled "Play Me, I'm Yours" entails putting pianos in public spaces around Manhattan (27 in all) for anyone to sit down and bang out a tune.

May 22 - The Village Voice

High Speed, High Price

As China Expands its high speed rail system, some of the country's rural poor have criticized the trains for being too expensive.

May 22 - Global Times

With Transit Funding in the Dumps, Seattle Could Ditch Ride Free Area

A section of downtown Seattle has for decades been a fare-free public transit zone. Those days could be coming to an end.

May 22 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Inside an Urban Water System

Urban water systems are immense -- and little-understood. <em>Places</em> presents this video from the Center for Urban Pedagogy looking down below the streets to illuminate the mystery city water delivery.

May 22 - Places

Houston, A Model City for the U.S.

Houston is often the butt of many urban planners' jokes. With no formal zoning, wide roads and huge houses, it's often what urban planners are trying to move American cities away from. Joel Kotkin argues Houston is a model city for the U.S.

May 21 - Forbes

Carpooling Falls Out of Favor

In Seattle, parking spaces are reserved for people who carpool into downtown. But in recent years, an increasing amount of those parking spaces are empty.

May 21 - Seattle Weekly

The 11 Most Endangered Places

The National Trust for Historic Preservation presents its annual list of the most endangered places in the U.S. This year, natural landscapes take some of the spotlight away from architecture and the built environment.

May 21 - National Trust For Historic Preservation

BLOG POST

Data Rules the Day: Live from CNU

<p> I&#39;m at the 18th Congress for the New Urbanism, always a stimulating affair and this year is no exception. We&#39;re in Atlanta, Georgia, although I&#39;ve unfortunately not seen much of the city beyond a few leafy, upscale blocks past the anonymous section of downtown. Right now, I&#39;m waiting for a session on &quot;The Great American Grid&quot; to begin, undoubtedly a topic of some interest to our readers considering the comments inspired by Fanis Grammenos&#39; <a href="/node/41290">dismissal of America&#39;s grid worship</a>. </p>

May 21 - Tim Halbur

Retrofitting a "Planned" City in Mumbai

Navi Mumbai was a planned community built in the 1960s to reduce congestion in the city. The design catered only to the rich, with a golf course and upscale residential development. With a mandate to get more diverse, Navi Mumbai is at a loss.

May 21 - TheCityFix Mumbai

Locavore Movement, Ecological Concerns Spur Urban Apiaries

In an effort to help rebuild bee populations and support healthy diets and urban ecosystems, more cities are encouraging efforts at urban beekeeping.

May 21 - The Globe and Mail

"Creative Village" Plan for Orlando's Amway Arena

The Amway Arena in Orlando is being torn down and rebuilt, but meanwhile another developer is proposing a "creative village" for 68 acres nearby, with housing, education, gaming, retail, office space, and a "signature central park."

May 21 - Orlando Sentinel

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