The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Twenty-five years have passed since the United States approved a civil rights law with broad and positive affect on the build environment as we've come to know it.

August 10 - Curbed

After enjoying a strong run of prominence and success, the new economy is taking its toll on university presses.

August 10 - Next City

Partly absorbed by 1-10 and party given over the ravages of time—the Old Spanish Trail was the first to highway to connect the East Coast to the West Coast through the southern states.

August 9 - Atlas Obscura

Details are scarce—but reports are that Frank Gehry has been working behind the scenes to create a new vision for the Los Angeles River.

August 9 - Los Angeles Times

Seattle's recent Housing and Livability Agenda (HALA) recommendations have created a sensational dialogue about zoning, affordability and neighborhood change. Chuck Wolfe explains how this may create an unprecedented basis for consensus in the city.

August 9 - Crosscut

Facing record-level population growth and a booming job market, the city of San Francisco wants luxury developers to pay into the public transit system.

August 9 - CityLab

Carper, a Democrat, hopes to take advantage of historically low gas prices to hike the federal fuel taxes four cents a year for four years to end reliance on General Funds to fund transportation spending. Increased credits would offset the tax hike.

August 9 - The Hill

Corruption charges tainted the San Francisco political ranks this week, with implications of corruption and bribery in the land use and construction process, among other charges, reaching the Mayor's Office and many others.

August 8 - San Francisco Examiner

A term you need to know.

August 8 - New York Magazine

In a comprehensive look at the New York governor's attraction to big infrastructure projects, the analogy to Robert Moses is made by the Regional Plan Association, while the right-leaning Manhattan Institute faults Cuomo for ignoring MTA.

August 8 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

The new 23 miles of I-680 express lanes between San Ramon and Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County will begin construction this month, the first of over 500 miles to be built and operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

August 8 - Pleasanton Weekly

The Prospect North Partnership intends to build a fully integrated, resource-efficient neighborhood in a prime yet underdeveloped location.

August 8 - MinnPost

The Florida Development Finance Commission voted 3-0 at a contentious meeting to approve the 125 mph, Orlando-Miami privately funded train's request for tax-exempt status. It does not put the state at risk in terms of repaying the loan though.

August 7 - Orlando Sentinel

The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is upon us. Many of us city planners invested whatever skills we thought we had, plus a heavy dose of passionate naivete, to recovery planning in the wake of the 2005 storm.

August 7 - PlaceShakers

The bike lane on a well-traveled street through Philadelphia has faded beyond recognition. Appeals to restripe the lane have focused on a forthcoming visit from the pope.

August 7 - Philadelphia

According to a new rule, developers building over known faults will need to drill or take samples to find the rift's exact position. While it slows down construction, the measure might prevent catastrophic future quake damage.

August 7 - KPCC

Especially for parties with more than one passenger, summoning a car can make more sense, according to a recent op-ed. Transit still wins out for longer trips, but streetcars might just not be worth it downtown.

August 7 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A new phase of President Obama's Promise Zone anti-poverty initiative will take place simultaneously in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. AmeriCorps staff will be on hand to provide career coaching to high school students.

August 7 - Next City

Jarrett Walker outlines the conditions under which transit serves the greatest number of travelers. Maximizing ridership, he argues, requires thinking like a business and catering to demand.

August 7 - Human Transit

Long stretches of Connecticut's "lifeblood" shoreline rail line lie in the path of rising seas and future floods. While moving the tracks further inland is prohibitively expensive, a resilience plan is still needed.

August 7 - The Connecticut Mirror