The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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

Get used to hearing about historically hot temperatures. Using 39 of the world’s foremost climate models, researchers have developed "climate departure" dates for cities around the world to predict when temperatures will exceed historical norms.

October 10 - The New York Times

Nathan Heller illuminates how the tech industry has rendered San Francisco the new "power city" for U.S. economic growth and culture.

October 10 - The New Yorker

Northeast Ohio's largest regional planning effort in a generation recommends infill development, transit expansion, and land conservation as the essential elements for ensuring the area's future success.

October 10 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Come November, 11 of Colorado's 64 counties, mostly in northeast, will vote to form a new state. Jack Healy explores what's behind the 51st State Initiative, what set it off, as well as other secession movements, mostly by rural areas in the U.S.

October 10 - The New York Times - U.S.

The recipe for a happy commute isn't just about length. Whether in a car or on mass transit, predictability and productivity are among the key attributes.

October 10 - The Wall Street Journal

BLOG POST

Joseph Heathcott presents a historical narrative of the decline, revitalization, and gentrification of the Parisian neighborhood surrounding the Promenade Plantée and Viaduct des Arts, the pioneering repurposing of obsolete urban infrastructure.

October 9 - JPER

Mayor Bloomberg's plan to mandate a standardized taxi for the streets of New York was given a potentially fatal blow this week by a State Supreme Court judge. With his successors unlikely to take up the legal battle, the plan appears doomed.

October 9 - The New York Times

Amid heavy political pressure, a plan to build a new expressway between Chicago's suburbs and Indiana backed by Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois Department of Transportation was dealt a significant defeat by Chicago's regional MPO this week.

October 9 - Daily Herald

On Eric Garcetti's 100th day in office, the new mayor of Los Angeles showed progress on his promise to increase accountability by launching a beta website to track City Hall performance in nine categories and for each city department.

October 9 - Los Angeles Times

Building on a decade of phenomenal growth, downtown Kansas City is poised to add 1,500 new and renovated apartment units in time for a new streetcar to begin operating in 2015.

October 9 - The Kansas City Star

Thanks to a Calif. law implemented in 2008 requiring ocean-going ships to switch from high-sulfur bunker fuel to cleaner fuels within 24 miles of the coast, Bay Area air quality significantly improved by reducing deadly particulate emissions.

October 9 - BAAQMD News Release

Marooned in an ocean of crumbling homes, declining city services, stray dogs, and crime, as many as 10,000 Detroiters live in areas that are unlikely to rebound. What incentives can the city devise to get them to relocate?

October 9 - Bloomberg News

Debates rages on in response to the City Centre Access Strategy as it's revealed that the CBD could loose around 20% of its parking places and loading zones on two key streets to make way for the expanded cycle path scheme.

October 9 - Sydney Morning Herald

As the U.S. struggles once again to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Midwestern cities like Dayton, Ohio see attracting immigrants as the key to reversing population declines, reviving distressed neighborhoods, and boosting their economies.

October 9 - The New York Times

A city-hired consultant has recommended an expansion of the areas where digital billboards are allowed in Toronto. The sign industry claims the billboards contribute to “vibrancy” but critics argue they're an unwelcome intrusion into public space.

October 9 - The Toronto Star

Planners in Copenhagen are bringing new meaning to the concept of long-term planning. A 10-person team is focused solely on envisioning how the city will adapt to the next 90 years of climate change.

October 9 - The Guardian