The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

How much methane, a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas is released during fracking operations for natural gas? Until now, all studies, including those by the EPA, were done by estimates. This study went to over 500 well sites to measure leaks.

September 19 - The New York Times - U.S.

Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio's quest to reduce New York City's growing inequality is an admirable one, and a message that has clearly resonated with voters. But do local leaders have the tools to achieve such goals?

September 19 - The Daily Beast

FEATURE

As cities such as New York recognize the need to stop treating pedestrians as second-class citizens, the Pedestrian/Traffic Manager (PTM) has emerged as a new tool in the effort to improve the mobility and safety of those on foot.

September 18 - Ileanna Pappas

After a decade of livable street gains under Mayor Bloomberg, staff members at NYC's most respected alternative transportation advocacy group share their visions for what changes will take place over the next four years on the city's streets.

September 18 - Reclaim

As China's hazardous environment becomes a "potent political issue", the central government has released a detailed plan that aims to clean up the country's abysmal air pollution.

September 18 - The New York Times

To substantiate their big budgets, big projects promise big results. But the inherent time, complexity, and deal-making required to complete such projects is fertile ground for incompetence and corruption; or isn't it? A new study investigates.

September 18 - The Atlantic Cities

At a forum held this week, Boston mayoral candidates demonstrated their fluency in the language of transportation alternatives and livable communities. But ideas for meaningful policy changes were largely missing, says Boston Streets.

September 18 - Boston Streets

State officials ruled that the City of Sacramento did not meet deadlines for financing the K Street revitalization project, including improperly allocating redevelopment funds. The city disagreed and will sue to overturn the decision.

September 18 - Sacramento Bee

Two Los Angeles councilmen have introduced a measure seeking to delay implementation of one of former Mayor Villaraigosa's last major initiatives - the merging of the city's Planning and Building & Safety departments.

September 18 - Los Angeles Daily News

By the end of 2013, the British real estate website Rightmove expects house prices to have risen six percent as Chancellor George Osbourne defends a government scheme many blame for fueling the rise.

September 18 - The Guardian

Can your city afford not to install protected bike lanes? Michael Andersen previews a coming report from the bike lane advocacy organization Green Lane Project and the Alliance for Biking and Walking that shows how such lanes help local businesses.

September 18 - Green Lane Project

DC traffic scofflaws beware: You may be recorded! In one of the nation's most comprehensive use of traffic cameras, motorists who run stop signs or don't stop for peds in crosswalks could find a "ticket in the mail". Plus, 132 cameras will be added.

September 18 - The Washington Post

With a legacy of controversy dating back to the urban renewal schemes of the 1950s and 60s, arriving at a plan to develop a six-acre parcel on Manhattan's Lower East Side was no easy task. But after a collaborative process a vision has emerged.

September 18 - The New York Times

In the United States, homeownership has long been touted as a sign of personal success and national prosperity. But a comparison of homeownership levels to economic health across 41 countries shows an inverse correlation.

September 17 - The Atlantic Cities

Want to know how your city's spending on schools, police, and public works compares to others? The Lincoln Institute has created a new interactive database that for the first time allows apples-to-apples comparisons of city finances.

September 17 - At Lincoln House

For the first time since the start of the Great Recession, America's median household incomes and poverty levels didn't worsen. However, stagnant incomes weigh heavily on the majority of Americans, while the top earners continue to do well.

September 17 - The New York Times

In Vancouver, the presence of corner stores indicates diverse, dynamic, and affordable neighborhoods. But is the disappearance of such stores from neighborhoods across the city a sign that residential areas are becoming unbalanced?

September 17 - The Globe and Mail

Senator Steinberg's CEQA reform bill, SB 731, which we have been following all year, died - but many of the most important aspects - LOS, aesthetic and parking impacts, have been transferred to SB 743 (Kings Arena bill), though applied more narrowly.

September 17 - Streetsblog LA

Bowing to threats that Nevada would pull out of a regional planning compact, California lawmakers agreed to increase development around Lake Tahoe last week. Environmentalists who are challenging the plan see the agreement as a capitulation.

September 17 - Los Angeles Times

Disaster insurance isn’t just a pain in the neck. It could help us live better within a changing climate.

September 17 - The Conversation