The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Since the 1990s, Maryland has been at the forefront of Smart Growth planning at the statewide level. However, a new study shows that the state's incentive-based approach may not be adequate for inducing the changes envisioned by planners.

June 3 - The Atlantic Cities

The protests that've gripped Istanbul, and several other Turkish cities in recent days, reflect tensions over the 'autocratic ambitions' of the country's government and the cultural transformations it has pushed through grand redevelopment projects.

June 3 - The New York Times

The Detroit Zoo's 'healthy, breeding female giraffe'? A classic Ford XD Cobra prototype? Belle Isle? Mark Stryker and John Gallagher look at some of the city-owned assets that could be sold to help pay off the city's monstrous debt.

June 3 - Detroit Free Press

The rejection may ultimately doom the $6 billion pipeline to transport Alberta's oil sands crude west through British Columbia for export. Final word is reserved for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but many say an overturn would be highly unusual.

June 3 - CBC News

Ginia Bellafante looks at the fate of a public housing project conceived with much fanfare in the early 1970s by progressive architects following the theory of 'Defensible Space' authored by architect and planner Oscar Newman.

June 3 - The New York Times

A case making its way through the California courts pits Orange County versus the Sierra Club. At stake is the availability of publicly held GIS data at a reasonable cost.

June 3 - ORCA Litigation & Advisory LLC

In two new exhibits on Los Angeles's modern architectural history - part of the sprawling Pacific Standard Time Presents initiative - the city's infamous infatuation with the automobile is examined and then left behind in the rear-view mirror.

June 3 - LA Weekly

The mayors of Canada's 22 largest municipalities are pushing the federal government to extend a subsidy program used to assist 600,000 low-income households that is due to expire next year.

June 3 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

Small business owners who drive themselves nuts arguing against the reuse of on-street parking with other balanced transportation solutions is a shame because there is so much good data to prove it's actually very good for business.

June 3 - Ian Sacs

While the launch of NYC's bike share program was all the rage in the U.S. last week, Moscow began a program of its own with 220 red bikes at 30 stations. Sally McGrane frames it more as a 'triumph for political activism' than a commuting revolution.

June 3 - The New Yorker

If you only listened to the IBMs of the world, you'd think the path to building better cities was through high tech solutions. But old fashioned dialogue and discussion, facilitated by some low tech platforms, works best, argues Alec Appelbaum.

June 3 - The New York Times

The migrants that have swelled China's cities in recent decades still remain 'second-class citizens', unable to sell their rural land or have access to public services like schools or medical care. Will the country's new leaders change this?

June 2 - The Economist

A new report tallies the cost to public coffers incurred by Walmart employees who rely on public-assistance programs to supplement their low wages. The report should provide food for thought for any community seeking to attract the retail giant.

June 2 - Huff Post Business

In the Central Florida city of Eatonville, Mayor Bruce Mount has been leading morning walks since 2011. Their popularity have helped improve residents' health and opened eyes as to the need for more pedestrian-friendly environments.

June 2 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Ben Austen traces how foreclosures, crime, and depopulation have decimated areas in the South and West Sides of Chicago, and the 'do-it-yourself empowerment zones' that are trying to make use of vacant properties and turn around these neighborhoods.

June 2 - The New York Times

Seven months to the day after Superstorm Sandy ravaged Rockaway, Queens and took out most of the A-line, the subway opened after a round-the-clock, $75 million restoration of much of the line from Howard Beach south. But locals may prefer the ferry!

June 2 - Daily News

A new infographic shows in elegant detail exactly how much individual sources and sectors contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. Brad Plumer parses the data.

June 1 - The Washington Post

Developers have announced plans for 'one of the largest real estate projects in Minneapolis history.' The ambitious proposal for a five block area in the city's downtown east neighborhood could be a catalyst to transform the 'largely barren' area.

June 1 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

City leaders from the Mayor on down recognize that infill development is necessary to create a more livable Los Angeles. So why does the public sector allow so many obstacles to stand in the way of small-scale development?

June 1 - The Architect's Newspaper

This week, the NHTSA issued the federal government's first directive on the benefits and hurdles related to the introduction of self-driving cars. The guidelines should make it easier for companies to develop autonomous technologies.

June 1 - Los Angeles Times