The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

SF Cable Cars

A New Take on the Gentrification of San Francisco

The latest installment of a series titled "Field Notes from Gentrified Places," written by Vinson Cunningham, focuses on the city of San Francisco.

June 30 - McSweeney's

Twin Cities Top Annual ' Green Building Adoption Index'

CBRE and Maastricht University 2015 edition of an index measuring the adoption of the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program and the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standard.

June 30 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Commute

Economic Underperformance Tied to Bad Commutes

The price of long commutes can't just be measured in lost hours. Income segregation, job sprawl, and the resulting negative feedback on families eats into overall economic and social well-being.

June 30 - Chicago Magazine

12-Cent Gas Tax Increase Deal in Washington State

The Associated Press reports that while the exact details of the compromise plan that involve an 11.9-cent gas tax increase have yet to be released, the deal affects Gov. Jay Inslee's proposed low carbon fuel standard.

June 30 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Transportation Spending and Taxing Considered by Key Senate Committee

When Congress returns from the July 4 recess, they will have less than four weeks to pass and fund a transportation bill—be it for six years, as desired by transportation advocates, or less, as Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch prefers.

June 30 - The Hill


Fort Worth Walkability

Fort Worth Wants Residents to Live Longer

The Texas city is the largest municipality so far to sign onto the Blue Zones Project, an initiative for improving longevity. In a nutshell, Blue Zones wants to make healthy choices the easy ones.

June 30 - Next City

Suburbia

American Suburbia Transplanted to Beijing

Chinese and Indian cities have been quick to welcome housing developments modeled on North American suburbs, including "Orange County" and "Vancouver Forest" in Beijing. This globalized sprawl perpetuates all the ills of our own.

June 30 - The City Fix


London's Transformation, Described in Brutal Terms

The familiar tales of expensive living in U.S. cities like San Francisco, New York, and Vancouver gain a little perspective when compared to London. Or maybe London just provides a crystal ball to the future of those cities and others like them.

June 30 - The Observer

Hudson Yards Towers

Manhattan's Hudson Yards 'Mini-City' Back on Track

Stymied for a time by lackluster investment, planned redevelopment of Hudson Yards on Manhattan's West Side is picking up speed. Joining residential buildings and budget hotels, office towers will bring municipal revenues back up.

June 30 - The New York Times

Baltimore Rail

Op-Ed: Maryland Governor Is No Friend to Transit

According to this editorial, Governor Larry Hogan's decision to halt a planned $2.9 billion light rail line betrays a politically-motivated preference for roads.

June 30 - Baltimore Sun

Downtown Miami

Downtown Miami's Lack of Height Limits Credited with Affordability Improvements

An article in Governing argues that increased housing supply in Bricknell has helped keep down the costs of housing in adjacent neighborhoods like Overtown and Little Havana.

June 29 - Governing

Anti-Crime Measures for Seattle's Westlake Park: Foosball and Ping Pong

Call it tactical urbanism, call it reactivating spaces, call it good old fashioned fun—games like ping pong, foosball, and bean bag toss are central to plans to make Westlake park more hospitable.

June 29 - KUOW

Georgia State Report Predicts Major Impacts to Natural Habitat

Climate change and sprawl are identified as the culprits in the eradication of critical natural habitat by the year 2050.

June 29 - SaportaReport

Latest FHWA Data Shows Vehicle Miles Traveled Continue to Increase

Those who thought peak VMT was in the rear view mirror will be disappointed in new data from the Federal Highway Administration.

June 29 - AASHTO Journal

Supreme Court Overturns EPA's Mercury Rules

In a close ruling, the Supreme Court decided the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had not properly considered the costs of new regulations limiting mercury and other emissions.

June 29 - Associated Press

Goose Island Chicago

Chicago's Golden Goose

Once known as "Little Hell" for its copious industrial plants, Goose Island is a rare, relatively undeveloped investment opportunity. Centrally located, it may one day house swanky offices.

June 29 - Crain's Chicago Business

Phoenix Mayor Advocates Self-Reliance Due to Federal Gridlock

Frustrated with Congress' inability to fund a six-year transportation bill, Mayor Greg Stanton is backing an August sales tax measure to expand light rail. Stanton also discusses climate change and water rights in the article and accompanying videos

June 29 - The Washington Post

An In-Depth Look at One of America's Preeminent Landscape Architects

The Atlantic's Eric Jaffe centers on James Corner's latest work in Cleveland's Public Square, and goes to describe his other well-known projects, including the High Line, and transformations of public parks and urban spaces throughout the country.

June 29 - The Atlantic Magazine

Seattle Streetcar

Op-Ed: Streetcars Should Actually Serve Locals

While they're currently in vogue, streetcars are only worthwhile if they can be a viable option for local residents. Unfortunately, this is rarely how the systems are designed.

June 29 - ULI Urban Land Magazine

Houten Train Station

Houten, Netherlands: Where Cars and Bikes Coexist

Well-known in transportation planning circles, Houten's suburban multi-modality can be found almost nowhere else. Perimeter ring roads, train access, and bike-friendly features have cut car trips down to 44 percent.

June 29 - CityLab

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