The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A recent breach in the largest hydroelectric dam in Russia highlights the dangers posed by undermaintained Soviet era infrastructure.

August 21 - The New York Times

CPTED -- crime prevention through environmental design -- is catching on in Korea as a way to improve security.

August 21 - Joong Ang Daily

Take two seemingly unrelated words: Flint and Gentrification. Now put them together. What you get is an unexpected rebirth in one part of the struggling city -- a neighborhood where home ownership and community investment are actually increasing.

August 21 - The New York Times

Green buildings are great, but don't do too much if they're located in grossly un-green places. The city of Portland is trying to address the issue by creating "eco-districts".

August 21 - Governing

A Freakonomics blogger has trouble finding an affordable bike in Portland, and looks into the reasons why.

August 21 - The New York Times: Freakonomics Blog

Transportation officials in Chicago are enlisting the ideas of area residents as they attempt to draft a plan that will guide development and transportation in the region through 2040.

August 21 - Chicago Tribune

This video from <em>Reuters</em> looks at a new rooftop garden in Brooklyn. Covering 6,000 square feet, the flourishing garden provides fresh produce to local restaurants.

August 21 - Reuters (on-line)

City officials in Houston have unanimously approved zoning and policy changes that will encourage walkable development around the city's expanding light rail network.

August 21 - The Houston Chronicle

Los Angeles' Department of Water and Power's enforcement officers have received mixed reviews, but have found overall success with tighter water-use restrictions implemented this year.

August 21 - Los Angeles Times

Earlier this year, The City of Chicago handed over control of their parking meter enforcement to a private company. A watchdog group is suing, saying the city didn't have a right to lease the public's streets.

August 20 - Chicago Sun-Times

As manufacturing continues to move overseas and offices fetch higher rents, NYC's Garment Center is struggling, threatening NYC's reputation as a fashion hub. City officials, manufacturers, labor unions, and designers weigh in on how to save it.

August 20 - New York Times

Bill Fulton consults on a boulevard in Los Angeles, and concludes that sometimes the dense, mixed-use approach is too heavy-handed, particularly when transit is lacking.

August 20 - California Planning & Development Report

Hank Dittmar of the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment responds to recent accusations that Prince Charles has unduly influenced the planning process in the U.K.

August 20 - The Guardian U.K.

With nearly 20,000 retail outlets shutting down so far this year in England, the future of towns' high streets looks shaky. But some say reviving these main streets is as simple as converting empty shops into housing units.

August 20 - Building

Big metropolitan transit agencies are struggling through the recession, with many considering cutting services and raising fares, according to astudy by Transportation For America and Transportation Equity Network.

August 20 - Reuters

This oped takes on American street design and blames it for causing countless road injuries and deaths.

August 20 - The Boston Globe

A nonprofit program started in 2007 is teaching kids in Kabul, Afghanistan how to skateboard. This slideshow from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> takes a look.

August 20 - Los Angeles Times

Beijing could be heading towards a sprawling future, according to a new report from the World Bank. Despite expanding transit options, the location of jobs is pushing more people out from the center of the city.

August 20 - The New York Times Style Magazine

BLOG POST

<p> The recently released report, <a href="http://www.movingcooler.info/">Moving Cooler: Transportation Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions</a>, which recommends various VMT reduction strategies (also called mobility management, transportation demand management, TDM), has <a href="/node/39945">raised debate concerning the best way to reduce climate change emissions</a>. Critics argue that that reducing vehicle travel is difficult and costly to consumers and the economy, and instead support strategies that change vehicle design (increased energy efficiency and alternative fuels).

August 20 - Todd Litman

FEATURE

Julia Galef reviews <em>Urban Design for an Urban Century: Placemaking for People</em> by Lance Jay Brown, David Dixon, and Oliver Gillham.

August 20 - Julia Galef