The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Richard Florida writes that population growth and wealth do not go hand in hand -- wealth comes from improvements in productivity. In fact, some of the areas with the biggest leaps in population are suffering real declines in wealth.

April 10 - Creative Class

Transit agencies brace for reduced ridership but will keep running -- for a little while, at least.

April 10 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

This review of data on bicycling shows shifts in who is biking in America, and how often. A key shift: whites aren't the only ones on two wheels.

April 10 - Grist

Officials in Washington tend to agree that infrastructure problems are in dire need of attention. But amid turbulent economic times, will those problems get that attention?

April 9 - National Journal

The tiny mideast country of Qatar is a new hotbed of infrastructure activity and foreign investment, leading some to suggest that it will be the next place to take off in the region.

April 9 - CNBC

This interactive map from <em>Forbes</em> shows, county by county, where Americans moved in 2008.

April 9 - Forbes

As the city of Los Angeles edges closer to approving the construction of a new sports stadium in downtown, this post from <em>Curbed LA</em> offers 10 suggestions on how the stadium could and should fit into the city.

April 9 - Curbed LA

This episode of <em>99% Invisible</em> explores public spaces and their role in political change, and how over hundreds of years, riots have defined New York's Tompkins Square Park -- despite efforts to design unrest out.

April 9 - 99% Invisible

Comedian Mark Malkoff set out to demonstrate the state of public bus transit in NYC by racing a city bus while riding a child's tricycle.

April 8 - Streets Blog

Buffalo is the emptiest city in the state of New York, with 15.7 percent of its housing standing vacant. The problem is spreading to the nearby suburbs.

April 8 - The Buffalo News

Elms, oaks and poplars- trees are an important part of our landscape, but their anonymity means that preservation can be challenging.

April 8 - The Cultural Landscape Foundation

The radio program Marketplace looks at the "fad" of form-based codes, and how this new tool encourages old-fashioned town building.

April 8 - Market Place (NPR)

Vancouver is expanding its city-approved downtown street food vending program, with a recently approved list of new vendors allowed to cook and sell food from carts on the street.

April 8 - Globe and Mail

Climate change is expected to create major shifts in the amount of water and rainfall in cities in the near future. A recent symposium in Philadelphia on urban water delved into this emerging problem.

April 8 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Canadian cities are facing major backlogs in terms of maintaining and updating infrastructure. Putting off the work is expected to cost cities billions.

April 8 - The Vancouver Sun

A "crazy idea" to remove an inner city freeway in Seoul, South Korea turned to reality. This piece tells the story about how this unlikely event came to be.

April 8 - Grist

The city of Venice, Italy, is a complex, historic, watery, tourist-filled place. This video explains how the city works.

April 8 - Open Culture

This piece from <em>Places</em> discusses Los Angeles as a place difficult to wrap one's head around, and how light and darkness are so important to the city's identity.

April 8 - Places

Depopulation and empty houses are creating modern day ghost towns throughout America. This piece introduces the latest class of emptying areas.

April 7 - 24/7 Wall St.

In the housing crash of 2007, Atlanta's Pittsburgh community was a focal point for mortgage fraud, mortgage defaults, and foreclosure. By forming a nonprofit community land trust, Atlanta is working to turn the neighborhood around.

April 7 - Shelterforce