The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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What amount of expansion, population and vehicle densities, housing mix, and transport policies should growing cities aspire to achieve? This column summarizes my recent research that explores these, and related, issues.

April 13 - Todd Litman

With $60 million in contributions, half from from the former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, the Sierra Club will embark on one of its biggest campaigns: close half of the nation's coal power plants by 2017. Plus, a new coal rule goes to court.

April 13 - The Hill

From the years roughly spanning the invention of the automobile to the invention of the smartphone, every driver in Los Angeles traveled with a Thomas Bros. map book. Those days are gone, but nostalgia for physical maps remains.

April 13 - New York Times Magazine

Education, Engineering, and Enforcement. MTA police are taking the last one very seriously at grade crossings they monitor on the Metro-North and LIRR lines since the February crash in Westchester County that killed five passengers and a motorist.

April 13 - The Wall Street Journal

'Placemaking,' the process by which cities and developers supposedly create appealing public spaces, is in a crisis, writes critic James Russell. Too many "made" places are generic and lack true relevance to the cities that build them.

April 13 - James S. Russell

A piece from Anchorage, Alaska discusses problems that can arise when planners don't address gender-based safety. Walkable, populated, well-lit streets and transit are the best remedy.

April 12 - The Arctic Urbanophile

Looking for a case study of bike licensing programs, which are sometimes recommended as programs to reduce thefts and increase bike safety? The city of Regina in Canada is ready to ditch its license program.

April 12 - CBC News

In a bid to knit sustainability into large-scale community development, Seattle's Capitol Hill EcoDistrict is exploring several avenues toward greener land use.

April 12 - ASLA The Dirt

As urban centers start making better sense for a digital economy, NIMBY policies might be worth re-examining. In addition to driving up the cost of housing, they may compound inefficiencies and slow down the economy.

April 12 - The Economist

While they look clean and green on the drawing board, Asia's planned developments might be nothing more than cloned commercialism set in concrete. By undermining local culture, this 'smart city' approach may also prove unsustainable.

April 12 - The Global Urbanist

When it comes to federal appropriations, urban areas in states dominated by rural Republicans are at a distinct disadvantage. In search of lobbying power, metros in affected states are banding together.

April 11 - Governing Magazine

In a complex saga involving the MTA, an 88-year-old tower, and a planned 77-story apartment behemoth, affordable housing may be first to fall by the wayside.

April 11 - New York Times

Unlike conventional food hubs, Louisville's planned $50 million FoodPort will gather and 'incubate' regional food businesses. The hope is to breathe life into the area's struggling small farms.

April 11 - CityLab

Research from Brookings puts Cleveland in last place for improving access to jobs from 2000 through 2012. And jobs sprawl is up throughout the rest of the country as well.

April 11 - Green City Blue Lake

An editorial explains that the fear inspired by shared streets—the idea that pedestrians, bikes, and cars have equal claim to navigate the street without the regulatory layer implemented by traffic engineers—is exactly why they work.

April 11 - The American Conservative

Mark Gold, who helped craft Los Angeles' 20-year plan for water, energy, waste, resilience, and environmental justice, gives a breakdown of the document in light of the county's current failings.

April 10 - The Planning Report

Situated at the confluence of the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee Rivers, Fort Wayne, Indiana is flush with funding for an ambitious waterfront revival project.

April 10 - The Architect's Newspaper

Frank Chiachiere provides some advice on how Seattle can achieve its ambitious goals for affordable housing over the next decade: build transit to places where land is less expensive.

April 10 - Seattle Transit Blog

California's drought is getting all the press, but much of Oregon is in the fourth year of drought, with this year now qualifying as "exceptional drought."

April 10 - The Oregonian

Research suggests a correlation between regional income inequality and poorer health. Several statistical and sociological causes may come into play.

April 10 - New York Times