The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Reporting from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where a 2008 flood devastated 14% of this city of 126,000, John Eligon writes of the extensive rebuilding that has occurred in the flood plain - largely without protection from future floods.

July 14 - The New York Times - U.S.

In addition to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Jersey City, add Cleveland to the list of cities inspired by New York's High Line to consider converting its old rail infrastructure into an open space amenity.

July 14 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

With bike use exploding across North America, The New York Times has asked its readers to submit their suggestions for how best to navigate their city streets on two wheels. Covering 16 cities, the project has received 4,614 comments to date.

July 14 - The New York Times

In the first in a series of articles exploring 'infrastructure solutions for the next generation', Cynthia Barnett examines the creative ways that communities are solving the problems caused by old and overtaxed water systems.

July 14 - Orion Magazine

Seemingly forgotten in D.C.'s rush to revitalize its once run-down neighborhoods is the allocation of new parks and open space, says Aaron Wiener. Are planners repeating the same mistake in the transitioning Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood?

July 14 - Washington City Paper

John M. Broder writes about a new U.S. Department of Energy report released July 11th that details the vulnerability of the nation's entire energy system to climate change effects - from droughts, intense storms, rising seas, lower river levels...

July 13 - The New York Times - U.S.

We've recently looked at the shortage of bike parking plaguing cities like Amsterdam. Designers are on the case, inventing 'ingenious ideas' for parking all those bikes. Ben Schiller looks at five of the best.

July 13 - Fast Company Co.Exist

The fact that New York is loud is unlikely to surprise anyone. But despite decades of noise abatement efforts, the contributors to noise pollution keep multiplying. As scientists recognize the multitude of negative health impacts, what can be done?

July 13 - The New York Times

In a feature article and provocative editorial, The Architect's Newspaper seeks to examine the lead role that architects are playing in 'laying out the future of cities'.

July 13 - The Architect's Newspaper

While much of America’s southwest and inter-mountain west battles blazing forest fires, Magdalena, NM faces a less spectacular but equally fearsome crisis: a municipal system no longer capable of delivering water to the village's 938 residents.

July 13 - This Big City

Leave it up to the fine folks at Copenhagenize, the cycling crusaders, to produce a fake commercial based on the real dangers of car driving, rather than the fantasy sold by car companies in their advertisements.

July 12 - Copenhagenize

Jared Green looks at the floating forest that has made itself home aboard the decommissioned SS Ayrfield, 'a 1,140-tonne behemoth built in 1911 as a steam collier', that can be found bobbing in Australia's Homebush Bay.

July 12 - THE DIRT

Rick Poynor composes a photo essay that documents compelling street art found along his recent travels in Portugal and Spain. For Poyner, its not the wall-filling murals that interest him, but rather 'collectively composed street marking'.

July 12 - Observatory

At $23,550, the federal poverty line is a blunt instrument used to measure the nuances of affordability. A tool provided by the Economic Policy Institute shows how much more a family needs to make for a modicum of security in cities across the U.S.

July 12 - The Atlantic Cities

As the back-to-the-city movement takes hold, cities are turning old industrial buildings into distinctive spaces prized as offices and lofts. St. Louis is trying to figure out how to preserve their legacy assets from crumbling as they await new life.

July 12 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The creator of the TED conference has teamed up with Esri to develop an innovative interactive exhibit and online mapping tool to compare 16 global cities along 16 data points, including: population density, open space, and traffic.

July 12 - Fast Company Co.Exist

While Staten Island and Rockaway, Queens also suffered devastation from Superstorm Sandy; Broad Channel, an island in Jamaica Bay, Queens, may be the lowest lying area in the City and endures tidal flooding regularly, not just from storm surges.

July 12 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

More and more local governments are adopting complete streets policies. But gaps in implementation in these places suggests that the building of actual complete streets is dependent on a true culture shift. Angie Schmitt looks at the obstacles.

July 12 - DC.Streetsblog

Recent studies report a noted decrease in traffic congestion in the D.C. area. Robert McCartney credits two trends and asks how the area should spend additional transportation revenues that will be generated by recent tax increases.

July 12 - The Washington Post

Access to affordable healthy food is a problem in poor communities throughout the U.S. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and a local non-profit have developed one way to quickly boost the healthy food infrastructure in food deserts.

July 12 - Daily News