The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Dallas Mulling Proposals for a Redesigned Fair Park

The future of Dallas is very much under consideration. Case in point: an effort to redesign and plan the 277 acres of Fair Park with the potential to offer improved public access to a critical area east of Downtown.

March 24 - The Dallas Morning News

MonkeyParking App Is Back—This Time It's Legal

The infamous MonkeyParking app that last year ran afoul of public sentiment and the law is back with a new business model that offers residents the chance to auction that most precious of commodities—urban parking space.

March 24 - San Francisco Magazine

Office Park

Tech Giants Bank on Growth, Acquire More Space

To provide room for long-term expansion, companies like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn are buying up even more Bay Area real estate. Their flush cash reserves have them nudging out the traditional development and investment crowd.

March 24 - The Wall Street Journal

Second Gas Tax Increase Proposed in New Hampshire

New Hampshire gas taxes increased four cents last July after a lengthy gas tax debate, but those funds were targeted toward specific repair projects, as opposed to the DOT's annual budget, which will be cut by $88 million unless funds are found.

March 24 - Concord Monitor

Transit Rendering

Architectural Renderings Depict Only the 'Wired and Young'

John King shares his thoughts on modern renderings. In too many drawings a hipster cult of youth is normalized, and it threatens to paint regular folks and true nonconformists out of the picture.

March 24 - San Francisco Chronicle


Three Wise Mokeys

BLOG POST

Ask the Ethicist: What to Do When You Hear Internal Alarm Bells

The first in a new series by Planetizen: "Ask the Ethicist," featuring the advice of our resident expert: Carol D. Barrett, FAICP, author of "Everyday Ethics for Practicing Planners."

March 24 - Carol Barrett

Streets in Tysons, Virginia to Get Bike Friendly Makeover

Greater Greater Washington reports on the developing plans of county and state officials to bring multi-modal capabilities to Tysons, Virginia as part of an ongoing suburban retrofit.

March 24 - Greater Greater Washington


Voltage Transformer

Costa Rica Off Fossil Fuels for 75 Days and Counting

Kudos are in order for the Central American nation of Costa Rica. We suspect running your country without burning fossil fuels is its own reward, however.

March 23 - Science Alert

Fresno 'Believes' in Downtown Revitalization

Exploring an effort to revitalize the downtown of the city of Fresno—an agricultural town in the Central Valley of California.

March 23 - The Atlantic

Seattle Streetcar

Has Seattle Found the Way Forward for Streetcars?

A planned streetcar line in Seattle will have its own dedicated lane, but perhaps even more interesting is that the existing South Lake Union Streetcar could also get a lane dedicated to transit. Is Seattle's leadership a way forward for streetcars?

March 23 - the transport politic

Los Angeles Skyline with houses

Development Approval Process Hits a New Low in Los Angeles

As a particularly sad example of the morass of confusion and litigation that defines the development and planning process in California cities, renters have been ordered to vacate a newly constructed residential building in Hollywood.

March 23 - Los Angeles Times

10 Projects Critical to Tampa Bay's Future

A column by Robert Trigaux lists ten projects that the Tampa Bay region "can't afford to screw up" if it wants to gain more attention on the national stage.

March 23 - Tampa Bay Times

MBTA Struggles to Furnish Parking for Commuters

Boston commuters report frustrations with a lack of parking at stations along the system—so much so that they sometimes abandon hope of finding a spot or catching a train.

March 23 - The Boston Globe

The Power of Play in the Public Square

Paris represents the best of grand architecture and city planning, from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Elysées. Yet, underneath these places, are small parks that bring together Paris' diverse populations through the power of play.

March 23 - Common Place

Mapbox's Landsat-Live Presents Satellite Imagery in Near-Real Time

Until last week, the seasons never changed on satellite image software. But Mapbox's Landsat-Live program shares clear images of the Earth's surface in near-real time.

March 23 - CityLab

North Carolina Struggles to Prevent Deep Gas Tax Cut

The News & Observer's "road worrier" (not a typo!), Bruce Siceloff, provides ongoing coverage of the sad saga of North Carolina's gas tax, set to be adjusted downwards by statute.

March 23 - The News & Observer

Ça c'est Paris

Today in Paris: Half of the Private Cars in the City Banned from the Road

Paris today made its first use of a drastic plan to improve air quality in the city: ban half of the cars on the road. The ban could continue tomorrow if the current air pollution alert does not improve.

March 23 - The Independent

Can Washington D.C. Keep Rolling on Bike Infrastructure?

Bike advocates are concerned that after a "banner year" for bike infrastructure in the nation’s capital, the momentum for bike infrastructure is waning rather than building. How much do these kinds of missed opportunities cost?

March 22 - WAMU

First-Ever Federal Fracking Rules Issued by Interior Department

Despite only applying to Federal lands where a small amount of fracking takes place, energy companies are strongly opposed, perhaps fearing that states without fracking rules could adopt them, which is one of the goals of the Interior Department.

March 22 - The Wall Street Journal

Denver Skyline

Denver Tries to Balance Loss of Parking with Downtown Vibrancy

At the edge of the Great Plains, Denver would seem to have plenty of room for everything, including parking. But a development boom in downtown Denver has reduced the number of parking lots, and the city is learning to evolve.

March 22 - The Denver Post

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