The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The U.S. birth rate is now at the lowest recorded level ever - or at least since record-keeping began in 1920. Births were increasing but plunged after the 2007 recession. The biggest decrease is among immigrant groups, particularly Mexican women.

December 3 - Pew Research Center

Washington D.C. is embarking on the first update to its zoning code since 1958. In advance of consideration by the city's Zoning Commission next spring, controversy has erupted around - you guessed it - parking!

December 3 - The Washington Post

Data visualizations show the daily ebb and flow of public transit traffic in world's major cities.

December 2 - Wired

Could the nascent plan for Gateway Park satiate Minneapolitans suffering from downtown park envy?

December 2 - MinnPost

Planetizen blogger Brent Toderian returns from a recent trip to Barcelona with six ideas every city should steal from the Catalonian capital.

December 2 - The Atlantic Cities

Planning a trip to NYC over the holidays? In a recent editorial, William Menking argues that “for visitors to New York, the place to look for the most exciting architectural ideas is not the city streets, but the walls of galleries and museums.”

December 2 - The Architect's Newspaper

According to Chris Peck, “Better cycling infrastructure, an enforced road traffic law and a reduction in the space available to motor traffic are all required to get cycling growing again in London.”

December 2 - The Guardian (UK)

This week, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority made public its request for $5 billion in federal aid to rebuild what was damaged during Superstorm Sandy. But a look at the details reveals an ambitious agenda for improvements.

December 1 - The New York Times

Derek Thompson discusses the findings of a new study from the Brookings Institution that ranks the world's 300 biggest cities by GDP and job growth over the past year. Put simply, China is growing and Europe is slowing.

December 1 - The Atlantic

Sick of reading about all the work that must be done to slow and mitigate the impact of global warming? A growing number of scientists are investigating how to "make climate change work for us."

December 1 - The New York Times

Don't call these modern apartments SROs - they go by 'micro-apartments', and they just received a significant approval, 375 of them, that is. One more step awaits: Mayor Ed Lee must give his blessing, and he appears rather non-committal.

December 1 - San Francisco Chronicle

Matt Chaban reports on the making of “the Upper East Side’s very own High Line." Current proposals seek not only to "re-pedestrianize" Park Avenue, but also to restore some of its turn of the century glory.

December 1 - The New York Observer

Richard Florida uses the Kardashian clan's takeover of the North Miami community of San Souci for a lesson in urban economics and "negative externalities."

November 30 - The Atlantic Cities

The new American household is much like the old multigenerational household that existed before World War II, recent population trends show. And builders are responding by offering "bonus" and "flex" rooms, while circumventing outdated zoning.

November 30 - The New York Times

While the federal government has dithered on comprehensive programs to limit greenhouse gas emissions, states and cities have led such efforts. Climate change skeptics are now leading efforts to reverse state renewable energy mandates across the US.

November 30 - The Washington Post

As Britain confronts the silent epidemic of inactivity and obesity, Peter Walker examines how the invisible dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are compared to the more publicized risk of injury from activities designed to get people moving.

November 30 - The Guardian

Thanks to a $2 million federal grant, New Orleans is embarking on a study focused on improving the city's Claiborne Avenue corridor, which sits adjacent to an elevated stretch of Interstate 10. The project's public outreach effort begins next month.

November 30 - The Times-Picayune

It's still far from clear what the political outcome of Syria's civil war will be. But for the country's built environment, the effects are stunningly evident. Millions of buildings have been damaged or destroyed since March 2011.

November 30 - Los Angeles Times

Howard Blackson's "Next Urbanism Lab" series looks at recent trends and lessons learned for urban designers. While the Bilbao Effect, the Vancouver Model, the High Line, and Active Living may provide seductive role models, local insight is key.

November 30 - PlaceShakers

Driverless cars, 'super elite" fliers, and more rail for everyone; these are among the predictions from experts for how travel in the United States will change over the next decade.

November 30 - CNN Travel