The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Cars kill us and drive us crazy; while walking and biking improve our mental and physical health. So why do we design our cities for cars, asks Jeffrey Tumlin.

July 23 - Good

A new study by researchers at Children's and the University of Pennsylvania concludes that, contrary to popular perception, cities are safer than rural or suburban areas. Higher rates of fatal car accidents outside cities are largely to blame.

July 23 - philly.com

In an unusual move for governors loath to increase gas taxes, Mass. Governor Deval Patrick vetoed a bill not because it would raise and index gas taxes by three cents, but because the increase may not be big enough if Rt. 90 tolls are eliminated.

July 23 - Boston Examiner

With the installation of new parklets along Church Street in Toronto's Gay Village, the city is embracing a rethink of how its public spaces are used. While the elimination of parking spots may be heresy to many, Christopher Hume welcomes the change.

July 23 - Fast Company Co.Exist

One of Manhattan's most popular tourist attractions, the linear, elevated urban park that existed as a freight rail line as late as 1980, is also a means of commuting to work - but only for walkers as cycling is prohibited along the High Line.

July 23 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

In an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota's first 'residential redevelopment coordinator' works as a buffer between aggressive builders and residents upset about the side effects of mansionization.

July 23 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The federal government has a role to play in the financial crises afflicting cities across America, and most notably of late, in Detroit. Should Washington also play a role in helping them to recover?

July 23 - The Nation

A year after the city staged an Olympic games intended to provide a legacy of revitalization for East London, Oliver Wainwright checks in on the progress. While the early results are 'not auspicious', he still finds reason for optimism.

July 23 - The Guardian

In D.C.'s newly-crowned densest area, apartment rents average $2,700 a month, cocktails cost $16, and it's tough to get a table on a Tuesday night. 14th Street's rapid renewal, emblematic of the city's recession-era boom, has some residents chafing.

July 22 - The Washington Post

A new study presents the 'most detailed portrait yet' of the places in America where opportunities for, and obstacles to, upward mobility abound. The Southeast and industrial Midwest are the most difficult places to rise out of poverty.

July 22 - The New York Times

For the past half-century, the automobile has played a profound role in shaping the form of our cities and suburbs. A new book examines the effects cycle-centric planning will have on the built environment.

July 22 - The Guardian

Janette Sadik-Khan and Amanda Burden have been among the most visible proponents, and benefactors, of the progressive planning initiatives that've transformed New York City over the last decade. They'll take on the post-Bloomberg transition together.

July 22 - Crain's New York Business

Launched a decade ago, Vancouver's 'country lane' demonstration project proved how the city's back alleys could provide attractive and accessible open spaces. As the city seeks ways to provide more green space, it's time to revisit the experiment.

July 22 - National Post

Extreme temperatures aren’t just a public health concern: they also affect how we get around.

July 22 - Better Institutions

So much for the economic laws of supply and demand or "drilling our way" to cheap gas prices. It's not that simple when it comes to oil. Dan Strumpf explains what's behind the latest surge in oil prices. Oil markets and infrastructure play key roles.

July 22 - The Wall Street Journal

For five Democratic candidates vying to become New York City's next mayor, a weekend sleepover in East Harlem's Lincoln Houses project was part reality show and part reality check.

July 22 - New York Daily News

With its recent bankruptcy filing, Detroit has a plethora of challenges ahead of it. But the city is well positioned for growth, argue Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley, which will be as important for the city's renewal as fixing its fiscal problems.

July 22 - Brookings

A pop-up park in Williamsburg has brought bike tracks, an urban farm, an outdoor 'reading room', and other amenities to Brooklyn's historically industrial waterfront. Can the temporary oasis bring lasting change to its users?

July 22 - The Atlantic Cities

Throughout history, cities that built the tallest towers were the newbs and rubes of urbanization, proclaims land use attorney Bill Adams in this light hearted put-down of the architectural race for rarified air.

July 21 - UrbDeZine.com

The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.

July 21 - The Seattle Times