The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Last week the St. Louis Cardinals heralded the opening of a surface parking lot as a 'milestone' in the $650 million mixed-use development known as Ballpark Village. For Alderman Scott Ogilvie the lot represents the 'total failure' of the project.

August 15 - St. Louis Riverfront Times

Forget reducing congestion and improving the environment; a new paper makes perhaps the strongest argument yet for investing in public transit based on its ability to agglomerate, or cluster people together, raising wages and productivity.

August 14 - The Atlantic Cities

A new report by state scientists identifies three dozen environmental indicators that confirm the effects of climate change on California are ‘significant and growing.’

August 14 - Los Angeles Times

The construction of Riyadh's Metro has ambitious goals to relieve gridlock and reduce obesity. Perhaps more importantly, it aims to grant women the freedom of mobility. “That's a lot to expect from a public transport system,” writes Susanne Koelbl.

August 14 - Spiegel Online

Tanya Snyder wades into the ongoing discussion over whether America's urban revival can be sustained, a question that essentially hinges on whether cities are creating an attractive alternative to the suburbs for raising children.

August 14 - DC.Streetsblog

A new rail age is dawning in California, thanks to high-speed rail; BART's impending "fleet of the future"; and more, says Projjal Dutta, director of sustainability at NYC's MTA. If successful, this will mean a major reduction of car use and sprawl.

August 14 - Future Cities

With strained water supplies a growing problem throughout the Southwestern U.S., cities from Austin to Los Angeles are using carrots and sticks to coax homeowners into adopting drought-resistant landscapes. Not all are pleased to see the grass go.

August 14 - The New York Times

Dwarfed by its city counterparts, the Bay Area's 1,000 bikes will cover a larger region (5 cities in 3 counties) with fewer bikes, many placed at key transit nodes. It also distinguishes itself by being a 'pilot program' with multiple public owners.

August 14 - Environment News Service

It's being called 'the Monstrosity' and a 'middle finger to taste and scale', but you'd be wrong if you called it illegal. The three story 'pop-up' a developer has added to a two-story DC rowhouse has engendered a spirited debate amid a growing city.

August 14 - The Washington Post

What has the United States lost in its journey from a nation of communities to a nation of individuals? Resilience, for one, says Scott Doyon, who suggests how we can utilize community design and planning processes to regrow social ties.

August 14 - PlaceShakers

As the 'Internet of Things' spreads its tentacles into more and more of our personal objects and public spaces, experts are warning of the serious, and potentially lethal, vulnerability of networked devices to hacking.

August 14 - The New York Times

The housing crisis is alive and well in Maryland, as a second wave of foreclosures inundates the state. Though thousands of residents may be forced out of their homes, experts are confident the properties "will be snatched up quickly."

August 13 - The Washington Post

Architecture critic Blair Kamin has an interesting take on the planned $115 revamp of Chicago's top tourist attraction. He wonders if James Corner's "high design" can meld with Navy Pier's "seductive riot of carnival midway tackiness."

August 13 - Chicago Tribune

OK, so we missed this relaunch for our just-published list of the Top Websites. Another remarkable venture from the fellows at civic tech leader Code for America, Streeetmix is an impressively user-friendly and attractive tool for designing streets.

August 13 - Streetsblog

30 years ago, voters in North Texas approved a sales tax to fund the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system based on promises of reducing congestion, spurring development and sustainable funding. Has the system met its goals? Depends who you ask.

August 13 - The Dallas Morning News

A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service tracks trends in the size and production of the country's farms. Even though the size of the average farm has steadily increased, "there are more small farms than ever."

August 13 - The Washington Post

With fantasies of a Hyperloop suddenly offering a tantalizing, albeit far-fetched, alternative to the $68-billion project, CA's high-speed rail has apparently encountered more schedule slippage. The delay could cause more obstacles for the project.

August 13 - Los Angeles Times

In a country still struggling with how to integrate its fast growing immigrant population, the vibrant public market located in Rome's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele provides a taste of its recent ethnic changes.

August 13 - The New York Times

What's made the difference in the trajectories of similarly-sized Midwest cities Detroit and Indianapolis? According to David Masciotra, cross-sector partnerships centered around sports entertainment have been the driving force behind Indy's success.

August 13 - The Atlantic Cities

Each month new research emerges linking public health with the built environment. Yet just a small fraction of healthcare spending goes toward reducing our exposure to unhealthy environments. Under the Affordable Care Act, that could soon change.

August 13 - SvR Design Company Blog