The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Recalling Our Basic Pride of Place

In the fifth of his "place-decoding" series from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls how we carry with us the ability to mine pride from place, even in places that are, perhaps, least expected to shine.

October 25 - The Huffington Post

Portland's Planning Challenge: Better Jobs-Housing Balance

The Oregonian editorial board writes an op-ed that sums up Portland's many perks as well as the challenges. At the heart of the op-ed's concerns: how to bring jobs closer to where people live (and vice versa).

October 25 - The Oregonian

Idiot brigade

Op-Ed: End the Pejorative Use of 'NIMBY'

Harvard University professor Naomi Oreskes writes a defense of NIMBYism, asking that we rethink he use of the term by considering the community-protecting motives of many NIMBYs.

October 25 - The Washington Post

Researchers Pushing for Even Bigger Chinese Cities

Research suggests China’s current urbanization policy forgoes $2 trillion in growth over the next ten years. That is, unless the government funnels even more migrants into major population centers and develops for density.

October 24 - Bloomberg News

The Business of Speeding Tickets

Small towns in Georgia, such as Doraville along I-285, are making millions of dollars a year by issuing traffic tickets.

October 24 - Governing


Freeway houses

Research: Women Living Near Freeways Increase Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death

New research from the American Heart Association measures sudden cardiac death and proximity to major roadways, showing that cardiac risks posed by environmental exposure have been under-appreciated. The next step is to find the specific cause.

October 24 - Science Daily

Opportunities Found for Redesign of Philadelphia's Famed JFK Plaza/LOVE Park

As the redesign for LOVE Park begins, Ashley Hahn reminds us of the park's role in supporting and maintaining civic life in the city of brotherly love.

October 24 - PlanPhilly


Op-Ed: Reintroduce California's Historic Restoration Tax Credit

Despite a veto by Governor Jerry Brown, California’s Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins should keep trying to pass legislation to encourage preservation, says Bay area preservation architect Jerri Holan.

October 24 - UrbDeZine

United States map

Mapping the Skill Sets Unique to Cities

The skills and location data of over 175 million LinkedIn members were mined to produce a map displaying the industries most common in major cities throughout the United States and Europe.

October 24 - LinkedIn Blog

Tech-Buses Driving South into Los Angeles

In a new coming-of-age sign for the technology industry in Los Angeles, the San Francisco based start-up RidePal unveiled its first private shuttle bus partnership in LA this week.

October 24 - Los Angeles Times

Massive Detroit Foreclosures Push Out Black Homeowners

A Detroit reborn sounds great, but what if the residents of “blighted” areas don’t want to leave? Many feel they have no choice in a process that has been compared to racial relocation. Meanwhile, activists scramble to give residents options.

October 24 - The Atlantic

Rethinking the Spectrum of American Multi-Modality

A new study from Virginia Tech reclassifies what defines multi-modal commuters.

October 24 - CityLab

Tallahassee's Climate Apathy Drives South Florida Secession Movement

South Miami, population 11,657, has had enough with the Florida legislature's intransigence at combatting climate change, so it has launched a secession movement for 24 southern counties to secede from the northern part of the state.

October 24 - Sun Sentinel

Shanghai Shopping

Study: Urbanization Not a Silver Bullet for Economic Growth

A study comparing urbanization and per capita GDP between 1980 and 2011 questions common assumptions about the connections between economic growth and cities.

October 23 - PLOS ONE

Los Angeles Embraces Urban Agriculture

A motion passed earlier this month calls for landowners to receive tax breaks for leasing vacant property for agriculture and farming.

October 23 - The Los Angeles Times

Could the Silver Spring Transit Center Get a Park After All?

Developments in a story from earlier in the year—the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is receptive to the ideas of local political leaders for a park near the beleaguered Silver Spring Transit Center.

October 23 - The Gazette

How Twitter Identifies Public Sentiment

Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow asks the question of whether the data produced by Twitter could be used to understand and plan cities?

October 23 - Next City

Student Housing Developments Provoke Down-Zoning in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission approved a series of bills to implement portions of the Lower North District Plan. Although the bills include downzoning, planners believe the area's vacant land is sufficient to bear new development.

October 23 - PlanPhilly

Architecture Billings Index Shows Continued Growth for Design Industry

Improvements in architecture billings, an economic indicator of future construction activity, mean that more investments in cities and towns. Lately, institutional billings have led the resurgent industry.

October 23 - Architect

New Jersey Turnpike Widening Project Nearing Completion

The largest project is the largest in the 63-year history of the New Jersey Turnpike will wrap up by the middle of November.

October 23 - NJ.com

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