The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A study from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development shows that traffic fatalities across the world have reached an all-time low. However roads in the U.S. are less safe than in 28 other countries, including Serbia and Greece.

May 30 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

As suburban office parks struggle to lure tenants not decamping for more urban environments, some are investing princely sums to renovate their buildings in the hope of capturing a slice of the shrinking pie.

May 30 - The New York Times

This week, the Toronto region's transportation agency floated a strategy for how to fund the wildly ambitious 25-year transportation plan know as the Big Move. A combination of new taxes and fees are expected to yield $2 billion per year.

May 30 - The Toronto Star

In his fifth entry in a lengthy examination of the successes and failures of New Urbanism, Peter Katz looks at one of the movement's key blindspots: the failure to help improve the processes and practices of local governments.

May 30 - Better! Cities & Towns

In one of the world's largest cities, every little bit of space counts in the quest to create respites from the clamor. A popular program in Mexico City is turning vacant and neglected spaces under its freeways into commercial and recreational space.

May 30 - The Washington Post

John Metcalfe spotlights the work of Dutch designer Thor ter Kulve, whose creative approach to designing street furniture blends utility and playfulness with the aim of liberating public space.

May 30 - The Atlantic Cities

If Jane Jacobs's theory that face-to-face encounters make for better cities is correct, a new metric that measures the ability of a city to encourage random social interactions could prove essential in shaping urban policy.

May 30 - Fast Company Co.Exist

A new report documents the diversity of America's cycling community, countering the stereotype of the "spandex- or skinny jean-clad" white rider. However, minority communities suffer from a deficit of cycling infrastructure. Can this be changed?

May 30 - Grist

The Boston Redevelopment Authority wields supreme power over the city's land use decisions, a position unique in American cities. Is it time to disband this relic of planning and development from a different era?

May 30 - Boston Magazine

The D.C. Council is going the way of neighbors Virginia and Maryland by approving new wholesale sales taxes on gasoline and diesel. In it's budget approved on May 22, the council swapped the current 23.5-cent excise tax for a new 8.3% fuel tax.

May 30 - The Washington Post - D.C. Politics

As California rushes to begin building the first phase of its controversial high-speed rail project, the decision to select a builder based more on cost than technical competence is being scrutinized by state and federal lawmakers.

May 29 - Los Angeles Times

Although ideas for a suitably grand station to replace the deplorable gateway that now exists at Penn Station have been kicking around for decades, the Municipal Arts Society (MAS) has sought to reinvigorate the discussion with a visioning challenge.

May 29 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Not to be outdone by its big (and small) city brethren, the nation's third largest city is launching its long-awaited, and relatively secretive, bike-sharing program next month. And according to Paul Merrion, they're starting with a bang.

May 29 - Crain's Chicago Business

With electricity demand slowing, the model of continued growth that has kept public utilities in operation for the last century needs rethinking. David Roberts examines how utilities will need to change to suit the coming ‘century of electricity’.

May 29 - Grist

Places Journal talks with New York Design Commissioner David Burney about the politics of urban design and planning.

May 29 - Places Journal

Patricia Leigh Brown looks at the community gardens funded by the California Mental Health Services Act of 2004, which help to heal disadvantaged refugee communities less inclined to use formal mental health treatments.

May 29 - The New York Times

Planning a trip to Bangkok this year? If so, you're not alone. The Thai capital tops MasterCard's new ranking of the world's most visited cities, with nearly 16 million tourists expected to see the city this year.

May 29 - The Atlantic

While the New Hampshire bill made it through the House, it was blocked, as Republican leaders had predicted, in the Senate. The Iowa bill, sponsored and supported by Republicans, was never acted on. Iowa may try again next year; not possible in N.H.

May 29 - Bedford (N.H.) Patch

An update to Toronto's Tall Building Design Guidelines seeks to address problems with the seven-year-old planning document, while strengthening the protections afforded historic properties, key sightlines, and local context.

May 29 - The Toronto Star

With park finances increasingly determined by private fundraising efforts, New York's park system is beginning to reflect the city's growing inequality. Could a Neighborhood Parks Alliance help rebalance the city's park dichotomy?

May 29 - The New York Times