The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Golf Course Plans for 280 Acres of State Park Land Abandoned in Oregon

A controversial and unprecedented deal that would have privatized 280 acres of state-owned Bandon State Natural Area have fizzled out thanks to new requirements from the Bureau of Land Management.

October 1 - The Oregonian

Plan Charlotte Survey Finds 9 Percent of the City Zoned for Mixed-Uses

Surveying the 373 square miles, or 238,720 acres, under jurisdiction of Plan Charlotte to see how much of it is zoned for mixed-use.

October 1 - Plan Charlotte

Will Public Art Revive the 'Champs-Élysées of Los Angeles'?

Once called the "Champs-Élysées of Los Angeles," MacArthur Park later became known for crime and prostitution. While it has yet to experience a revival like other L.A. parks, an unusual public art project has generated renewed interest in the park.

October 1 - UrbDeZine

Protected Bike Lane Setback in Boulder

Boulder, Colorado may be one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S., but that did not stop the City Council on Tuesday night from voting to remove the protected bike lanes on Folsom street and return the road to four lanes of vehicle traffic.

October 1 - Daily Camera

Health by Design: Findings from ULI

A new ULI report finds that innovation in placemaking is about the inter-relatedness of health and the built environment.

October 1 - ULI San Francisco Blog


Op-Ed: Maryland Should Support Baltimore with Money, Not Bulldozers

A response to the conventional thinking about demolitions as the antidote to blighted, vacant properties and the negative effects that follow.

October 1 - The Baltimore Sun

Report: Cities Continue Modest Fiscal Improvements

The 30th edition of an annual report from the National League of Cities shows reasons to be optimistic about the fiscal condition of cities—though the arm of the Great Recession is proving to be long.

October 1 - National League Of Cities


Grand Central Terminal Owner Files $1.1 Billion Suit Against One Vanderbilt

A $1.1 billion lawsuit challenges the approval of plans for One Vanderbilt, adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, on the grounds that it circumvented the purchase of air rights from the adjacent Grand Central Terminal.

October 1 - The New York Times

Yonkers

What 'Show Me a Hero' Teaches About Segregation and Race

David Simon believes the events depicted in his new HBO mini-series were the result of a history of systematic hyper-segregation in America. HUD Secretary Castro agrees.

October 1 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Anthony Foxx Announcement

What's Up With Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx?

The Hill explores the ambitions and motivations of Anthony Foxx, former mayor of the city of Charlotte and current secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

September 30 - The Hill

Chicago Approves Big Expansion of TOD Ordinance

Ten times more land in Chicago is now designated for transit oriented development—affording new development reduced parking requirements, density bonuses for affordable housing, and new strength for the city's Pedestrian Street design regulations.

September 30 - Chi.Streetsblog

Open Streets Success Story: Atlanta Streets Alive

The vast appeal of the open streets movement was on display in Atlanta last weekend, as the city hosted the Open Streets Summit and its very own event: Atlanta Streets Alive.

September 30 - Saporta Report

Washington State's First Express Toll Lanes Open

Washington has Express Lanes on I-5 and I-90 and HOT Lanes on SR 167, but the 17 miles of lanes that opened Sunday on I-405 from Bellevue to Lynnwood will be the state's first Express Toll Lanes.

September 30 - Planetizen

Traffic Deaths in California Continue to Rise—How to Stem the Tide

Traffic fatalities in California have been rising since 2010, rising to 3,104 in 2013 after decreasing from 2006 to 2010. Experts point to several specific reasons for the increase; one of the most prominent may be in your hand right now.

September 30 - The Sacramento Bee

North Dakota

Ghost Towns Remain After Rush to Build in North Dakota Oil Boom

Bloomberg details the sudden, catastrophic decline of the real estate market in North Dakota following the oil bust of the last year. Municipalities and investors are on the hook for thousands of new and approved building units.

September 30 - Bloomberg Business

San Francisco Houses

Density Bonuses Proposed to Spur Affordable Housing in San Francisco

Mayor Ed Lee this week proposed a density bonus policy that would help the city build approximately 16,000 new units of housing, including 5,000 affordable units along select transit corridors.

September 30 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Opening Tomorrow: Pier 68—Philadelphia's Newest Waterfront Park

The latest city to upgrade its urban waterfront into an open space amenity is Philadelphia, which will open Pier 68 to the public October 1, 2015.

September 30 - PlanPhilly

New York City Construction

Can Reduced Parking Requirements Generate Too Much Development Competition?

A new argument has appeared in the ongoing debate about parking requirements. A university in a college town objected to reduced parking requirements on the grounds that it would make the city too attractive to developers.

September 30 - CityLab

New York Historic map

Study Quantifies Land Use Benefits of Transit Investments

A study by the Transportation Research Board calculates "land use effect" and "ridership effect" to show how much land is saved when cities include public transit.

September 30 - Streetsblog USA

Congestion as an Economic—Not an Engineering—Problem

Thinking about congestion as an economic problem generates new solutions for the problem as well as a response to accusations of social engineering.

September 29 - Urban Kchoze

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