The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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

With the Democratic convention underway in Charlotte, Streetsblog's Tanya Snyder looks for the transportation element in their platform, but finds it lacking. Sustainability refers to the economy, not to financing the infrastructure investments.

September 6 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

To the tune of at least $4 billion in tax exemptions, America's taxpayers have collectively subsidized the construction of sports venues across the country, for the benefit of sports owners' bottom line. Are we getting our money's worth?

September 6 - Bloomberg

Ian Lovett looks at efforts to reform CEQA, California's landmark environmental law. Decried as easily abused, and an impediment to economic development, bipartisan attempts to reform the law are making enemies out of allies.

September 5 - The New York Times

Kaid Benfield returns to his popular blog at the NRDC's Switchboard site after a three-week hiatus, with thoughts on the purpose of his writings and how "overly familiar vocabulary can lead to overly familiar thinking."

September 5 - Switchboard

Stacey at <em>Gardenista</em> has collected images and descriptions of four sublime "canopy walks" that "make it easy to walk from tree to tree at an altitude typically reserved for birds."

September 5 - Gardenista

As the real estate market comes back to life, walkable urbanism is poised to become the dominant mode of development across America. Emily Badger explains why Washington D.C.'s land use evolution portends the future of cities everywhere.

September 5 - The Atlantic Cities

It's not just the Sun Cities of America that are planning for how to meet the needs of the country's coming bulge in its over-65 population. Ryan Holeywell highlights how some cities are adapting their built environments for an aging population.

September 5 - Governing

What expectations for privacy should individuals have in public places? That is the question being posed by a new video surveillance system in D.C. being operated by a neighborhood association, reports Peter Hermann.

September 5 - The Washington Post

Impatient with the rate at which previously approved sales tax increases are able to fund the vast expansion planned for the region's transit system, and lacking in federal support, local leaders are asking LA's voters to extend a 1/2 cent sales tax.

September 5 - the transport politic

The Project for Public Spaces (PPS), who have been working with UN-HABITAT on sustainable urbanization, describe why establishing public spaces can be even more important to improving the world's slums than providing power or clean water.

September 5 - Project For Public Spaces

The <em>New York Times</em> published four letters in response to an earlier op-ed from the self-described, “bitterly nostalgic” blogger, Jeremiah Moss, who blasted the popularity of the High Line, including one letter from the High Line founders.

September 5 - The New York Times - Letters