The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Delhi’s unpleasant pollution predicament, and its ensuing health consequences, are causing environmentalists, doctors and local officials to grow increasingly alarmed.

January 1 - The New York Times

Please be careful if you're out walking late tonight and tomorrow: January 1st is the deadliest day of the year for pedestrians. The outlook for drivers isn't much better, writes Sarah Kliff.

December 31 - The Washington Post

BLOG POST

We've known for decades the better ways to do things, for greater urban health, sustainability, resiliency, vibrancy and economic success. So this year, let's resolve to have the will and skill to get past the short-term politics, the rhetoric, the market momentum, and the financial self-interest that has kept our better solutions from being realized.

December 31 - Brent Toderian

Mark Belko traces downtown Pittsburgh's rejuvenation since bottoming out three decades ago. The area's recent comeback, marked by a surging office market and residential renaissance, has some claiming that Downtown is better than ever.

December 31 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

One road, two counties, 19 cites - that's what and who is involved in a far-reaching plan to redesign El Camino Real, the first paved road in California, from Daly City in northern San Mateo County to San Jose in the heart of Santa Clara County.

December 31 - San Francisco Examiner

Bicyclists are hard to come by in South Africa. Two authors have gone in search of the reasons why a country with "so much poverty, often unwalkable commuter distances, and poor public transportation," lacks a larger bike culture.

December 31 - Los Angeles Times

Ever wonder why New York City drops an 11,875 pound ball on New Year's Eve? Onerous regulations, an indefatigable newspaper publisher, and New York's second tallest building fill Conor Friedersdorf's history of the Times Square ball drop.

December 31 - The Atlantic Cities

BLOG POST

From guerrilla wayfinding to future-tising, these are my top five, perhaps lesser known, highlights of a banner year for Tactical Urbanism.

December 30 - Mike Lydon

The opening of a half-mile trail along the Los Angeles River, after a decade of funding and construction snags, marks the latest step in the city's effort to reclaim its forsaken river as a public resource.

December 30 - Los Angeles Times

Finding the right price for carbon is no easy task. It needs to be high enough to encourage industries to reduce their emissions, but not too high so as to cause them to move out-of-state or make them uncompetitive with non-California competitors.

December 30 - The New York Times - Business Day - Energy & Environment

A Palestinian village near Jerusalem boasts old stone-walled farming terraces and irrigation channels from Roman times, but planners of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank want to build a route through the rare historical landscape.

December 30 - The Washington Post

Initiated during the depths of Ireland's financial crisis, carbon taxes have been effective in improving the country's environmental and economic outlook.

December 30 - The New York Times

What do you get for the smart city that thinks it has everything? Lauren Drell lists the 25 technologies every smart city should have.

December 30 - Mashable

Friday marked a milestone in the effort to bridge the gap between NYC's century-old subway system and emerging technologies; "a leap forward for a service that has lagged behind its peers both at home and abroad in adopting new technologies."

December 29 - The Wall Street Journal

As cities across the world look to convert aging and obsolete airfields to new uses, a growing body of repurposing success stories show "how problematic properties can be successfully converted," reports Christine Negroni.

December 29 - The New York Times

Of the thousands of historic homes across the country, many are seeing steep declines in visitors, reports J. Freedom du Lac. Consolidation and new technologies, such as smartphone apps, may be the best alternatives to closing doors.

December 29 - The Washington Post

What to do with 200 vacant, industrial acres bordering S.F. Bay in Newark, CA is no easy task for city planners who face activists, including environmentalists, skeptical of any development, let alone one of higher density.

December 29 - Reuters

NYC's recently released energy efficiency ratings are full of surprises: 1930s landmarks such as the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings outperformed later mid-century structures, as well as contemporary LEED-rated designs.

December 29 - The New York Times

Ah, the holiday season, when landscapes across the world are coated with a dusting of snow and those without it dream of a white Christmas. While one might expect such a scene in Kiev, you probably wouldn't expect it inside the city's subway.

December 28 - The Atlantic Cities

Eric Pryne reports on the online giant's unprecedented impact on Seattle's physical and real estate landscapes, as the company's "breathtaking" growth rejuvenates the downtown office market.

December 28 - The Seattle Times