The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Get used to hearing about historically hot temperatures. Using 39 of the world’s foremost climate models, researchers have developed "climate departure" dates for cities around the world to predict when temperatures will exceed historical norms.

October 10 - The New York Times

Nathan Heller illuminates how the tech industry has rendered San Francisco the new "power city" for U.S. economic growth and culture.

October 10 - The New Yorker

Northeast Ohio's largest regional planning effort in a generation recommends infill development, transit expansion, and land conservation as the essential elements for ensuring the area's future success.

October 10 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Come November, 11 of Colorado's 64 counties, mostly in northeast, will vote to form a new state. Jack Healy explores what's behind the 51st State Initiative, what set it off, as well as other secession movements, mostly by rural areas in the U.S.

October 10 - The New York Times - U.S.

The recipe for a happy commute isn't just about length. Whether in a car or on mass transit, predictability and productivity are among the key attributes.

October 10 - The Wall Street Journal

BLOG POST

Joseph Heathcott presents a historical narrative of the decline, revitalization, and gentrification of the Parisian neighborhood surrounding the Promenade Plantée and Viaduct des Arts, the pioneering repurposing of obsolete urban infrastructure.

October 9 - JPER

Mayor Bloomberg's plan to mandate a standardized taxi for the streets of New York was given a potentially fatal blow this week by a State Supreme Court judge. With his successors unlikely to take up the legal battle, the plan appears doomed.

October 9 - The New York Times

Amid heavy political pressure, a plan to build a new expressway between Chicago's suburbs and Indiana backed by Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois Department of Transportation was dealt a significant defeat by Chicago's regional MPO this week.

October 9 - Daily Herald

On Eric Garcetti's 100th day in office, the new mayor of Los Angeles showed progress on his promise to increase accountability by launching a beta website to track City Hall performance in nine categories and for each city department.

October 9 - Los Angeles Times

Building on a decade of phenomenal growth, downtown Kansas City is poised to add 1,500 new and renovated apartment units in time for a new streetcar to begin operating in 2015.

October 9 - The Kansas City Star

Thanks to a Calif. law implemented in 2008 requiring ocean-going ships to switch from high-sulfur bunker fuel to cleaner fuels within 24 miles of the coast, Bay Area air quality significantly improved by reducing deadly particulate emissions.

October 9 - BAAQMD News Release

Marooned in an ocean of crumbling homes, declining city services, stray dogs, and crime, as many as 10,000 Detroiters live in areas that are unlikely to rebound. What incentives can the city devise to get them to relocate?

October 9 - Bloomberg News

Debates rages on in response to the City Centre Access Strategy as it's revealed that the CBD could loose around 20% of its parking places and loading zones on two key streets to make way for the expanded cycle path scheme.

October 9 - Sydney Morning Herald

As the U.S. struggles once again to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Midwestern cities like Dayton, Ohio see attracting immigrants as the key to reversing population declines, reviving distressed neighborhoods, and boosting their economies.

October 9 - The New York Times

A city-hired consultant has recommended an expansion of the areas where digital billboards are allowed in Toronto. The sign industry claims the billboards contribute to “vibrancy” but critics argue they're an unwelcome intrusion into public space.

October 9 - The Toronto Star

Planners in Copenhagen are bringing new meaning to the concept of long-term planning. A 10-person team is focused solely on envisioning how the city will adapt to the next 90 years of climate change.

October 9 - The Guardian

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM) have reached a settlement with the City of Minneapolis to preserve and rehabilitate Peavey Plaza, ending a lawsuit brought by the groups to prevent demolition.

October 8 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

It may be hard to image fleets of cargo bikes replacing the large polluting trucks that tear up our city streets. But a European Union project estimates that the majority of freight in 322 cities studied could be moved by cargo bike.

October 8 - Treehugger

When the federal government shut down last week it took many agency websites along with it, depriving planners around the U.S. of resources they use daily. The blog Data Insights has put together a list of alternative sources for federal data.

October 8 - Data Insights

Told over four parts meant to evoke chapters in a storybook using films, photos, archive materials, text, and miniature games, this "Op-Doc" is a short masterclass in the 2,500-year global history of vertical living.

October 8 - The New York Times