The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

We solve problems with over-engineered, anti-urban infrastructure schemes even though we have no plan for funding their future maintenance obligations. Howard Blackson uses San Diego as an example, and offers up some pedestrian-oriented solutions.

February 19 - PlaceShakers

Millions of dollars donated by the United Arab Emirates are being used to fund the rebuilding of Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by a tornado in 2011. The handouts represent a "remarkable shift in global economic power."

February 19 - The Washington Post

A carbon tax based on Alaska's Permanent Fund, where tax revenues are returned to residents, is the model for legislation proposed by Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Sanders (I-VT) in response to Pres. Obama's call for Congress to act on climate change.

February 19 - San Francisco Chronicle

High cost of living and lack of jobs are driving urban populations out of cities, and simply increasing density requirements might not be enough to reverse the trend, argues Jim Russell.

February 19 - Sustainable Cities Collective

"Green", "natural", or "organic" dry cleaning; if you live in TriBeCa or have visited an affluent neighborhood recently, you may have noticed this trend. Elizabeth A. Harris looks at the new sign that "your rent is about to rise."

February 19 - The New York Times

In his new book "A History of Future Cities", journalist Daniel Brook visits four cities on the edge of the future: St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Dubai.

February 19 - Places Journal

At 195 hectares (480 acres), the Nine Elms redevelopment project being planned for the south bank of the Thames River will be "the most important regeneration story in London and in the UK over the next 20 years."

February 19 - The Economist

Montgomery County wants to be the life of the party. To do so, it's establishing a special taskforce to boost its nighttime economy and attract millenials, reports Bill Turque.

February 18 - The Washington Post

Using two paradigms addressing synergies of nature and the city, Chuck Wolfe contrasts gradually merging animal and human habitats in the United States with calculated greening of city spaces overseas.

February 18 - The Atlantic Cities

With women making up only 21 percent of the Britain's registered architects, a percentage far lower than other professions, "insidious" discrimination is common in the field, writes Andrew Hough. Is this harming the nation's built environment?

February 18 - The Telegraph

Facing increasing property prices, Brooklyn's hipsters must decide whether to abandon their lifestyle and recreate it "upstate."

February 18 - New York Times

After more than a century of altering the flow of the Grand River, Grand Rapids' namesake whitewater has been largely eliminated. A new proposal backed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder would "put the rapids back in Grand Rapids."

February 18 - The Detroit News

Los Angeles recently took a major step in its plan to return streetcars to downtown's streets. But they're not the only Southern California city pursuing the nation's trendy transit mode. Bill Fulton examines the attraction.

February 17 - California Planning & Development Report

Looking for new ways to explain best placemaking practices? Today's guest Shaker, Amanda Thompson, has a novel take: dance. Complete with video!

February 17 - PlaceShakers

As the destructive force of Hurricane Sandy demonstrated, all sand dunes are not created equal. But as coastal communities start to rebuild their defenses for the next storm, they're trying to close the gap with Mother Nature.

February 17 - NPR

Wyoming has gone where few states have gone recently - defied conventional wisdom that the 'gas tax is dead' and shown that it is very much alive with the Senate increasing the state excise tax by 71% (10-cents). Gov. Matt Mead is expected to sign.

February 17 - Casper Star-Tribune

Frank Lloyd Wright's design for a Usonian high-rise on the Bowery featured rotated open floor plans to provide living space variation.

February 17 - Curbed NY

Experts have opined that up to 60 percent of residents are inclined to want to bike, but concerned about the safety of their route. Working from this premise, the city of Austin has developed a novel bike map keyed to the comfort of each street.

February 16 - The Atlantic Cities

Rain water collection in Yemen, shaded bus shelters in Uganda and a pop-up modular park in Argentina are the legacy of Philips's Livable Cities Awards.

February 16 - The Pop-Up City

As cities and counties move forward with smoke-free housing laws, a different public health concern often gets lost in the shuffle: how to make sure these new laws don’t put low-income residents at risk of losing their homes.

February 16 - HealthyCal.org