The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Plans by Las Vegas officials to siphon water from northern Nevada down to the growing city may have hit a wall, as a recent ruling from the state Supreme Court found fault with the region's water rights application process.

January 30 - Los Angeles Times

This piece from <em>Utne Reader</em> looks at the role of architecture in the public works projects of Medellin, Colombia, a city that has struggled with severe crime.

January 30 - Utne Reader

New Orleans has had a rough couple of years. But now that the city's professional football team is headed to the Super Bowl, the city is relishing the opportunity to celebrate.

January 30 - The New York Times

Having stalled in the state Senate last June, a bill that aims to "reduc(e) governmental or government-required subsidies for parking" passed out of the senate on Jan. 28. Parking strategies would be eligible for cap & trade credits under the bill.

January 30 - Los Angeles Times

A series of mock-advertisements herald the gentrification of Brooklyn.

January 29 - Flavorpill

The growth patterns of amoebae as they spread out to connect to food sources bears a striking resemblance to the map of a rail system. Some say the amoeba could inform urban planners and designers.

January 29 - MSNBC

An unused right-of-way between Lansdale, PA and Bethlehem is being contested between those that want to return it to passenger rail service and those that want to turn it into a linear park.

January 29 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Joan Lowy suggests that the Obama administration's claim that the high-speed rail initiative will create jobs overlooks the fact that the expertise is in Europe and Asia and foreign firms will likely be needed to develop HSR quickly.

January 29 - CB Online

Cityscape Farms has developed a new technique for farming fish along with vegetables in combined urban food systems that allows them to farm in developed areas.

January 29 - Good

This piece from <em>The New York Times</em> profiles architectural photographer Iwan Baan, whose style differs from the status quo to emphasize the urban and social context of the buildings he's photographing.

January 29 - The New York Times

With a rapidly progressing bike infrastructure program, the city of Long Beach, California, is edging its way to becoming one of the country's most bike-friendly cities.

January 29 - Los Angeles Times

Traffic is expensive. This infographic from <em>GOOD</em> looks at how much congestion costs cities and what they are trying to do to cut down the traffic.

January 29 - Good

Transportation has been called the glue that hold cities together. This oped argues that Philadelphia's waterfront is sorely missing that glue.

January 29 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Twitter, iPhones, and new sites like SeeClickFix make it increasingly easy for citizens and governments to communicate. Along with newly available data sets, these "Gov 2.0" apps may signal a new era of active citizens and responsive governments.

January 29 - CNN

Duke's Pratt School of Engineering has created a theater with projections on all four walls plus the ceiling and floor to create an immersive experience not unlike Star Trek's "holodeck" for architects to show clients their work before it is built.

January 28 - News Observer

John Portman is a rare breed: an architect/developer. In his 60 years in the business, he developed retail centers, hotel atriums, and Atlanta's Peachtree Center. The Architect's Newspaper talked to him about his career.

January 28 - The Architect's Newspaper

In one North Carolina county, the land development process -- from permitting to building plan submission to inspection -- is now organized under one electronic, online system.

January 28 - Government Technology

With the devastation in Haiti fresh in mind, <em>Good</em>'s Alissa Walker takes a look at the growing practice of sharing design ideas.

January 28 - Good

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are in Florida today to announce a funding package for a variety of high speed rail projects. In total, $7.9 billion in funding is being announced.

January 28 - The New York Times

Residents in one of Johannesburg's most infamous townships are hoping that a new street beautification project will bring pedestrians out onto their streets and into their shops when the country hosts this year's World Cup.

January 28 - Scripps Howard News Service