The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Competition was stiff for prime picnic spots in a Washington, D.C. park this Labor Day, prompting locals to set up as early as 2:30am. Is this an indicator of a growing need for public parks and civic spaces?

September 8 - The Washington Post

Many would-be train riders are frustrated by poor transit options at their destination city.

September 8 - National Public Radio

A new Transportation Research Board study examines the relationship between land use and carbon emissions - specifically reduction of vehicle miles traveled resulting from densification and the shape of new growth to come.

September 8 - Streetsblog

Here's another way to rank your city- the Society of American Travel Writers surveyed their members on the Top 10 cities to see live music. New Orleans comes in over Austin, home of the famed SXSW festival.

September 8 - Society of American Travel Writers

Edward Lifson talks to architect Tadao Ando about his work masterplanning Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympics.

September 8 - The Architect's Journal

Why the decision to host the next G-20 summit in Steel City is a good one.

September 8 - Forbes.com

Coming off the heels of two high-profile crashes with dozens of injuries, the San Francisco Municipal Railway is working to ensure operators are trained and accidents can be avoided.

September 8 - San Francisco Chronicle

NPR looks at a few of the areas that have submitted proposals for high-speed rail funding.

September 8 - National Public Radio

BLOG POST

<p> I have lived in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco but I have never seen anything like Beijing.  Over the next two weeks, I&#39;m giving a series of talks at Tsinghua, Peking University and the Lincoln Institute, and the CASS.  While I was little surprised to see Mao&#39;s face on all of the money and to not be able to access my blog, I have been very impressed with everything I see and I see glimpses of a future &quot;green city&quot;. </p>

September 7 - Matthew E. Kahn

HOK is designing a brand-new, 8,000-acre city in India, and is taking design inspiration from a desert cactus.

September 7 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

London is attempting to make streets safer for cyclists and motorists by turning off traffic lights in one part of the city for a short amount of time.

September 7 - The New York Times

At a time when developers are having trouble getting loans to build, San Francisco is taking steps to improve empty lots with art, retail, and other temporary investments in neighborhood vitality until construction can resume.

September 7 - San Francisco Chronicle

In Afghanistan, cities are changing. More and more people are leaving behind their agricultural past for city life, and the tide of new urbanites is stressing the fabric of the city.

September 7 - Forbes

BLOG POST

<p> What&#39;s better than <a href="/node/38227">Twitter in the city</a>? An iPhone. With a connection to the Internet, built-in camera, location-awareness, 3-access accelerometer and colorful display, the Apple iPhone has become much more than a mobile phone: it&#39;s a sophisticated mobile computing platform. Combine this technology with a library of thousands of programs and growing ecosystem of developers, the iPhone is powerful and versatile tool to transform how people interact with their surroundings. </p> <p> A growing number of iPhone apps are taking advantage of the phone&#39;s functionality to allow people to navigate, measure, observe, and interact with cities in new ways. This post describes some I have come across for e-government, urban sensing and interaction, and navigation. First, a caveat: I don&#39;t actually own one of the devices myself and haven&#39;t tested the apps (yet). I&#39;ve certainly missed many, so leave your favorites in the comments below. </p>

September 7 - Robert Goodspeed

Turnstiles are coming to the Los Angeles subway. Some say the move will help raise revenue for the city's transit authority, given its recent increases in ridership.

September 7 - Next American City

This week's episode of <em>Smart City</em> features a discussion with planner Larry Beasley about how love can be an economic driver for cities, and how planning around emotions can improve cities.

September 6 - Smart City

Union Pacific has proposed an increase in its freight and high-speed rail traffic in Springfield, including a route running through the heart of the city. It calls for nine overpasses, which would cost millions and block homes and landmarks.

September 6 - The State Journal-Register

Eating local is in vogue, as the environmental impacts of industrialized agriculture surface. But is eating local really the right response? One author says maybe not.

September 6 - Forbes

NPR's Ari Shapiro bikes from NPR headquarters to a new D.C. bike storage center outside D.C.'s Union Station. The City of Washington hopes that it will encourage more commuters to use transit and bikes to get to work.

September 6 - NPR

Annapolis, Maryland has had a popular beautification program to fill downtown with flowers, but with recent layoffs and cuts, the true value of the program has come into question.

September 6 - The Baltimore Sun