The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Interactive Maps Track Drought and More

A researcher from the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University explains how to use interactive maps to track climate change.

August 15 - National Geographic

Lafayette BART

Bay Area Town: 44 Single-Family Homes on a Site Once Considered for 315 Apartments

Lafayette provides a case study of the San Francisco Bay Area housing market.

August 15 - Contra Costa Times

Bike and Pedestrian Plan in the Works for the Atlanta Region

With a tradition of bicycle and pedestrian planning dating back to 1973, the Atlanta Regional Commission is currently updating its Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, with an expected completion date of December 2015.

August 15 - WABE

Vacant Properties Persist in Cuyahoga County—and Not Just in Cleveland

Cleveland.com provides in-depth analysis of the ongoing challenge to account for and improve the large number of vacant properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

August 15 - Cleveland.com

$1.2 Billion 'Energy Strong' Project Construction Making Life Difficult in New Jersey

A complex infrastructure investment project to build resilience into the energy grid is snarling traffic in North and Central New Jersey.

August 14 - The Record


Port of Houston Breaking Cargo Records

Local businesses and a global economy are driving growth at the Port of Houston. More opportunity growth could be on its way soon, too.

August 14 - Houston Chronicle

Condition on San Diego's New Airport Parking Lot: Make Sure People Don't Use It

A deal between the San Diego International Airport and the California Coastal Commission will pave the way for a 3,000-space parking garage—in the hopes that people don’t use it.

August 14 - Voice of San Diego


Small Starts Funding Cut Jeopardizes Critical SMART Train Extension

After a Senate committee slashed the Small Starts grant program, the new Marin-Sonoma "SMART" train may not be extended from San Rafael to the Larkspur ferry landing, a critical link enabling rail commuters to take the ferry to San Francisco.

August 14 - Marin Independent Journal

Buffalo Considering Light Rail Expansion to the Suburbs

As the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority wraps up a study of expanding into suburban Amherst, support from the community "is stronger than it’s been in decades."

August 14 - Buffalo News

Study: Access to Uber Reduces Drunk Driving Deaths

Researchers have found evidence of one fairly consequential benefit of transportation network companies like Uber.

August 14 - Streetsblog USA

Atlantic City Boardwalk

Atlantic City Could Become Empire of Innovation

Atlantic City, New Jersey, has been down on its luck lately. But, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, AC could become the ideal laboratory for developing technologies and practices to help coastal cities build resiliency in the face of climate change.

August 14 - Fast Company

Commute

U.S. Census Releases 2013 Commute Data Goodies

The U.S. Census has released data from 2013 that offer planners the most up-to-date data available about where Americans work and how they commute.

August 14 - U.S. Census Bureau

Florida County Commissioners to Vote on Increased Gas Tax

Florida counties have their own gas taxes and can raise them without going to a vote by the people. Due to a road budget shortfall, the Santa Rosa County Commission will vote on August 13 whether to raise the gas tax as much as six cents per gallon.

August 14 - Pensacola NewsJournal

Friday Funny: $2 Billion in Crowdfunding Sought for Replica of Middle Earth's Minas Tirith

If you always thought you'd fit in better in Middle Earth than Anywhere, U.S.A., a group of architects and engineers would like to give you a chance to test your theory.

August 14 - Inhabitat

slum housing

Why Concentrated Poverty Matters

The Architecture of Segregation: The slums are racially concentrated, on the rise, and spreading to the suburbs.

August 13 - CityLab

Gentrification Concerns Raised Around 'The 606' Trail in Chicago

When an exciting and popular addition to the public realm becomes available, like it did in Chicago earlier this year with The 606 trail, concerns about gentrification and displacement are sure to follow.

August 13 - Chicago Tribune

Designing for Rapid Change and a Cloudy Future

Designing large-scale projects that can take years to build in industries that are constantly evolving run the risk of becoming outdated once completed. Arup's Andrew McAlpine discusses how to design for the long-term while remaining innovative.

August 13 - Doggerel

Can California Cut Oil Use in Half by 2030?

A bill working its way through the California State Legislature would require the state to reduce petroleum its consumption by half in 15 years. CALmatters, a nonprofit journalism venture, seeks to find out if it is even possible.

August 13 - Daily Democrat

Keep Portland Weird

How Cities Derive Their Identities

While visiting Paris, San Diego landscape architect David McCullough pondered his own new world city's identity and concluded, counter-intuitively, his city's (and all cities') identity is defined by its diversity.

August 13 - UrbDeZine

Davis Sign

The Protected Intersection for Bicycles Has Arrived

The city of Davis, California, a college town with extremely high commute mode share for bikes, made history last week as the first U.S. city to build a protected intersection for bikes.

August 13 - The Davis Enterprise

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