The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

California's population grew by nearly 1 percent last year, driven by growth in the Bay Area and the state's other urban areas. In a significant milestone, the state built more multifamily dwellings than single-family homes for the first time.

May 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

A private collection of 38,000 historical maps has been added to the Digital Public Library of America, reports Rebecca Rosen, making it more accessible to researchers and anyone interested in the history of their community.

May 2 - The Atlantic

Patrick J. Kiger looks at the global trends that will impact urban landscapes over the next 50 years and explores two competing visions for the future of land use.

May 2 - Urban Land

Alex Schmidt looks at efforts to re-'train' L.A. drivers to use the city's growing rail network. Planners are focusing on rezoning areas within a 10-minute walk from stations, but face obstacles in blending density with single-family districts.

May 2 - NPR Morning Edition

The elimination of extreme poverty - daily income below $1.25 - has long been a goal of the U.N., the World Bank, and development experts. The world's mass urbanization is a leading reason that quixotic goal may actually be achievable by 2030.

May 2 - The New York Times

Much of the future built environment will be determined by how commercial sites are developed, says Robert Steuteville. And it's up to cities and towns to demand better retail designs.

May 2 - Better! Cities & Towns

Soon to be unveiled plans for a $650 million redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art by Pritzker Prize winning architect Peter Zumthor "would rank as one of the most significant works of architecture to rise in Los Angeles," if completed.

May 2 - Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

Often times, what we think of as a plan is just an elaborate wish.

May 2 - Norman Wright

The UK's supreme court ruled this week that the government has failed to live up to its legal obligation to curb air pollution, in breach of an EU air quality directive.

May 2 - The Guardian

Vermont became the third state this year to legislatively increase its gas tax when Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the bill on April 29 that raises the gas tax by 5.9-cents and the diesel tax by 2-cents on July 1 and 1-cent next year.

May 1 - BurlingtonFreePress.com

As cash strapped communities look to maximize their return on investment, a potent argument can be made for leveraging significant investments already made in a city's legacy assets to drive economic development.

May 1 - philly.com

The world is full of millions of abandoned buildings; unused resources that drag down their surrounding communities. One website aims to provide advocates with the tools to reactivate them, writes Ben Schiller.

May 1 - Fast Company Co.Exist

The Bay Area has the nation's third highest rate of pedestrian deaths over the last decade. And one-third of those killed between 2007-11 were in a crosswalk when struck. However most drivers at fault faced no serious consequences.

May 1 - The Bay Citizen

The divergent routes to approvals for two apartment complex developments just a mile apart show how important it is to engage both government and the surrounding community early in the process.

May 1 - The Washington Post

Just when you thought the clouds were clearing to allow the long-awaited start of construction of California's first high-speed rail segment, a number of obstacles are conspiring to delay construction for some time.

May 1 - Los Angeles Times

Since their resurrection in Seaside 30 years ago, roughly 300 form-based codes (FBCs) have been adopted. By their very nature FBCs faces many hurdles.

May 1 - Better! Cities & Towns

To accomodate America's expected population growth by 2050, the country will need to build up to 74 million new homes. This challenge presents a unique opportunity to reshape our urban environment, says Enrique Penalosa, the former mayor of Bogota.

May 1 - Urban Land

Yonah Freemark writes about the expiration of the nation's five-year rail investment program that funds the FRA, Amtrak, and freight rail - separate from MAP 21, and suggests that without a new funding source, don't expect to see any increases.

May 1 - the transport politic

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is fast approaching levels not seen for millions of years. At 400 parts per million (p.p.m.), the planet is fast approaching the point of no return for avoiding dangerous climate change.

May 1 - Nature

Following Monday's announcement by President Obama of his surprise selection to be the next transportation secretary, observers dig deeper into what the American people can expect from federal transportation policy under Anthony Foxx.

April 30 - Governing