The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

California Bullet Train

Calif. Governor Signs Game-Changing Budget for HSR, Transit, and Affordable Housing

Jerry Brown signed a $156.3-billion budget on June 20 that marks a new day for greenhouse gas-reducing transportation and sustainable communities projects due to new revenues from the state's cap and trade market now and, particularly, in the future.

June 21 - TransForm

Vision Zero: New York to Lower Speed Limits

In a significant advancement in New York City mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to eliminate vehicle fatalities in the city, the New York State Assembly voted to allow a citywide change in the speed limit—from 30 to 25 miles per hour.

June 21 - New York Times

Web App to Provide Quick Scale Comparison Data

Perth, Australia joins ESRI's Urban Observatory network, a web application used to make quick scale comparison data maps of participating cities.

June 20 - FutureGov

Bicycle-Friendly Intersection Proposed to Attract Riders

A Portland urban planner proposes a new street intersection design to make cycling more safe and to attract cyclists.

June 20 - Wired

Post Office Spared from House Republican's Highway Plan

The House Republican plan to gut Saturday postal delivery to pay for six months of highway spending was dropped on June 18. It appears it was a casualty of Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary loss in his Virginia congressional district.

June 20 - Bloomberg Political Capital


What does the 'Millennium City' in India Teach about the Right to City?

The article discusses the issue of lack of 'true' public spaces in Indian cities through the case of Gurgaon, a fast growing suburb of New Delhi.

June 20 - ASISEEIT

New Data Quantifies the Reach of Airbnb

The San Francisco Chronicle published a sweeping portrait of Airbnb's operations within the city of San Francisco—from previously unreleased data to personal stories of renters.

June 20 - San Francisco Chronicle


Mapping the Toxic Emissions of the Los Angeles Basin

Knowledge is power when it comes to environmental justice, and a group of students from UCLA has recently armed residents of Los Angeles with a mapping tool that tracks the amount of toxins emitted by local factories.

June 20 - KCET

Lombard Street San Francisco

Ranking the 'Worst Cities for Car Drivers'

A finance website called nerdwallet took it upon itself to rank the "worst" cities to drive a car.

June 20 - nerdwallet

Texas High Speed Rail Proposal Gaining Momentum

An article by Amy Crawford details the prospects of a plan to build a private rail connection between Houston and Dallas—the Texas Central Railway—that would be modeled on lines in Japan, and funded by Japanese interests.

June 20 - CityLab

Friday Funny: How Automatic Toll Technology Could Have Saved Sonny Corleone

In a fake editorial on the satirical site The Onion, Charles J. Galvin, CEO, E-ZPass Group, pays homage to the alternative path the Corleone family would have taken in The Godfather if only Sonny Corleone had been driving a car equipped with E-ZPass.

June 20 - The Onion

Agenda 21 Opponents Under the Microscope

Writing for Fortune magazine, David Morris examines the influence of the Anti-Agenda 21 movement, especially one of the movement's figureheads, Rosa Koire, who wrote the book "Behind the Green Mask: U.N. Agenda 21."

June 20 - Fortune Magazine

Houston Light Rail

Light Rail Success Story for Houston's Red Line

With two new rail lines, serving east and southeast Houston, due to open later this year, early returns have been positive for the "North Line" extension of the city's Red Line.

June 19 - Houston Chronicle

Is the Innovation Economy a Cover for Gentrification?

According to Kyle Chayka's critique of "The Rise of Innovation Districts" report by the Brookings Institutions, "all is not right in this innovation ideology."

June 19 - Pacific Standard

Air Rights Deal to Renovate Boston's Back Bay Station Includes Skyscraper

Boston is in the process of effectively privatizing the management of its largest transit hubs. The latest example: a deal that would renovate MBTA’s Back Bay Station in exchange for air rights for a skyscraper above the station.

June 19 - The Boston Globe

Ballot Measure would Tax House Flipping in San Francisco

Eric Young reports on a "Stop the Flip" ordinance that will appear on the November ballot in San Francisco.

June 19 - San Francisco Business Times

Bipartisan Plan to Increase Fuel Taxes Surfaces

A surprising and unexpected bipartisan plan to increase gas and diesel taxes by 12 cents each emerged June 18 from Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Taxes would increase six cents a gallon annually for two years.

June 19 - The Hill

Vacant Properties Linger Post-Sandy in Queens and Rockaway

Still plagued by home left vacant after Hurricane Sandy, a politician and local activists are pushing for greater action to clean up the blighted properties.

June 19 - The Yeshiva World News

Can Kickstarter Funding Help Achieve the 'Breakwater Chicago' Dream?

The strange-but-true idea for "Breakwater Chicago" has two things going for it so far—attention from the press and $38,180 in Kickstarter funding.

June 19 - Chicago Tribune

Highway Trust Fund Ticker Updates Path Toward Insolvency

For those who haven't been following the Trust Fund's ticker, it's a bit like the deficit clock except that it runs in the opposite direction, going towards zero or insolvency. The ticker measures the balance in both the highway and transit accounts.

June 19 - Fast Lane (DOT blog)

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