The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Can dynamic digital globes compete with flatter technologies like today’s iPad? Mark Vanhoenacker explores some of the possibilities these modern spheres may bring to places of work, study and play.

January 11 - New York Times

After 25 years, Santa Clara's light rail has failed to live up to its promise, proving to be “among the least successful in the nation” reports Mike Rosenberg, while “serving as a constant reminder that the car is still king in Silicon Valley."

January 11 - Oroville Mercury Register

This week the L.A. City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee forwarded to the full council a progressive bike parking ordinance that could dramatically change how developers provide parking for both bikes and autos, reports Damien Newton.

January 11 - LA.Streetsblog

Why not increase the sales tax on all goods, eliminate the state gas tax, and then redirect general fund money from paying for public education, safety, parks, etc. to roads?

January 11 - The Washington Post

Nashville has flourished economically and culturally with new residents, immigrants, tourists and country music. Kim Severson discusses how this traditionally Southern city has gained the nation's fancy.

January 11 - The New York Times

Edward L. Glaeser takes the recent purchase of Zipcar by Avis as the jumping-off point for an essay on the ways that technology, which once aided the sprawling suburban lifestyle, can now amplify the sharing of infrastructure by city dwellers.

January 11 - The Boston Globe

Thomas Erdbrink spotlights the efforts of the dedicated individuals that are trying to reverse decades of neglect and destruction of the traditional courtyard homes that are a 'cornerstone of Iranian architecture.'

January 10 - The New York Times

For anyone who's tried to commute between the San Fernando Valley and L.A.'s Westside during rush hour, it's clear the existing options just don't work. LA County is now considering six options - from BRT to rail tunnels - to help ease congestion.

January 10 - The Atlantic Cities

Some of the most popular apps - from Google Maps to Yelp - let you take the guesswork out of planning your urban agenda. But for those that still want to experience the delight of spontaneous discovery, a new generation of app will help you get lost.

January 10 - POLIS

While the fiscal cliff talks did not increase the gas tax as some transportation analysts had hoped, it did increase a benefit that many commuters who ride public transit will appreciate, particularly those whose monthly expenses total $240.

January 10 - Sierra Club Compass

In Massachusetts, transportation funding is one of the key issues to be addressed by the state legislature this year. James Aloisi, former Transportation Secretary, offers an inventive way to fund Transit Improvement Districts.

January 10 - Governing

What is it about historic downtowns that makes them so darned attractive, and unlike the placeless architecture spreading across our urban landscapes? Graeme Sharpe looks at the "basic recipe" that created these admired environments.

January 10 - Urban Indy

After 5 decades of abandonment, and recent inspiration from the much-lauded High Line, a rusty railway stretching three-and-a-half miles through central Queens may become NYC’s next elevated greenway.

January 10 - New York Times

From bicycle planning to mapping to infrastructure expansion, counties and cities throughout the state are pushing forward with efforts to increase bicycling opportunities, reports Candy Thomson.

January 10 - The Baltimore Sun

Whet Moser looks at the revival of the intercity bus industry, despite its past inadequacies and stigmas. He discusses a new report that details the elements contributing to today's bus boom.

January 10 - Chicago Magazine

It may be hard to remember now that the winter weather has many dreaming of an escape to a warm beach, but last year's scorching temperatures set the record for the hottest year ever in the United States - by far.

January 10 - The New York Times

Following the death of pioneering architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, those writers who've followed the trail that she blazed have offered their eloquent appreciations for her impact.

January 9 - Vanity Fair

Now that the powerful Community Redevelopment Agency is dead, Los Angeles is considering consolidating economic development efforts, using new money that flows to the city post-redevelopment.

January 9 - California Planning & Development Report

After two years of work, hundreds of meetings, and 70,000 survey responses and comments from participants, Detroit will today release the strategic framework plan that will guide the city's long-term recovery, reports Leonard N. Fleming.

January 9 - The Detroit News

Today, the American Planning Association announced the 18 recipients of 2013 National Planning Excellence Awards and the 12 recipients of the first-ever National Planning Achievement Awards.

January 9 - APA