The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Even if the swelling modern metropolis doesn't reflect the gleaming city of science fiction, Edwin Heathcote finds much to be optimistic about with regard to the future of cities on a rapidly urbanizing planet.

June 14 - The Financial Times

A new study out of Colorado State University suggests that suburban homebuyers are willing to pay more for a house in a subdivision that includes protected land.

June 14 - Urban Land

An unprovoked attack on a bicycle commuter by as many as 15 youths in Washington D.C. this week is raising questions about the safety of one of the city's most popular bike routes.

June 14 - The Washington Post

Cleveland resident Anne Trubek notes a change in the city's zeitgeist. Whereas decades of disinvestment once led to cheerleading, today's mood is more proactive. A sense of civic obligation reflects an exciting but anxious time in the city's history.

June 13 - Next City

A looming $205 million budget shortfall due to sequester-related federal funding cuts have the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) preparing to make drastic cuts to staff and programs.

June 13 - Crain's New York Business

The City of San Francisco announced this week that the numerous sharing economy companies headquartered in the the Bay Area will work with public officials to utilize their technologies in enhancing the city's disaster preparedness and response.

June 13 - City of San Francisco

It turns out New York isn't the only large city struggling to get its heralded bike-share system off the ground. Chicago's rush to launch Divvy has hit a snag, delaying the program's launch by two weeks.

June 13 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Rick Cole, former City Manager for the City of Ventura CA, analyzes the upcoming merger of the Department of City Planning with the Department of Building and Safety in the City of Los Angeles.

June 13 - The Planning Report

Architects and architecture critics from across the nation gathered in New York last week to remember the first lady of architecture criticism, Ada Louise Huxtable, who died in January.

June 13 - Architect

The research wing of the non-profit think tank Future Cape Town has produced an infographic that provides valuable insight into the mobility patterns found in some of Africa's largest cities. Less sustainable options are growing, raising concerns.

June 13 - Future Cape Town

Using complex transportation modeling, new research published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research confirms that developments built to the standards of LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) reduce driving and associated emissions.

June 13 - NRDC Switchboard Blog

Worries about the economic impacts of new regulations, high-level vacancies and election-year politics have raised the review time for new rules being considered by the Obama administration to a 20-year high. Many in his own party are not pleased.

June 13 - The New York Times

Yes and no, says Peter Bill. As a look at London's delightfully nicknamed towers - the Shard, the Walkie-Talkie, the Cheesegrater - shows, it may take years, and multiple economic cycles for skyscrapers to recoup their investment.

June 13 - London Evening Standard

FEATURE

As a new cohort of young planners prepares to enter the field, more than a dozen recent graduates share their insights on how to make the most of a planning education and navigate one of the most challenging job environments in recent memory.

June 12 - Erica Gutiérrez

Brookings Institute's “Confronting Suburban Poverty” is generating a lot of buzz. Community development leaders and planners took to Rooflines to voice opinions and critiques of the book, moving its authors to submit a response that you must read.

June 12 - Rooflines

A multi-billion dollar project to expand high-speed rail service between Amsterdam and Brussels has been derailed by malfunctioning trains, costing the head of the Dutch national rail company his job and threatening an international imbroglio.

June 12 - Yahoo Finance

A report published this week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development concludes that although it is less blatant than in the past, discrimination against minorities persists in the selling, buying and renting of homes.

June 12 - The Washington Post

A fragmented network of sidewalks is commonplace in the suburbs of Hennepin County, Minnesota. Mary Jane Smetanka reports on controversial efforts to fill in the gaps and retrofit these suburban neighborhoods as walkable places.

June 12 - Star Tribune

Expect a major announcement from President Obama later this year about transportation funding, stated outgoing DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, without elaborating other than saying it would be "big and bold". LaHood had been asked about VMT fees.

June 12 - Governing

In Seattle, and elsewhere, city leaders are struggling to maintain the supply of affordable housing in close proximity to transit stations. Rising rents in areas near stops are displacing lower-income residents.

June 12 - The Wall Street Journal