The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has just announced the winners of its 2012 Professional and Student Awards.

August 28 - American Society Of Landscape Architects

By requiring the U.S. auto fleet to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, the standards announced today by the Obama administration will significantly cut U.S. oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, reports Juliet Eilperin.

August 28 - The Washington Post

With the global success of the city's homegrown "parklets" program firmly established, the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts is hosting a series of "urban prototyping" festivals in S.F. in the hopes of finding the next DIY superstar.

August 28 - The Atlantic Cities

Often times, the community development field and health philanthropy have worked in the same neighborhoods, but separately. This is changing, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Marjorie Paloma told Shelterforce how.

August 28 - Shelterforce Magazine

Melanie Eversley writes on the healing power of urban gardens and farms for refugees new to the U.S. who are looking for a taste of home.

August 28 - USA Today

A law passed unanimously by New York's City Council just four years ago requiring the Department of Parks and Recreation to document "how much money was flowing into different parks across the city" is being neglected, reveals Jacob Hodes.

August 28 - The New York Times

Will Doig discusses the increasing speed at which urban bohemias are colonized, popularized, and gentrified. Does the rapid transformation of urban subculture into mainstream culture, mark the end of urban bohemia?

August 28 - Salon

Eric Jaffe reports that taxing vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) is getting a closer look in cities across America. But will concerns over privacy and government competence scuttle a promising path to reducing congestion and increasing revenue?

August 28 - The Atlantic Cities

FEATURE

Stories of Detroit’s nascent comeback often highlight the Rust Belt city’s attraction as a destination for America’s young hipsterati. Jay Walljasper explores the role that native Detroiters are playing in the city’s revival.

August 27 - Jay Walljasper

BLOG POST

<!--[endif]---->Decades ago, ecologist Garrett Hardin wrote about the &quot;tragedy of the commons&quot;- when an action that is rational for one person becomes irrational when widely practiced.  <p class="MsoNormal"> For example, suppose that there are a few dozen cattle ranchers near a pasture open to all.<span>  </span>It makes sense for each rancher to let as many cattle graze as possible on the pasture, so that the ranchers can feed their cattle without buying additional land.<span>  </span>But if every rancher lets as many cattle as possible graze, sooner or later the land will be overgrazed and the cattle may starve. </p>

August 27 - Michael Lewyn

Carren Jao provides an update on efforts by the City of Los Angeles to replace its Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which was dissolved by state mandate earlier this year.

August 27 - The Architect's Newspaper

A new report details the growing adoption of Complete Streets policies in locales across the United States, despite the removal of a Complete Streets provision from the recent federal transportation bill.

August 27 - Better! Cities & Towns

Richard Florida takes the end of summer, and impending awakening of campuses across the country, as an opportunity to explore which of America's metro areas have the largest higher education concentrations.

August 27 - The Atlantic Cities

BLOG POST

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Calibri">For those following the intense debate over intercity passenger rail in the US, the following recent news items might have a few planners scratching their heads:</span></span> </p>

August 27 - Samuel Staley

With Manhattan's new Second Avenue subway expected to cost five times as much as comparable projects in Europe and Asia, Stephen Smith looks to transit-construction practices from abroad for lessons on how to contain costs in America.

August 27 - Bloomberg View

Jordan Kushins spotlights an innovative kit of parts that can be attached to sidewalk scaffolding to create pop-up public spaces.

August 27 - Fast Company Co.Design

Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa launched the city's "50 Parks Initiative," a public-private partnership that plans to add over 170 acres of new park space throughout the city's "park-poor population-dense" neighborhoods.

August 27 - Streetsblog LA

Yes, there are critics of the High Line, and this is a particularly strident one. Accusing the park not only of gentrification of Manhattan's West Chelsea, Jeremiah Moss attributes the High Line's popularity to transforming NYC into Disney World.

August 27 - The New York Times - Opinion

With their stage design influenced by the architectural icon, Christopher Hawthorne looks at the baggage the GOP inherits by riding Frank Lloyd Wright's caped coattails.

August 27 - Los Angeles Times

The nonprofit Code for America (CfA) gets a laudatory write-up by Holly Finn in The Wall Street Journal for bringing transparency and innovation to local governments with stealth teams of "computer-savvy SEALs."

August 27 - The Wall Street Journal