The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

According to SF State University geographer, Jason Henderson, the adoption of Plan Bay Area by MTC and ABAG last Thursday was a "watershed moment in regional planning", but it also was a missed opportunity to improve transit to capture more trips.

July 26 - San Francisco Bay Guardian

With five routes already in operation, New York City leaders are getting the taste for bus rapid transit. This week, one city council member introduced a bill that would require the city to develop a plan for a citywide BRT network.

July 26 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

A recent fight over school-bus service in Loudoun County, Virginia highlights the ways in which suburban growth patterns hamper walkability and harm the health of children.

July 26 - NRDC Switchboard

As much as architects and critics may hate the term, "we are going to be stuck with 'starchitect' until everybody with a keyboard agrees to retire it," says Guy Horton. So how can architects - star or not - make the term work for them?

July 26 - ArchDaily

For a century, energy companies have been digging up Louisiana's coast for exploration and pipelines. A state board that oversees flood-protection has now sued them for destroying the coastal wetlands that stood as a natural buffer against flooding.

July 26 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

Buried beneath the enthusiasm that’s accompanied the unveiling of Peter Zumthor’s design for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is one important criteria by which the project should be evaluated: how does it contribute to the urban environment?

July 25 - Jonathan Nettler

The long quest to transform Penn Station got a major boost yesterday when the New York City Council voted to renew Madison Square Garden's lease for just 10 years. The Garden's owners had sought an unlimited extension.

July 25 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

The unprecedented decline in Arctic sea ice could cause the catastrophic release of methane, imperiling the world's climate and economy, reports a new paper published in the journal Nature.

July 25 - The Guardian

As part of a study into potential changes to D.C.'s Height of Buildings Act requested by Congress, the results of an economic feasibility analysis were presented this week. Relaxing limits would create jobs and several thousand new housing units.

July 25 - The Washington Post

Michael Kimmelman comes out against the plan to rezone a 73-block area around Grand Central Terminal to allow the replacement of "aging commercial buildings with giant new office towers". The city should focus on planning, not zoning, he argues.

July 25 - The New York Times

79 people are confirmed to have died so far in Spain's most deadly train accident in 40 years. The accident involved an Alvia train traveling from Madrid to Ferrol that was said to be operating at more than twice the advised speed when it derailed.

July 25 - El Pais

Driven by student activism and less idealistic motivations for improving energy efficiency, college campuses across the Unites States are pioneering 'innovative approaches to rethinking energy infrastructure'.

July 25 - The Atlantic Cities

Planning professor Doug Kelbaugh lives in one of the few neighborhoods outside Manhattan with a perfect 100 Walk Score. His brother's house in South Carolina has a Walk Score of 1. Kelbaugh reflects on the extremes, and what they mean.

July 25 - Congress for the New Urbanism

Residents of New Jersey, and particularly its coastal communities, have an emotional connection to the state's seaside towns. But in the rush to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy, Scott Gurian asks if emotion is getting in the way of good planning.

July 25 - NJ Spotlight

When it comes to meeting the transit needs of millennials, real time information about train arrivals is as important as the transit itself. This is one of the key findings of a New York MTA survey conducted to inform strategies for the future.

July 25 - The New York Times N.Y. - Region

London-based Transport for All bemoans the inaccessibility of our urban environs for older residents. In this article, they ask designer Neil Chambers how he would design a city to 'facilitate an active and flexible lifestyle for the elderly.'

July 25 - Bettery Magazine

In a wide-ranging interview with Metropolis Magazine, CNU founding member Peter Calthorpe opines on China's planning process, the future of America's suburbs, CA high-speed rail, and why he would retire the term 'transit oriented development'.

July 24 - Metropolis POV Blog

There are now 227,000 individuals and families on the NYC Housing Authority's wait list for subsidized apartments, more than the city's entire public housing stock. With only 5,400 to 5,800 units available annually, the list is a dead end for most.

July 24 - The New York Times

This summer marks a key moment in the effort to transform the Los Angeles River from eyesore to amenity. A newly announced greenway plan and much-delayed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study could fundamentally change the river's course.

July 24 - Los Angeles Times

Just outside of downtown, and a short walk from the Detroit River, developer McCormack Baron Salazar is planning to build a new neighborhood of town houses, apartments, and retail on mostly vacant land - a $60 million bet on the city's future.

July 24 - Detroit Free Press