The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Head-On Commuter Train Collision Leaves 10 Dead in Germany

The two trains were traveling on a single track in Bavaria, each going around a bend at about 62 mph so they were not visible to the engineers. The trains were equipped with automatic braking systems reported to have been deactivated.

February 12 - AFP

$25 Billion Paris Métro Extension—Grand Ambitions Included

The scale of the Line 14 subway extension is enough to impress any American transit advocate.

February 12 - The Atlantic

The Shard

Friday Eye Candy: London From Above

A new book, "London Rising," collects photos taken in not-quite-legal fashion from the tops of London's tallest buildings and structures.

February 12 - The Guardian

Land Trusts Holding Ground for Affordable Housing in Pittsburgh

Community land trusts are facing an uphill battle as waves of gentrification reach new neighborhoods around Pittsburgh.

February 11 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Transportation Secretary Foxx Wants to Go Out With a Bang

Governing profiles Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx's ambitious goals to change the way the country thinks about transportation.

February 11 - Governing


5 Ways to Improve Life in Homeless Encampments

As cities struggle to deal with the persistent challenges of homelessness, one writer suggest there's a better way to address the problem than by simply clearing out homeless encampments and tent cities.

February 11 - Crosscut

A Detailed History of Atlanta's 'War on Density'

The Atlanta Studies website takes a deep dive into the history that produced the city of Atlanta as we know it today—and provides some suggestions on how to "correct some of its most atrocious attacks on the urban built environment."

February 11 - Atlanta Studies


Compromise Struck: Virginia Will Widen I-66 Inside the Beltway

Some local advocates and officials had hoped that tolls and transit could salve the congestion on I-66. Now it will be tolls, transit, and an extra lane.

February 11 - Greater Greater Washington

Lenders, Landlords Prepare for Market Correction in Manhattan

Multiple reports about the priciest real estate in New York City say a glut of supply is leading to high vacancies and lower rent.

February 11 - Bloomberg Business

'Smart Cities Challenge' Attracts a Crowd

A competition with $50 million at stake, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently completed its submission deadline. The U.S. DOT reported shock at the level of interest in the competition.

February 11 - Roadshow

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Google's Self-Driving Car Had a Big Week

Breaking news came in a pair this week for Google's self-driving car technology.

February 11 - Quartz

Report: New Market-Rate Housing Affects Low-Income Housing Supply

A new report from California's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office may dispel assumptions that construction of market-rate housing displaces low-income Californians.

February 11 - California Legislative Analyst's Office

Ciclavia

BLOG POST

The Bicycle as a Tool of Social Justice

Philosopher Ivan Illich believed that the bicycle could connect users back to the pace of community-oriented life, that the right of free movement does not lapse just because cities have strapped themselves into ideological seat belts.

February 11 - Steven Snell

Big Expansion Approved for Austin-Area Highway

The Transportation Policy Board of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization approved a big spending increase for a project to widen U.S. Highway 183.

February 10 - Austin Monitor

The Political Battle Over a Half-Built Nuclear Plant in South Carolina

Included among a budget proposal that likely won't go anywhere, the Obama Administration is recommending the end of a project that would create nuclear power by dismantling nuclear weapons.

February 10 - The New York Times

Breaking Down D.C.'s Bike Commuter Map

A map of bike commuters also maps the political conflicts in a changing Washington, D.C.

February 10 - Greater Greater Washington

Fortunately, Unfortunately: A Children's Primer on Urban Evolution

Scott Doyon rewrote a classic children's book as a history of US cities since World War II. Fortunately, it's a quick read. Unfortunately, it's up to all of us how it ends.

February 10 - PlaceShakers

Supreme Court Puts Obama's Key Climate Initiative on 'Hold'

In an unusual move that doesn't portend well for the EPA initiative, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Power Plan Rule that reduces emissions from existing power plants be suspended while it is heard by the Court of Appeals this summer.

February 10 - Los Angeles Times

Des Moines

Reinventing Des Moines

Fairly or unfairly, Des Moines has a solid reputation as one of the nation's least interesting cities. But unbeknownst to the rest of us, this quiet working town might become the Midwest's answer to Austin, Texas.

February 10 - Politico

Whole Foods

Whole Foods Parking Lot to Replace Wetlands

Sarasota County, Florida, has approved a plan to pave over forested wetlands and build parking for a Whole Foods Market. To compensate, the developer is donating another plot of wetlands to the public.

February 10 - Quartz

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