The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Home prices are rising throughout the U.S., signaling a sustained recovery of the housing market. But declining homeownership rates and record levels of burdensome housing costs point to a recovery that's only benefiting some Americans.

June 27 - Housing Perspectives

A multifaceted £100 billion infrastructure modernization plan for the UK was announced this week by Treasury Minister Danny Alexander. The opposition Labour party is objecting to the timeline for the investments, which aren't due to start until 2015.

June 27 - BBC News

Online car services like Uber and Lyft have waged highly publicized regulatory and political battles in NYC, D.C., and elsewhere. After the city sent out cease-and-desist letters to companies this week, L.A. has emerged as the newest battleground.

June 27 - Quartz

Despite a prickly political atmosphere, the Seattle suburb of Bainbridge Island recently transformed the main artery of its town center, Winslow Way, in what author Mark Hinshaw, FAIA, calls “a really cool way.”

June 27 - Crosscut.com

Writing in Foreign Policy, The Tyee's prolific environmental writer, Andrew Nikiforuk, blasts Canada for becoming a "rogue, reckless petrostate" due to its economic dependence on exporting oil. He holds Prime Minister Stephen Harper responsible.

June 27 - Foreign Policy

If there's one common thread uniting the recent protests in Brazil and Turkey, it's the growing inequality evident in cities, and the inability (or disinterest) of the public sector in bridging that gap through public services.

June 27 - The Daily Beast

Seeing an opportunity to cut costs, attract residents, and respond to changing demands of tenants, commercial and residential developers in the Seattle area are investing in amenities for bicyclists.

June 27 - Puget Sound Business Journal

Homeownership is slipping out of reach for many Americans, caused largely by the lack of affordable housing inventory. There is a solution to the inventory shortage that many buyers, advocates and policymakers are overlooking: Manufactured Housing.

June 27 - Rooflines

With two City Council committee votes this week, civic groups and New York's most prominent architecture critic appear to have won their very public battle to ultimately boot Madison Square Garden from atop Penn Station, reports Matt Chaban.

June 27 - Crain's New York Business

A new study by the Sonoran Institute finds unmet demand for walkable neighborhoods in the western American states of Idaho, Montana and Colorado. In these states, houses in walkable areas sell for markedly more than in sprawling areas.

June 27 - DC.Streetsblog

The movement to dismantle the twin viaducts that hover over Vancouver's downtown reaches a crucial milestone today, as the City Council votes to fund the study of how to transform "the last, large, under-utilized area close to the city’s core."

June 26 - The Globe and Mail

The centerpiece of a $500 million plan for redeveloping New Orleans' riverfront is an 'iconic' sculpture, replacing the empty World Trade Center tower. Roberta Brandes Gratz argues the city should focus on small steps instead of a tourism boondoggle.

June 26 - The Lens

From car-shaped shelters for cargo bikes in Copenhagen to a bike path that runs through the middle of one of Amsterdam's most visited museums, Sarah Goodyear surveys some of the most innovative bicycle infrastructure projects in the world.

June 26 - The Atlantic Cities

After years of dramatically rising rents, relief for D.C.'s renters may have finally arrived. A weakened local economy combined with a glut of new properties on the market (and more coming) will lead to more leasing discounts for area residents.

June 26 - The Washington Post

The premise behind the energy benchmarking laws found in many cities is that they will induce owners to increase the efficiency of their buildings. But a new report questions whether the investment in data collection leads to changes in energy use.

June 26 - Governing

With great fanfare, St. Louis put out an RFP last year to study the conversion of a portion of the elevated I-70 highway separating downtown St. Louis from its historic riverfront into a boulevard. That study has been scrapped for vague reasons.

June 26 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

In advance of President Obama's long-awaited speech on climate change, NPR looked at climate adaptation - preparing for the environmental changes it will cause. Rising sea level is the topic. In the U.S., two cities stand out: New York and Miami.

June 26 - NPR

The long-running saga surrounding Frank Gehry's design for a memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower may actually be heading towards a resolution with last week's vote of approval from the Eisenhower Memorial Commission.

June 26 - The Washington Post

The Supreme Court's ruling Tuesday in the Koontz case could have a chilling effect on all negotiations between government agencies and developers, says Bill Fulton. Are Alito and Kagan on the same planet?

June 26 - California Planning & Development Report

While cities in the developing world embrace the chaos and risk inherent in their informal landscapes, the Western world excels at regulation. But this dynamic is starting to change, to the dismay of incumbent industries and establishment regulators.

June 26 - Next City