The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Ferry Service Worried About Losing Ridership

A ferry service across New York's East River that launched in June is worried about losing ridership as soon as winter begins. Summer usage was twice as many as planners had expected.

November 1 - The New York Times

Are Americans Ready to Live in Smaller Homes?

As the world population reaches 7 billion some U.S. builders are working on smaller, compact homes.

November 1 - NPR Morning Edition

Longtime Defender of California Coastline Steps Down

After 34 years on the California Coastal Commission, Peter Douglas is ceding his post due to poor health. The San Jose Mercury News looks back at his long career at the powerful public agency.

November 1 - San Jose Mercury News

Speed Bumps Could Do More Than Slow You Down

A technology company in Maryland has developed a speed bump that captures the kinetic energy of the cars driving over it and sends it back into the grid.

November 1 - SmartPlanet

Kansas City Businesses Invest in the Arts, Hoping to Stir Success

With little taxpayer investment, a dynamic Moshe Safdie-designed Center for the Performing Arts has arisen in Kansas City. Hampton Stevens says that the companies are betting on the power of the arts to attract investment and attention.

November 1 - The Atlantic Cities


Prince Charles Wields Great Power - And Wealth

The Prince of Wales, as covered here and elsewhere, has gotten a reputation for using his position to meddle in architecture and planning decisions in the U.K. The report now is he extends that power far deeper into U.K. politics.

November 1 - The Guardian U.K.

San Francisco's Skyline is Shaped by "Mediocre Opinion"

Columnist Ken Garcia writes that San Francisco's neighborhood-driven political system has been a more powerful force in shaping the city's skyline than the planning department has.

November 1 - The San Francisco Examiner


Make-Or-Break Moment For CA HSR

Nov. 1 is a decisive date for the CA HSR Authority. The long-awaited and once delayed business plan will provide the basis for the legislature to continue funding the $45 billion project or put a halt to it, thus returning massive federal grants.

November 1 - Mercury News

"Urbanized" Seeks To Chart The Future Of Planning

A.O. Scott reviews the final installment of Gary Hustwit's design trilogy, "Urbanized," and concludes that even those with a deep knowledge of urban planning are likely to learn something from the carefully selected images and interviews.

October 31 - The New York Times

Lever House Closes Temporarily To Protect Its Owners From "Adverse Possesion"

In an another nuance of the ownership laws that govern New York's parks and plazas, the modernist masterpiece Lever House will close today to keep its plaza privately public.

October 31 - The New York Times

Casting A Robert Moses Biopic

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that HBO is working with Oliver Stone on a biopic of New York's famous master planner.

October 31 - The Atlantic

Salon's Blueprint for Change: Relief for Homeowners, Public Works & Carbon Pricing

In response to the Occupy Wall Street movement the staff at Salon.com have brainstormed a "New Declaration of Independence" for guiding the United States into a more progressive future.

October 31 - Salon.com

Transportation Enhancements Make For Easy Targets - Even If Distorted

Do you want your transportation dollars spent on the National Corvette Museum, turtle tunnels, giant roadside coffee pots, restoration of Battleship Texas? These are some of the "tall tales" being spun by Republicans about the transportation bill.

October 31 - Huffington Post

Can Cincinnati Create a Truly Urban Casino?

With its first casino currently under construction, Cincinnati is attempting to redefine the stereotype with a consciously urban design that turns the typical casino inside-out.

October 31 - The Atlantic Cities

Bicycling on the Rise in Mexico City

USA Today reports that efforts to increase cycling in Mexico City have succeeded in getting middle and upper-class residents on two wheels.

October 31 - USA Today

Majority of Buffalo's Poor Live in Suburbs

Buffalo reporters Maki Becker and Jay Rey look at a Brookings Institution report that reveals the majority of locals living below the poverty line live in the Erie and Niagara county suburbs.

October 31 - The Buffalo News

How to Retrofit a Cul-de-Sac

Eric Brown of Brown Design Studio proposes some solutions for retrofitting cul-de-sacs to reconnect them with the urban grid.

October 31 - New Urbanism Blog

Density with Variety

David Baker Architects latest public housing project in Oakland, California shows that high-density living can be attractive and feature a variety of housing types, writes Allison Arieff.

October 31 - The Atlantic Cities

Your Next Car May Run on Alligator Fat

Wedged into a report about the merits of various alternative fuels for port activities is a recent report from the American Chemical Society stating that alligator fat may be a great alternative to soy-based biogas.

October 30 - Buildings

No New Skyscrapers, Says Planning Chief

London's chief planning officer says that after the current sequence of skyscrapers is built, it is likely that "...we will not see new ones planned."

October 30 - The Independent

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