The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. The "first in a new generation of American rail systems" when it was built, BART now faces the challenges of declining health and keeping up with the times.

September 11 - San Francisco Chronicle

On this sombre anniversary, we bring you an article that was published last year by Kaid Benfield, looking at the legacy of 9/11 for community & the built environment.

September 11 - Switchboard

Walkable urban places are poised to "put a foundation under the economy as well as government tax revenues," concludes Christopher Leinberger in a new report. Better! Cities & Towns delivers some highlights from his much anticipated study.

September 11 - Better! Cities & Towns

Critics contend that New York's so-called resilience strategy doesn't go far enough in protecting the city's 520-mile-long coast and low-lying areas from the threats of rising seas and ever-more-severe storm flooding, reports Mireya Navarro.

September 11 - The New York Times

It's a mere 12 units but a huge test for apartments with no auto parking but plenty of bike parking. The 5-story, mixed-use Mission District building was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission on Sept. 6 despite neighborhood opposition.

September 11 - Streetsblog San Francisco

California's Central Valley was one of the areas hardest hit by the Great Recession, with several of its cities still burdened by the worst unemployment rates in the country. Signs in Bakersfield, however, point to a burgeoning boom.

September 11 - Los Angeles Times

A contentious new ordinance gives Louisville's Metro Council final say in the city's landmarks decisions. Some are blaming a recent preservation victory for spurring what could be a major setback for historic preservation in Derby City.

September 11 - The Architect's Newspaper

The competition to determine which communities in Kansas City will qualify to receive Google Fiber, the nation's fastest internet service, has stoked fears of increasing the city's historic patterns of segregation, reports John Eligon.

September 11 - The New York Times

Late last week, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson announced that Madrid had won the competition to become the future location of Europe's "largest gambling mecca," reports Giles Tremlett. Questions regarding the project's viability remain.

September 11 - The Guardian

Can community building deliver more jobs than trying to lure back an industrial sector that's been leaving the U.S. for decades?

September 11 - PlaceShakers

In New York, neighborhood boundaries are big business. Just ask any real estate agent who's tried to pass off a Gowanus apartment as being in Park Slope. Since the city does not officially define boundaries, amateurs are filling the void.

September 10 - The New York Times

Writing for <em>Yahoo! Travel</em>, Aefa Mulholland identifies five of the most dangerous roads in the world - from India's chaotic city streets to Bolivia's mountain hugging back roads.

September 10 - Yahoo! Travel

Will Doing wonders why, at the Democratic National Convention last week, the challenges facing cities, and the benefits they bring to the country, were never mentioned.

September 10 - Salon

The no man's land once occupied by the Berlin Wall has been the focus of redevelopment efforts for nearly two and a half decades now. But the slow pace of rebuilding means the scars of the Cold War remain visible across the city's landscape.

September 10 - The Wall Street Journal

From coast to coast, cities across the United States are experiencing a rise in bicycling. Local governments are leading the peloton, with cycle-friendly policies and increases in government funding spurring a municipal pedal pursuit.

September 10 - The Economist

Greg Hanscom profiles Stacey Champion, an environmental consultant and PR specialist who uncovered, and defeated, shady efforts to ban sustainability planning in Arizona.

September 10 - Grist

The recent bankruptcy of the California city of Mammoth Lakes - brought on by a $43 million court decision in favor of a developer - is an extreme example of the cost of land use disputes. But it's indicative of a widespread problem in the state.

September 10 - Los Angeles Times

Certainly, says Brent Toderian. And with children "the indicator species of a great neighbourhood," he argues that cities should be designed with families in mind.

September 10 - HuffPost British Columbia

The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates could not have more different approaches to climate change. Mitt Romney joked about it in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention while President Obama vowed to reduce carbon pollution

September 10 - Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E) Public Version

Chasing the widespread interest in city living, developers are exporting mixed-use urbanism to the suburbs and exurbs as "town center" projects, prompting Jonathan O’Connell to ask if "a city can be a city if it’s built in the middle of a cornfield."

September 10 - The Washington Post