The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In the eight years since Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast states have made great strides in adopting new visions for their cities and towns. A new report outlines the recovery's progress, pointing to successes in housing and transportation.

September 3 - The Sun Herald

Kenneth T. Jackson of the New York Times expresses his opposition to recent density concerns in New York City, which he believes are compromising its future as the world’s greatest city.

September 3 - The New York Times

Patrick Morrissy discusses his experience with HANDS, a small-scale community development corporation that's made a big impact in Orange, N.J. CDCs can stay relevant, he says, not if they go to scale, but if they take risks in a leadership role.

September 2 - Shelterforce

According to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, 1.7 billion pounds of toxic cigarette butts are casually discarded each year around the world, fouling city streets and natural environments. Illinois has decided to do something about the scourge.

September 2 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Sacramento reporter John Myers suggests that if the oil industry and the Sierra Club both oppose a fracking bill - one for going too far; the other for not going far enough - then state Senator Fran Pavley's bill, "must be doing something right".

September 2 - News 10/KXTV Sacramento

Ever wish your nearby park could follow you throughout the city, providing open space wherever you might be? An artist and landscape architect have created Parkcycle Swarm, a modular system of 'human powered mobile gardens'.

September 2 - THE DIRT

Federal requirements often aren't enough incentive for municipalities to create accessible playgrounds, so parent advocates are paving the way for kids with special needs to access playgrounds.

September 2 - NPR

BLOG POST

Advocating safety for the successful electric replacement of internal combustion engine cars solves many of the challenges of an automobile-inclusive future urbanity, and there will be no other kind.

September 1 - Ian Sacs

The Economist's Intelligence Unit has once again ranked Melbourne as the top city in its annual Global Liveability Ranking. Damascus has dropped to the bottom of the list due to Syria's ongoing civil war.

September 1 - The Economist

Nissan has become the first car company to commit to a date for selling self-driving cars in an announcement this week. And it won't just be one model for sale by 2020, Nissan will produce "multiple 'commercially viable' self-driving vehicles."

September 1 - USA Today

George Skelton, capitol journalist for the LA Times, argues for compromise on Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's SB 731 that weaves a tight line between labor & environmentalists vowing to uphold CEQA and businesses demanding reform.

September 1 - Los Angeles Times

A Donald Shoup devotee offers new insight into the problems and solutions associated with parking in Los Angeles and other cities. Urban Planning professor Richard Willson says it'll cost you, but parking systems are going to get more efficient.

September 1 - The Eastsider LA

With an election looming, the fate of one of Sydney's landmarks rests with voters as current Prime MInister Kevin Rudd suggests selling Garden Island should he be re-elected. Stephen Nicholls and Antony Lawes consider the site's future.

September 1 - Sydney Morning Herald

While Tongva Park's design may not be as bold as what James Corner has demonstrated on other projects or initially envisioned here, we should celebrate its planning, execution, and political sophistication, says Christopher Hawthorne.

August 31 - Los Angeles Times

Ever since a tentative deal for a new sports arena was struck between the City of Sacramento and new owners of the Sacramento Kings, real estate activity around the proposed downtown location has increased including deals for long empty storefronts.

August 31 - The Sacramento Bee

Somerville, a 4.2-square-mile city outside of Boston, has successfully attracted young, educated people, but many worry what an influx of 'hipsters' will do to the small city.

August 31 - The Boston Globe

Changes to the criteria for evaluating applications for the federal New Starts program could have a significant impact on efforts to preserve and expand affordable housing in close proximity to transit.

August 31 - Rooflines

In an echo of the urban inversion confronting many of America's cities, London's phenomenal economic growth over the past decade has come at the expense of the city's suburbs, where unemployment and poverty are growing. Could this be a good thing?

August 31 - The Economist

Satirical newspaper The Onion has released the results of a nationwide poll to determine what the country's residents associate with the word "America". Rather than apple pie, the flag, or baseball, the resounding choice was a strip mall parking lot.

August 30 - The Onion

Non-profit group works to improve efficiency of local governments with technology hacks.

August 30 - Los Angeles Times