The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Replacing The Current Gas Tax With A Different Gas Tax

AASHTO is pitching a replacement of the current fed excise fuel taxes with sales taxes - initially revenue neutral, but would increase with inflation, unlike stagnant excise taxes last increased in 1993. In 6 years, might raise an extra $43 billion.

October 17 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

Incredible Swiss Tunnel Completed

Giant robot "worms" have been tunneling towards each other through opposite sides of the Gottard Massif for years. On Friday, they finally met, completing the 19-mile tunnel.

October 17 - NPR

The "Circus Tent" of Beijing

Dense cities, argues Daniel Garst, are shaped like a pyramid, with the most density in the middle and sloping sides. Beijing, on the other hand, has developed more like a circus tent, with density at the sides but single-story homes in the middle.

October 17 - China Daily

County Sues State Over Railyard

The State of Virginia wants to put up 2/3rds of the cost of a new private railyard in Montgomery County. County officials say it doesn't fit the character of the rural area, and have sued to stop it from being built.

October 17 - The Roanoke Times

Designing Cities in an Age of Scarce Water

Freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Our cities will need to address these shortages with better design, according to author Steven Solomon.

October 16 - Grist


Lack of Transit Intensifies Suburban Poverty

In the last ten years, more than two thirds of poverty growth has happened in suburban areas of American cities. According to Brookings', social services such as transit have failed to keep up in the face of decreasing tax revenue.

October 16 - The Next American City

Talking Open Streets and Ciclovias

<em>Next American City</em> talks with urban designer and bicycle planner Mike Lydon about cycling, ciclovias, and open streets.

October 16 - Next American City


The Looming Era of VMT

The gas tax is becoming an increasingly outdated and unsustainable idea. This piece from <em>Miller McCune</em> looks at the prospect of replacing it with a tax based on vehicle miles traveled.

October 16 - Miller-McCune

London's Bike Sharing Program Expects to Make Profit

London's 10-week old bike sharing program appears to be on its way to turning a profit, a rarity in the public transit world.

October 16 - Guardian

New Ruling Means Greater Access to California Coast

A ruling this week by the California Coastal Commission will allow a dozen new picnic areas and up to five new trailheads, in addition to camping areas for 280 people and new access to the Coastal Slope Trail. The camping will be the first in Malibu.

October 15 - The Planning Report

Are Large Discount Grocers the Answer to Food Deserts?

With suburban markets saturated, discount food chains are moving into urban food deserts. While this may be convenient for residents, some are concerned that such stores will do little for local economies.

October 15 - Huffington Post

Japan's New 'Smart' City

The city Yokohama could be Japan's next exportable good. officials there want it to be a low-emissions "smart" city -- a model they hope to be able to convince other cities to replicate.

October 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

If You Build It, They Won't Walk

Trails and walking paths are commonly built in suburban areas. But their mere presence doesn't automatically mean they'll be used, according to a new study.

October 15 - Miller-McCune

Ghost Town Swallowed by Desert

A town built in the Namibian desert has been abandoned for decades. The sand has taken over.

October 15 - Environmental Graffiti

A NYT Discussion On HSR - Will It Happen? How? Why Not?

The New York Times editors are wondering if high speed rail is a practical consideration for the U.S considering recent political developments where it has become popular to reject federal rail funds, so they asked six experts to present their views.

October 15 - The New York Times - Opinion

A New Plan for Chicago Fails to Stir Men's Blood

Blair Kamin looks at "Go to 2040", a new regional plan for the Chicago area that he says has few goals to get excited about and "reflects an era of scarce resources."

October 15 - The Chicago Tribune

A Woonerf in Harvard Square

English architect Ben Hamilton-Baillie sees possibility in a section of Harvard Square that has all the qualities of a "woonerf"; mainly, that cars, bikes and pedestrians all share the street equally.

October 15 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog

Architects: Get Urban

Canadian architect Stephen Boulton implores his fellow architects to stop hiding behind the excuse that their field is client-driven and lead the way to more urban and sustainable development.

October 15 - Daily Commercial News and Construction Record

The Future of Federal Transportation Planning in America

In this podcast, <em>Next American City</em> talks with Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution about the future of transportation in America.

October 15 - Next American City

The Worst of Our "Suburban Nation"

Jeff Speck, co-author of "Suburban Nation" (along with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk), offers the "10 worst things about sprawl" in a slideshow on Huffington Post.

October 14 - Huffington Post

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