The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Street furniture like benches, garbage cans, and bike racks are found in every city. But not all street furniture is created equal—new technology is redefining street furniture as the smart devices that run efficient cities.

January 22 - Woodhouse

Washington Senator Patty Murray has proposed federal legislation to protect a broad swatch of land adjacent to Olympic National Park as part of the “Wild Olympics” campaign. The legislation is opposed by logging interests.

January 22 - KUOW

In Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, some locals are benefiting from public-space improvements as part of the Eastside Access project. But many nearby streets and sidewalks are sorely neglected.

January 22 - LA Streetsblog

A closer look at the number of Ellis Act evictions indicates that the controversial law that allows property owners to evict rental tenants might be more of a symptom of San Francisco’s housing problem, rather than the problem itself.

January 22 - San Francisco Magazine

A new study reveals two findings on air pollution spewing from China's coal-burning factories. First, the pollution blows to the U.S and other nations. Second, 20% of the pollution can be traced to Western demand for cheap goods from those factories.

January 22 - Los Angeles Times - Science Now

A federal bankruptcy judge’s rejection of a deal between Detroit and its creditors will stall the City’s access to casino funds it needs to restore services and speedily exit bankruptcy. In the big picture, however, the decision may benefit Detroit.

January 22 - Reuters

After peaking in 2007, new research shows that the rate of vehicle ownership in the U.S. took a dive over the next five years. Researchers argue the growth in car-free households suggests the country has surpassed peak motorization.

January 22 - DC.Streetsblog

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently approved a Regional Transportation Priorities Plan that focuses on improving existing systems. A lot of planning remains to decide which projects get built.

January 22 - Washington Post

FEATURE

A new anthology tells the story of Seaside like we've never heard it before–on its own terms.

January 21 - Vinayak Bharne

When residents and business owners in the coastal neighborhood of Venice in Los Angeles want to develop, they require approvals from the state's Coastal Commission and the city. A proposed coastal program could remove the state from the equation.

January 21 - Los Angeles Times

Minneapolis is mired in a debate over the role the automobile should play in the city's mobility mix. Many neighborhoods want to reduce surface parking and ease minimum parking requirements, but people still view the city as “a car town.”

January 21 - Star Tribune

Bucking tradition amidst arguably the most thorough example of sprawl in the country, a Phoenix developer is investing in Grant Park—a Latino neighborhood adjacent to downtown.

January 21 - Marketplace

To meet demand from passengers seeking an alternative to San Diego's small airport, and circumvent the traffic crunch at two nearby border crossings, Tijuana's international airport will provide direct access from the United States.

January 21 - The New York Times

The city of Cleveland recently announced plans to more than double its amount of bike routes in an effort to complete a network of bicycle-friendly infrastructure that connects all of the city’s neighborhoods.

January 21 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Although it’s already been dealt one parliamentary setback, the “Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill” is still under consideration in the U.K. Critics are concerned that, if the law passes, there will be no true public space left.

January 21 - The Architectural Review

Though Seattle's giant tunneling machine remains stuck 60 feet under South Main Street, muck is starting to be flung above the surface. An email from Washington's Transportation Secretary reveals concerns over the conduct of the machine's operators.

January 21 - The Seattle Times

With occupancy rates rising faster in urban than suburban locations, some suburbs are remaking themselves into mixed-use communities with hi-rise office and residential towers; Tysons Corner, Va. and Research Triangle Park, N.C. among them.

January 21 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

Ernest Hemingway wrote in A Farewell to Arms that “only the names of places had dignity.” Has a history of cookie cutter, master-planned development robbed our places of value?

January 21 - MinnPost

With debts in excess of $30 million owed to the city of Montreal, and unhappy customers in New York City and Chicago refusing to pay for outstanding bills, the Bixi bike-share company has been forced to file for bankruptcy protection.

January 21 - The Montreal Gazette

Auburn University's Rural Studio program and other designers from across the U.S. have descended on Hale County, Alabama for two decades in an effort to improve the quality of life for the rural area's residents. What have they achieved?

January 20 - Fast Company