The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A 109-car oil train carrying crude from North Dakota derailed Monday afternoon, causing a fireball that was still burning Tuesday morning. Initial reports had at least one tanker leaking oil into a tributary of the Kanawha River, closing water plants

February 17 - The Charleston Gazette

When it comes to infrastructure, we are frequently reminded of the consequences of not repairing roads and bridges. Two prolific transportation writers recently changed the focus to where the money is spent.

February 17 - CityLab

How can we redirect our city building into a form that can handle the expected doubling of urban residents over the next 40 years? Great ideas can be found in this collection of soundbites from the film, "The Human Scale."

February 17 - PlaceShakers

Research published by Governing Magazine finds that Portland, Oregon is the U.S. city with the highest degree of gentrification in this century.

February 17 - Fusion

Many rankings try to tell parents where the best places are to raise their kids. But measures that focus solely on narrow criteria like safety and schools often ignore the benefits of diverse, vibrant urban environments.

February 17 - Family Friendly Cities

A bill filed in early February would prohibit local governments in North Carolina from regulating the appearance of single family homes and duplexes.

February 17 - The Raleigh News & Observer

If you want great access to an airport, go overseas—that's the main finding of a study by Golden Gateway Alliance, a Manhattan-based airport advocacy organization. Tied for dead-last in terms of access is Denver and a certain New York airport.

February 17 - New York Post

Gentrification has famously, and controversially, changed the face of many neighborhoods. Less well known is the process that geographer Markus Moos calls "youthification," in which neighborhoods don't become richer so much as they become younger.

February 17 - CityLab

BLOG POST

Active Lifestyle Cameras are increasing in popularity—allowing for people to capture the moment on camera while in action. Now planners can use active lifestyle cameras to study all manner of activities, from use of parks to commuting.

February 17 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

FEATURE

Sam Hall Kaplan elucidates the inadequacies of affordable housing policy before introducing a new perspective to the conversation—a new book by Roger Katan with Ronald Shiffman called "Building Together."

February 17 - Sam Hall Kaplan

Although London Mayor Boris Johnson's housing policies are mush less ambitious than his predecessor's, many parts of the city still lag well behind targets for affordable housing—even amidst an infamously cost-prohibitive real estate market.

February 16 - Citymetric

States aren't the only ones looking for new ways to fund crumbling transportation infrastructure. Atlanta voters, for instance, will consider a $250 infrastructure bond proposal in the March election.

February 16 - Atlanta Creative Loafing

DNAInfo Chicago reports on new data showing the relative safety of bikeshare operations in Chicago.

February 16 - DNAinfo Chicago

A Boston resident has launched a not totally-serious crowdfunding page called "Modernizing Boston's Transit" to help raise the $30 billion needed to fix the MBTA.

February 16 - BostInno

In two parts, NPR's City Project examines Austin's premier mixed-use urban village built on the 700-acre site of the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport which relocated in 1999. Part 2 is about racial tensions that have surfaced in the community.

February 16 - NPR

Jarrett Walker shares the news that the city of Houston gave final approval to overhaul its public transit system, including the implementation of a frequent network grid. The changes are expected to be complete by August 2015.

February 15 - Human Transit

Stephen Smith follows up on an earlier report of New York City housing permits with a report on the entire metropolitan area. Included for comparison are the numbers of housing permit filings for metropolitan areas around the country.

February 15 - New York YIMBY

A transit subsidy established in 1983 during the Reagan Administration is under attack by GOP lawmakers in Washington D.C.

February 15 - The Hill

While citizens of San Diego, Oakland, and St. Louis argue over whether they can afford to keep their NFL teams, overlooked are the benefits of being rid of them, writes land use attorney and San Diego Chargers fan William Adams.

February 15 - UrbDeZine

Driving under a structurally deficient bridge took on a whole new meaning, even for those with the Beltway, when concrete fell on a passing vehicle under a bridge awaiting repair in Prince George's County, Md. on Feb. 10. The driver was OK.

February 15 - The Washington Post