The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

By renewing Madison Square Garden's lease for only 10 years, New York's City Council signaled that relief for passengers using the city's dreadful Penn Station may be in sight. Which of Europe's loathsome stations might be next?

July 29 - The Guardian

It might be a stretch to think that attractive sidewalk bike racks will increase motorists' willingness to "share the road", but it helped a bike shop owner convince the city of Hayward, Calif. to approve the installation of the $450 racks.

July 29 - The Daily Review

BLOG POST

Many people believe that cities are dangerous due to exaggerated fears of urban crime. Cities are actually far safer and healthier than suburban and rural locations, and smart growth policies can further enhance their safety and health advantages.

July 29 - Todd Litman

Discussions over the potential benefits and drawbacks of driverless cars seemingly overlook one important question, says Allison Arieff: "[W]hy continue to design and plan for a car-based society?"

July 29 - The New York Times

With the impending bankruptcy of the Highway Trust Fund in October, 2014, a House Transportation & Infrastructure subcommittee invited two transportation experts - one from CBO the other from DOT, to lay out the stark facts - but did it do any good?

July 28 - Truckinginfo.com

BLOG POST

Although conservatives don't always support urbanism, neither do progressives.

July 28 - Michael Lewyn

Could 'the Hill' neighborhood in Talbot County, MD predate New Orleans' Treme as the nation's oldest continuously inhabited black community? That's what archaeologists are trying to find out in the back yard of the local women’s club.

July 28 - The Washington Post

With New Yorkers, and foreigners of means, increasingly smitten with the views afforded by the city's sprouting luxury residential towers, developers and brokers have found a novel way to sell lower-floor spaces - as 'mansions'.

July 28 - The New York Times

Lucas Lindsey explores the rise and fall of gas stations in the U.S. With stations closing across the country, and cities wrestling with how to reclaim them, he looks at some that have found a new life through reuse, redevelopment, or repositioning.

July 28 - This Big City

For anyone who has ridden in a high-speed train, the idea of a derailment is terrifying. Last week's crash of an Alvia train in Spain made such fears seem less irrational. Yonah Freemark examines whether high-speed rail is a safe mode of travel.

July 28 - CNN

As Director of Public Policy at Airbnb, Molly Turner has noticed she's the only planner in attendance at the Bay Area's myriad hackathons and conferences. As tech increasingly addresses urban issues, is it doomed to repeat planning's past mistakes?

July 27 - Next City

In the first of two articles looking at how Minneapolis-St. Paul can remain a prosperous and livable place, Jay Walljasper examines the Twin Cities' identity crisis.

July 27 - MinnPost

In advance of next year's mayoral race, the Washington City Paper has reached out to local leaders for their suggestions for how to fix one of the city's intractable problems. See their 28 detailed, and 26 simple, solutions.

July 27 - Washington City Paper

A Chinese developer is interested in erecting an exact replica of one of architecture's most notable lost buildings on the site where it burned to the ground in 1936.

July 27 - The Guardian

President Obama used a tour of Jaxport to promote infrastructure investment, e.g. accommodating larger ships and intermodal cargo transfer to trains to stimulate the economy and increase employment, and maybe convert some Republicans to the cause.

July 27 - The New York Times - Politics

Buzzfeed has posted a stunning video clip of the mad scramble to exit and board a train along Beijing's subway line #13 during the morning commute at Xierqi station. Calling it "rush hour" simply doesn't do this justice.

July 26 - BuzzFeed

We've found this week's ultimate time-waster! Slate has developed a map quiz that asks participants to guess which city is being depicted based solely on the geography of its Starbucks locations.

July 26 - Slate

The mass ride through city streets was originally intended to increase the visibility of bicyclists. Though it still attracts participants, as bicycling has been embraced as a mainstream mode, Critical Mass has lost its relevance, says Joe Eskenazi.

July 26 - SF Weekly

Charles Montgomery discusses the findings of a fascinating study on the responses of residents and visitors to different environments in New York, Berlin and Mumbai. The results hint at the impact of experience and memory on how we perceive a place.

July 26 - happycity/lab

Reconecting America has assembled its Transit Space Race guide for 2013, a handy interactive map and spreadsheet of the 721 fixed guideway projects being planned or built across the U.S. The projects represent more than $250 billion in investments.

July 26 - Reconnecting America