The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Lacking public open space in downtown Vancouver, the city is taking a nonconventional approach and closing one block off to traffic for the summer months to allow for a pedestrian-oriented public square.

February 24 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Tom Stafford opines on the reasons why cyclists enrage car drivers. He argues that "motorists hate cyclists because they think they offend the moral order."

February 24 - BBC

Pike Place Market, one of Seattle's most visited tourist sites, and one of the prime models for the rediscovered allure of America's public markets, is primed for a significant expansion thanks to a recently approved agreement.

February 24 - Crosscut

In our increasingly image obsessed world, the art of architectural photography has attained extraordinary currency in communicating and selling design to the public, politicians, and other professionals. Hana Cohn lists the top 25 working today.

February 24 - Complex

An alliance of organizations in the United Kingdom has agreed on a policy statement promoting smart growth alternatives to current policies.

February 24 - Brownfield Briefing

With the AIA's Architecture Billings Index at its highest level since November 2007, the future is promising for a profession that's been battered for five solid years. Can the construction industry be far behind? Matt Chaban digs into the numbers.

February 23 - Crain's New York Business

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Huffington Post have launched an online platform for Americans to vote on the Mayor's Challenge competition proposals. The 20 finalists' revised proposals are now online.

February 23 - Huffington Post

The newest craze for improving the health of Angelenos isn't an all-liquid diet or a Brazilian exercise regimen; it's a new approach to land use regulation being championed by the County and City of Los Angeles.

February 23 - LA.Streetsblog

Buoyed by a recovering real estate market, and a race to build the tallest and most exclusive residential towers in the city, Manhattan is experiencing a surge in air-rights deals. Robin Finn explores the nuances of this complex market.

February 23 - The New York Times

Los Angeles County Planner Dr. Clement Lau reviews "The Art of Urban Sketching" (2012) by Gabriel Campanario. The volume has added to his planning skill set and allowed him to discover his inner artist.

February 23 - UrbDeZine.com

BuzzFeed has gathered 38 prime examples of "maps you never knew you needed." And while some are fascinating (such as how much space the world's population would take up if everyone lived in one city) others are just Ludacris.

February 22 - BuzzFeed

The Sierra Club has opposed an ordinance passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that allows developers to add spaces above parking limits if they're dedicated to car-share vehicles. Does the plan violate the city's Transit First policy?

February 22 - Transportation Nation

Schools are a prime driver of housing choices and transportation behavior. So why are schools and children often missing from the planning process? Ruth Miller diagnoses the problem and looks at how we can change it.

February 22 - Colab Radio

On a recent visit to India, UK Prime Minister David Cameron offered his country's assistance in planning and developing nine new cities along a 600-mile corridor linking Mumbai and Bangalore by 2030.

February 22 - The Economic Times

A new study finds that high commodity prices and a biofuels rush have led to rates of grassland loss in America's northern Plains “comparable to deforestation rates in Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia.” Brad Plumer discusses the impacts.

February 22 - The Washington Post

As applications proliferate that take advantage of open data, it's becoming clear that some may be counterproductive for a city's bottom line. Take SpotAgent, for example, the new tool in the "technological arms race of urban parking."

February 22 - The Atlantic Cities

WI Gov. Scott Walker's proposal is to sell-off state assets, primarily state power plants to finance his transportation plan, thus linking rate payers with funding road projects. His transportation commission recommended raising the gas tax and fees.

February 22 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

Louisville will be the testing ground for an initiative that seeks to develop technologies to increase the engagement between low-income city residents and their local governments.

February 22 - Living Cities

Like any tool, form-based codes must be wielded skillfully for beautiful results. Hazel Borys kicks off a series on ways we go awry.

February 22 - PlaceShakers

As the cruise industry grows, being a port of call is an increasingly lucrative proposition. However, many cities are having a hard time balancing "the economic benefits of cruise ships against their cultural and environmental impact."

February 22 - The New York Times