The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Bearing 125 mph winds, Cyclone Phailin made landfall along India's eastern coast on Saturday evening. Though hundreds of thousands were evacuated from the area, some are questioning whether the Indian authorities took the storm too lightly.

October 12 - The New York Times

As one of the cities most effected by the housing crash, one would think the recovery of Phoenix's real estate market would be cause for widespread celebration. But a confluence of factors is making it hard for many to find a place to live.

October 12 - The New York Times

Micheline Maynard writes about an AASHTO study showing that the share of American families who don't own cars had been declining since 1960 but stopped in 2007 at 8.7%. By 2011, it had budged up to 9.3%. She suggests four reasons for the reversal.

October 12 - Forbes

With urban inequality getting increased attention from politicians and pundits, many have wondered whether cities actually have the tools to address this growing challenge. A new federal initiative offers a promising solution.

October 12 - The Washington Post

They're used to designing homes and vanity projects for dictators and developers, but have the world's leading architects ever designed for a doll?

October 11 - The Guardian

One of Brooklyn's busiest streets has been branded a "Bike-Friendly Business District", with cyclists offered discounts at participating stores. But without plans for a dedicated bike lane, cycling advocates are skeptical of the pronouncements.

October 11 - The Brooklyn Paper

This week the World Monuments Fund (WMF) published their biannual list of the globe's cultural heritage most at risk "from the forces of nature and the impact of social, political, and economic change." 67 sites in 41 countries made this year's list.

October 11 - Architect Magazine

A new report from the National League of Cities shows municipal revenues climbing across the U.S. in the aftermath of the worst economic crisis in decades. But pension and health costs, and federal budget issues, are causing concern.

October 11 - The New York Times

The financial data is clear: BRT costs much less to go further and serve far more riders. Case closed, or is it? The Denver Post editors look at HNTB's cost and ridership estimates for the Northwest Rail Line and offer a recommendation, sort of.

October 11 - The Denver Post

In a keynote speech at the Urban Land Institute’s “Transit Oriented Los Angeles” conference, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the launch of a "Great Streets" program to coordinate work on, and investment in, "the City’s largest public space asset."

October 11 - LA.Streetsblog

New York's chief urban designer, Alexandros Washburn, addresses the monumental task of rebuilding New York after Hurricane Sandy and preparing for the next storm.

October 11 - Places Journal

Is your property the scene of a famous murder? Or perhaps a group suicide? Andrew Khouri profiles Randall Bell, a specialist real estate appraiser, who'll estimate just how much that "doom-and-gloom" is going to hurt your bottom line.

October 11 - Los Angeles Times

As housing (un)affordability continues to plague Canada’s big cities, some would-be city dwellers are looking to the suburbs to meet the budget. Using a hypothetical Toronto couple as its basis, number-crunching suggests little long-term savings.

October 11 - The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Driven by an explosion of online tools, cities across the country are looking beyond the traditional public hearing to rethink how to increase citizen involvement in decision-making and reshape the relationship between citizens and government.

October 11 - Governing

FEATURE

In an excerpt from his new book, Anthony Townsend explains how a volunteer effort is combining consumer technologies with open source GIS to chart one of Africa’s largest and most notorious slums.

October 10 - Anthony Townsend

One of the leading candidates to replace Cincinnati's progressive mayor Mark Mallory is threatening to cancel the city's 3.6-mile streetcar line if elected. With contracts signed and work under way, canceling it could cost more than completing it.

October 10 - Cincinnati CityBeat

An estimated 79 percent of young adults with autism spectrum disorders reside with their parents. But a new residence built to house 16 autistic adults in Sonoma, CA aims to provide a supportive alternative to living at home, and a nationwide model.

October 10 - The New York Times

David Madden laments that our current debate over gentrification, whether bemoaning a loss of authenticity or trumpeting the good that trickles down, "doesn't do justice to everything at stake." He suggests how to reorient the discussion.

October 10 - The Guardian

Though owning a home may be easier today than during the housing bubble due to lower interest rates and prices, in many cities across the U.S. the middle class is widely excluded from homeownership. Trulia crunches the numbers.

October 10 - Trulia Trends Blog

In the last week to sign bills, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 327 that allows utilities to charge all ratepayers for costs incurred to the grid by rooftop solar and allows those who have it to 'run the meter backwards', known as net metering.

October 10 - KCET