The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The technology is there, and has been for a decade. Still, Wi-Fi's roll-out into our homes has been slow, at best, and continues to be confronted by various challenges.

September 8 - The New York Times

The humor site Cracked takes a look at what happens when green technology backfires: melting houses, blinded jet pilots and buildings drowning in urine.

September 7 - Cracked.com

A new study out today ranks America's cities by their racial diversity. In general, the study found that "the country has become much more diverse at the metropolitan level," reports Conor Dougherty.

September 7 - The Wall Street Journal

Alexis C. Madrigal get exclusive access to "Ground Truth," Google's project to develop the most accurate maps in the world. But why is the master of the virtual world so intent on documenting the physical world?

September 7 - The Atlantic

Using examples of exceptional streets from diverse settings across the world, Kaid Benfield tries to tease out what makes a great city street.

September 7 - Switchboard

Lauded by transit advocates, and garnering attention from cities across America, an experimental car-sharing program in Hoboken has proven effective in dissuading private car use. If only the city's residents were as happy with its success.

September 7 - The New York Times

Blogging on HuffPo, Greg LeRoy, director of Good Jobs First, makes the case that transit, transit oriented development and smart growth are key factors in job growth.

September 7 - Huffington Post

In a blog post for <em>Better! Cities & Towns</em>, Susan Henderson compiles a comprehensive list of the types of personalities that must be brought on board to navigate the politics of zoning reform.

September 7 - Better! Cities & Towns

A new city prosperity index has been unveiled by UN-Habitat at this week's World Urban Forum. The index seeks to catalog the ways in which global urbanization can encourage shared prosperity and human development, reports Claire Provost.

September 7 - The Guardian

More often than not, innovation springs from social interaction, rather than the romantic notion of the genius in isolation. With this in mind, Jessica Stoller-Conrad and Nancy Shute discuss three important ways in which geography fuels innovation.

September 7 - NPR

As China continues to mature into a developed nation, efforts aimed at making its largest cities more environmentally sustainable and healthy may be putting a damper on the country's economic growth.

September 7 - The New York Times

This week, the Chicago Department of Transportation unveiled the city's first pedestrian plan, aimed at improving the long-term safety of Chicago's walkers, reports Bridget Doyle.

September 6 - Chicago Tribune

The State of New Hampshire has created an interactive online tool for its municipalities to examine the impacts of different land use scenarios, in the hopes of promoting smart growth. Geneva Faulkner describes how it works.

September 6 - Engaging Cities

As anyone who's raised an eyebrow upon hearing that Los Angeles is technically more dense than New York can attest, making city-to-city comparisons can be a confounding endeavor. Nate Berg goes in search of a uniform way to define the city.

September 6 - The Atlantic Cities

Over the past couple of decades, Manhattan's ruthless redevelopment has transformed neighborhoods up and down the island. In the East Village, local leaders are trying to defend the area's popular dive bars from rising rents and changing clientele.

September 6 - The Wall Street Journal

Despite the seemingly positive news outlined in a new report detailing the role global warming periods play in increasing biodiversity, today's extremely-rapid warming trajectory may cancel out any hope of that.

September 6 - The Guardian

What's a better way to ensure lower crime than to involve police directly in the planning process? One development in Washington, D.C. will do just that.

September 6 - The Washington Post

Jerry Meral, Deputy Secretary of Resources in California, discusses balancing myriad stakeholders and goals in pushing for Governor Brown's controversial Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta plan.

September 6 - The Planning Report

Matt Chaban profiles John Rhea, NYC Housing Authority Chairman, and his efforts to improve the city's last bastion of affordable apartments.

September 6 - The New York Observer

Moving families from segregated, high poverty neighborhoods, into desegregated "areas of opportunity" has multiple effects. Housing mobility programs help revitalize communities and improve the physical and mental health of families involved.

September 6 - Shelterforce Magazine