The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In many places across the country, rail is breaking ridership records as we move away from the personal car. How does a rail hub manage the influx of passengers while being a good neighbor?

February 6 - Elevation DC

BLOG POST

New tools are becoming available to help people evaluate the quality of walking, cycling, public transit and automobile accessibility when making home location decisions. This information can help create more efficient and sustainable communities.

February 6 - Todd Litman

Minneapolis is working to turn the deteriorating Nicollet Mall into a vibrant public space—even hiring James Corner Field Operations (of High-Line fame) as designer. Will the revitalization of the area require the removal of the mall’s four skyways?

February 6 - Minneapolis Post

The formation of Chinatowns in the United States began in the late 19th Century, and since then have provided an important immigrant gateway. But gentrification and rising expenses in U.S. cities are shrinking many Chinatowns.

February 6 - BBC News

This week's guest 'Shaker, Rob Dalton, talks roundabouts, bollards and buffers to get your feet into a 禪 Zen street.

February 5 - PlaceShakers

Demographic and economic trends, and improving transport options, including more carsharing services, are contributing to a long-term decline in automobile ownership and use.

February 5 - The Wall Street Journal

Proponents of a ballot initiative that would require a vote for any development on the San Francisco waterfront that exceeds existing height limits have gathered enough signatures to put the issue to a vote.

February 5 - SF Gate

As part of an already controversial expansion plan, MoMA will allow free access to the cloistered sanctuary of its sculpture garden. Not everyone is a fan of the idea, saying crowds will spoil the effect.

February 5 - New York Times

As housing prices increase on the post-recession wave, many experts are asking people to reconsider the dream of buying and owning a home, especially if that means sinking too deeply in debt or sacrificing mobility.

February 5 - CBC News

Governing takes a closer look at the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent population estimates to reveal the data behind the country’s shifted migration patterns and present some ideas about what’s driving the new migration paradigms.

February 5 - Governing

In the early part of the 20th century, Europe looked toward the U.S. to learn how to adapt cities to car travel, as difficult as that may seem. It wasn't until the 1990s, in the presence of sprawl and failing public transit that the pattern reversed.

February 5 - The Atlantic Cities

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently completed an economic analysis of white roofs versus their green and black counterparts. The debate over the relative merits of white versus green roofs is far from over, however.

February 5 - Inhabitat

FEATURE

A contributing factor to widespread political disengagement? It's not what you might expect. Here's how the daily commute diminishes citizens' interest and ambition to get involved in their communities.

February 5 - Tom Spengler

Andrew Cuthbert responds to a few of the recurring accusations leveled against cyclists as posted on the ‘comments’ section of a Vancouver-based news story involving a cyclist-motorist conflict.

February 5 - Spacing Vancouver

Palo Alto’s planned community zoning has existed since 1951. As the real estate market in the Silicon Valley heats up, residents are questioning whether developers are abusing the density and height benefits they receive from the zoning code.

February 4 - San Jose Mercury News

Advocates presented a compelling case to remove the aging stretch of Interstate 345 that bisects Dallas adjacent to downtown. But state transportation officials have decided to rehab, rather than remove, the freeway.

February 4 - Dallas Morning News

What lifts up to 1,750 tons? Goodbye "Left Coast Lifter". Hello "I Lift New York". The massive crane was barged 6,000 miles through the Panama Canal to begin construction of the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge, having completed the Bay Bridge job.

February 4 - New York Post

Los Angeles recently completed a comprehensive installation of LED streetlights—and New York City is not far behind. Among the unintended consequences of the new technology? Cities will now look completely different on film.

February 4 - No Film School

Hoping to encourage other cities to follow San Francisco's successful application of protected bike lanes, Asm. Phillip Ting (D-S.F.) would have Caltrans "develop minimum safety design criteria" for what would be a new class of bikeways in the state.

February 4 - San Francisco Bay Guardian

Continued service to many cities in New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas may rest with N.M. Gov. Susana Martinez who has indicated she is unwilling to share in the maintenance costs required by the federal government for a stretch of rail owned by BNSF.

February 4 - The New Mexican