The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Wage inequality does not tell the whole picture of the growing income inequality in the United States, writes Richard Florida, who examines the myriad other factors that may be driving this trend.

March 8 - The Atlantic Cities

Despite last minute wrangling, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission unanimously adopted the Master Plan for the Central Delaware Waterfront on Tuesday, with the promise of creating new recreational and green space and spurring economic growth.

March 8 - Plan Philly

With less than two months under his belt as the new chairman of the High Speed Rail Authority, Dan Richard has made significant shifts in strategy for the project and is generating optimism for a fresh start, reports Ken Orski.

March 8 - Infrastructure USA

Here is a list you presumably do not want to find your city on: the most obese metro areas in the country. Dan Witters breaks down the results that Gallup has recently released as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

March 8 - Gallup Wellbeing

David Alpert tamps down the recent enthusiasm for the coming age of the self-driving car by asking what its impact will be on pedestrians and street life.

March 8 - The Atlantic Cities

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: 'Century Schoolbook'">In <em>For A New Liberty</em>, libertarian intellectual Murray Rothbard writes that leftist intellectuals had raised a variety of complaints against capitalism, and that &quot;each of those complaints has been contradictory to one or more of their predecessors.”  In the 1930s, leftists argued that capitalism was prone to ‘eternal stagnation”, while in the 1960s, they argued that capitalist economies had “grown too much” causing “excessive affluence” and exhaustion of the world’s resources.  And so on. </span> </p>

March 7 - Michael Lewyn

The short answer is yes, according to this NPR report that includes interviews with energy experts. The boom in shale fracking for oil and natural gas and the zeal of small energy companies is to credit. But UC Berkeley's Don Kammen has his doubts.

March 7 - NPR

Giovanna Borasi & Mirko Zardini examine the state of pervasive anxiety afflicting the urban populations of the West and how "medicalization" and an ambition for total well-being are effecting architecture and urban planning.

March 7 - Places

Caren Chesler reports on Atlantic City's efforts to reinvent itself as a seaside resort, as recently unveiled in a master plan developed by Jones Lang LaSalle with the Jerde Partnership.

March 7 - Next American City

Matthew Tresaugue reports on the difficulties Texas cities such as College Station are having in living up to their green commitments in the down economy, reflecting a nationwide pattern.

March 7 - The Houston Chronicle

Chuck Wolfe outlines the importance of soundscapes to cities past, present and future, and describes efforts to both document urban sounds and use sound as a planning tool.

March 7 - The Atlantic Cities

Kirsten Dirksen reports on one housing developer's 160-square-foot vision for San Francisco singles.

March 7 - *faircompanies

Perhaps it's appropriate that Starbucks has chosen a city known for self-exploration and experimentation to unveil a new concept store that offers a glimpse of the cafe of the future.

March 7 - Fast Company Co.Design

Kia Gregory reports on a mural program implemented in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Mantua over the last year, that has transformed the area into a work of art.

March 7 - philly.com

A much anticipated cloture vote on the Senate's proposed two-year transportation bill once again failed to win enough votes on Tuesday. Better news may be on the horizon however, reports Ed O'Keefe.

March 7 - The Washington Post

Seven years after a celebrated public-private partnership, NoMa proves a smart growth success, write Rachel MacCleery and Jonathan Tarr.

March 7 - Urban Land

Nate Berg reports on the opening of L.A.'s first effort at a street-to-plaza conversion project in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood, which was inspired by similar street plazas created in New York City and San Francisco.

March 6 - The Atlantic Cities

Zipcar has released the results of their first Future Metropolis Index, which the company commissioned to recognize cities that demonstrate smart urban planning and policymaking, reports Ariel Schwartz.

March 6 - Fast Company Co.Exist

The inconsistent signage, representing 26 different public transportation systems in the Bay Area, leaves many riders feeling lost. Julie Caine describes the confusion and improvements underway.

March 6 - Transportation Nation

Having just returned from a United Nations-led tour of disaster-ravaged areas of Japan, Warren Karlenzig reports on efforts across the region to rebuild along smart growth and green economic development models.

March 6 - Common Current