The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Grocers Succeeding in Low-Income Areas
The Save-a-Lot grocery chain has succeeded by going into urban and rural low-income areas that other chains have shied away from.
Will Light Rail Kill Businesses?
Rick Harrison tells a parable of a small businessman who's auto shop is decimated when a traffic engineer decides to put a median on the adjoining road, eliminating left turns into his shop. Will light rail essentially do the same?
Hyper-Local Becomes Even More Local
Local food advocates have promoted the idea of only eating food raised within 50 miles of your home. But how about 2 blocks? A Vancouver neighborhood experiments in communal growing.
Anti-Rail Republicans Could Sink High-Speed Network
Republicans are taking a strong position against high-speed rail funding, and with the increasing likelihood that November will see a strong showing from the GOP the national HSR plan could be in serious jeopardy.
Rough Roads Cost Drivers
A new report from TRIP, a transportation research group based in Washington D.C., cites San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco-Oakland as the urban regions where rough roads lead to higher vehicle operating costs.
Who Killed the Streetcar?
It's an article of faith among many that GM, Firestone, and Standard Oil destroyed the streetcar networks of the early 20th century. Stephen Smith suggests that Progressive Era and New Deal planners and politicians should shoulder more of the blame.
Wal-Mart Light: Big Box Store Goes After the Urban Market
Wal-Mart announced a new "urban strategy" to move into cities that have traditionally been hostile to the big box retailer. Smaller format stores will concentrate on selling groceries, which account for about half the company's sales already.
Bell, CA Leaders Arrested for Outrageous Salaries
Bell residents were outraged to discover that their poor community was going broke paying extravagant salaries to city leaders. Eight staffers have now been arrested for misappropriating funds.
BLOG POST
Multi-Modal Level-Of-Service Goes Mainstream: Chickens Can Finally Cross Roads
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class="MsoNormal">   </p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Why <strong><em>didn’t</em></strong> the chicken cross the road?</span> </p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small">Because pedestrian Level-Of-Service was below “C”.</span> </p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class="MsoNormal">   </p>
Want to Get Away With Murder? Just Run Over a Bicyclist
A drivers license in the wrong hands can feel like a hunting license to bicyclists who have few legal protections and even fewer enforcement options negligent drivers. When bikers are injured or killed, police are often reluctant to investigate why.
Does This City Make Me Look Suburban?
Travel + Leisure magazine confuses suburbs with small cities in a recent article called "Coolest Suburbs Worth a Visit." The New Urban Network shows how they got it wrong.
Sleep Pods Coming to U.S. Airports
A design company from Barcelona is selling airports on the idea of installing luxury sleep "bubbles" in terminals. Two international airports have reportedly signed up.
LeylandAlliance and Educational Realty Trust Sign Deal
Overall, this $220 million project will be "one of the most ambitious public/private initiatives" in Connecticut.
McMansion Central
The town of El Monte, California is a gated community that "encourages quality housing developments through well thought-out architectural designs..." Zen Vuong writes that the reality is the latest batch of homes are anything but.
California Set To Adopt Emissions Targets From VMT Reduction
The fruition of a lengthy state planning process required by SB 375 may come as early as Sept. 23 when the CA Air Resources Board may adopt targets for 18 metropolitan regions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled.
The American Parks Database
A new report from the Trust for Public Lands provides detailed and comprehensive data on city park systems in the U.S.
'Zombie Buildings' Plague Spain's Economy
The burst of the housing bubble is still causing major economic turmoil in Spain, where 1.5 million "zombie" housing units sit empty.
Amid Growth, the Colorado River is Running Dry
Freshwater resources are running out and being overused -- a global crisis that can be seen in the declining flows of the Colorado River.
Irrigation Project Spurs Protests in Peru
A proposed irrigation project near the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru that would divert water away from small villages has sparked violent protests.
Forward Thinking and Backward Practices
Transportation authorities are working with tools that no longer fit the challenges of modern travel or environmental necessity, says David Kooris, vice president of the Regional Plan Association.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Yukon Government
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Norman, Oklahoma
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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