The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The B-Cycle bike share program in Kansas City is using a crowdfunding platform to generate funds for capital investments after an underwhelming attempt to generate funds for operations.

January 20 - Next American City

By analyzing four public spaces using William H. Whyte's groundbreaking techniques for studying street life, a team of researchers led by Keith Hampton reached some surprising conclusions about how technology is changing our social interactions.

January 20 - The New York Times

A new biological opinion sets policy for the Federal Columbia River Power System until 2018. Critics say the new plan continues the unsuccessful status quo of habitat restoration—instead they want to spill water over four dams on the Snake River.

January 20 - Associated Press via The Oregonian

BLOG POST

Besides wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, road-building may actually be holding back economic growth overall.

January 20 - Shane Phillips

Comcast recently released designs for a $1.2 billion skyscraper in Downtown Philadelphia. The building’s potential starkly contrasts the suburban model of commercial office parks.

January 20 - Philadelphia Inquirer

In his latest film, “Her,” Spike Jonze presents a one-of-a-kind vision of L.A.'s future.

January 20 - Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

Seems like an absurd pairing, right? Perhaps so but please hear me out.

January 20 - Norman Wright

PBS' Hari Sreenivasan and guests share impressions of the North American Auto Show held in Detroit last week. Trucks and luxury cars were the focus, not electric and super-efficient vehicles. Debate on fuel efficiency standards is predicted in 2017.

January 20 - PBS NewsHour

Though cities like Los Angeles have established moratoriums on the construction of new fast food residents in an effort to tackle obesity, a new study questions the importance of place-based causes and solutions.

January 20 - Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

Last week, the Transportation Research Board held its annual conference with < 10,000 people in attendance. We analyzed the tweets to generate a list of the hottest topics, links to transportation resources, and most influential people.

January 20 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

U.S. DOT brokered a deal with energy and rail industries whereby both would take immediate steps to prevent the recent explosions involving the more volatile Bakken crude. While voluntary, actual regulations will take more than a year to approve.

January 20 - The Wall Street Journal

Across the U.S., hundreds of streets are named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, many reflect the poverty and segregation that King fought to reverse. A non-profit is trying to transform them into sources of pride and inspiration.

January 20 - The Washington Post

The Transportation Planner posts about an inexplicable crosswalk at a highway interchange located in McLean, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC.

January 19 - The Transportation Planner

Traffic engineers in the Los Angeles Department of Transportation are finalizing plans for a roundabout in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights at a notorious intersection known as Cinco Puntos.

January 19 - The Eastsider LA

Foreclosures, the defining signifier of the Great Recession for many Americans, are coming to a screeching halt in Colorado. In fact, the state’s foreclosure rate improved at about twice the national average between 2012 and 2013.

January 19 - Denver Post

Cross-sector collaboration helped six Massachusetts cities share $1.8 million in grants this week.

January 19 - Future Cities

In a week-long series of articles, Citiscope explores how Bristol's eccentric mayor aims to create “an exemplar medium-sized city.” With doses of fun, innovation and fearlessness, the former architect and businessman is changing the city's culture.

January 19 - Citiscope

BLOG POST

The policies that create affordable housing for the middle class might not be those necessary to prevent homelessness for the destitute.

January 18 - Michael Lewyn

Threatened by the increasingly diverse electricity generation market, more utilities are pushing back on incentives for rooftop solar, such as net-metering credits.

January 18 - Denver Post

With a 5-0 emotional vote by the city council on Thursday night, the Jurupa Valley City Council reluctantly initiated the process of disincorporation, which would result in the three-year-old city being governed by Riverside County.

January 18 - The Press-Enterprise