The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Bob Herbert asks, 'What's wrong with us?' in this editorial on America's crumbling infrastructure and the uphill battle to get it fixed.

February 18 - The New York Times

FEATURE

If we are "urbanists," does that mean we're anti-suburban? Or do choice and economics define our choices? Architect Fanis Grammenos reflects on his own history of shelter and the ideology of urbanism.

February 18 - Fanis Grammenos

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood announced $1.5 billion in transportation grants this morning, including $23 million towards a streetcar project in Dallas.

February 17 - The Dallas Morning News

Lowell, Mass. has one of the largest populations of Cambodian immigrants in the country. City officials want to create a "Little Cambodia" neighborhood to capitalize on that strength without exploiting it.

February 17 - The Boston Globe

The US Department of Energy has created a software tool not unlike Sim City that can project scenarios for an actual population's energy, transportation and fuel needs. The software made its debut recently modeling a development in Jinan, China.

February 17 - Common Current

Sustainability is going federal through a new collaboration between HUD, EPA and DOT. Anthony Flint takes a look at the new coordinated effort and some of the challenges it faces.

February 17 - Citiwire

With its ambitious and extravagant plans, Dubai has fallen hard amid the economic bust. Nearby Qatar, on the other hand, is poised to weather the economic storm a little better.

February 17 - Time

New research from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that the chance of foreclosure is higher in places with limited access to public transit.

February 17 - Chicago Sun-Times

Richard Florida wades through the newly released results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which looks at emotional and physical health in 52 of America's biggest metropolitan areas.

February 17 - The Atlantic

New York follows a trend happening in cities across the country, taking out parking meters in favor of central pay stations and turning some old meters into bike parking.

February 17 - New York Post

Architectural historian Keith Eggener draws a fascinating connection between the film <em>Death Wish</em> and architecture -- and also links the movie's main character with Robert Moses.

February 17 - Places

This piece from <em>Fast Company</em> looks at the legacy that will remain in Vancouver after the Olympics are over.

February 17 - Fast Company

The younger generation of Americans will continue to rent rather than buy, predicts the Urban Land Institute.

February 16 - Examiner LA

The Olympic Village in Vancouver's Southeast False Creek has earned a platinum rating in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system.

February 16 - CTV

Inspired by the home-grown Park(ing) Day parking spot conversion event, the city of San Francisco is launching a pilot project to convert street parking in its North Beach neighborhood to outdoor dining areas and public spaces.

February 16 - San Francisco Chronicle

Chicago's suburbs are growing taller, adding density and height like never before. Blair Kamin argues that these small towns are facing an identity crisis, stuck uncomfortably between city and suburb.

February 16 - Cityscapes (Blair Kamin)

Lisa Rouchon of The Globe and Mail says that Vancouver's Olympic Village might not be a cure-all for the city's problems, but it is a well-planned vision for the future.

February 16 - The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Boulder Colorado has tried peer pressure, free weatherization services, and intense publicity, but so far, voluntary efforts to increase energy efficiency have yielded mediocre results.

February 16 - Wall Street Journal

The rough economy has made code officers negotiators between irked neighbors and entrepreneurs trying to make a living in their living rooms.

February 16 - Wall Street Journal

National City, CA has only 2 acres of public parks per 1000 residents, as opposed to the national average of 10 acres. A new plan proposes to transform a 44-acre golf course into an innovative new central park.

February 16 - The San Diego Union-Tribune