The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A bank controlled by the government of Japan has promised $5 billion in financing for a proposal that would connect Washington D.C. and Baltimore via maglev, high-speed rail.

September 5 - The Baltimore Sun

With a vote last week by the Minneapolis City Council, the final local consent was granted the proposed Southwest light rail project. Despite that benchmark political action, the project will not be without challenges moving forward.

September 5 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Dilworth Park, on the front door of Philadelphia's City Hall, made a splashy debut yesterday, but just as impressive as the design of the park is the work of a non-profit in achieving the grand vision for the park.

September 5 - Next City

Chuck Wolfe champions the role of France's attachment to place as a laboratory for decoding the essential elements of urbanism.

September 5 - The Huffington Post

As a case study of bike culture, in which riding bikes is a normal and respected decision, Jeremy Holmes studies the example provided by Roanoke, Virginia.

September 5 - Mobility Lab

Jenni Avins shares a collection of videos created on Instagram's new Hyperlapse app that capture the beauty of transportation from every corner of the world.

September 5 - CityLab

The satirical site The Onion once again checks in with the world of planning and urbanism—this time choosing Erie, Pennsylvania Mayor Joe Sinnott to present some crazy ideas about the city's waterfront.

September 5 - The Onion

BLOG POST

Nisha Botchwey and Kirsten Cook detail the articles available on the subject of green health and schools in the Summer 2014 issue of the Journal of Planning Education. (Articles mentioned in this post have Open Access through September.)

September 5 - JPER

With competition from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, Elon Musk, the CEO of Bay Area-based Tesla Motors, chose the Silver State to build his much sought after $5 billion battery "giga factory."

September 4 - Wall Street Journal

A trio of natural gas providers is planning to build a 550-mile pipeline from West Virginia to North Carolina. The companies are hoping to secure approval for the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by 2016.

September 4 - Pittsburgh Business Times

Joel Kotkin explores the small cities that are growing the fastest in the United States, and what factors lead to this growth.

September 4 - Forbes

Gabe Klein discusses some of the merits and challenges of forging private-public partnerships between disruptive companies and government entities.

September 4 - Urban Land Magazine

Notwithstanding a favorable court ruling freeing state bond funds, construction is delayed on the 800-mile project, reports Ralph Vartabedian of the LA Times. Jessica Calefati of the Mercury News writes on opponents' appeal to the state Supreme Court

September 4 - Governing

Stanford researcher Clayton Hurd is studying the Tres Colonias, an overarching name for three neighborhoods in Fort Collins, Colorado, with dwindling numbers of Hispanic homeowners facing mounting gentrification pressures.

September 4 - The Coloradoan

With London's proposed SkyCycle and Copenhagen's successful Cykelslangen, are elevated cycletracks a viable transportation solution?

September 4 - ASLA The Dirt

Here are 50 tools for online engagement. These digital platforms can help local government consult, collaborate with, and empower citizens in planning decisions.

September 4 - CommunityMatters

In a recent Huffington Post article, F. Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council breaks down some of the barriers for walkability in the United States.

September 4 - Huffington Post

To what degree are people's location decisions dictated by their consumer preferences? Jordan Weissmann of Slate Magazine discusses whether living in an expensive city like New York City is a consumption choice.

September 4 - Slate Magazine

This isn't some new take on the bright green of bike lanes all over the country—it's not even the same shade of blue worn by the Denver Broncos. It's Bud Light painting the mountain town's Elk Avenue blue for $500,000 for its #WhateverUSA promotion.

September 3 - The Denver Post

A $102 million investment by Illinois along with federal funds from the Recovery Act will pay for double-tracking and a new rail bridge to enable 109 mph service on a key section of Amtrak's Chicago to St. Louis high speed rail corridor.

September 3 - Chicago Sun-Times