The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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Making the Most of an Internship

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">Recently I’ve had a number of undergraduate students ask how to make the most of internships—over the semester and in the breaks. The following represents some advice for current students.</span></span> </p>

September 11 - Ann Forsyth

Apple's New HQ Actually Works, Says Critic

John King makes it clear - the 4-story ring iCon (or doughnut, by some) would not work in urban San Francisco, but could be quite fitting for sprawling, suburban Silicon Valley.

September 11 - San Francisco Chronicle

Downtown Stadium Will Be "Sea of Billboards"

Gov. Jerry Brown will soon be asked to sign a bill that would loosen environmental regulations on a downtown L.A. stadium, which would also be smothered in LED billboards.

September 11 - LA Weekly

Sprawl vs. Farms

Jonathan Lerner reports from Fresno, where sprawling development has clashed with agriculture, the region's bread and butter. A new regional plan hopes to preserve farmland and ease tensions.

September 11 - Miller-McCune

BLOG POST

Risk Versus Dread: Implications for Planners; or Let's Not Let The Terrorists Win

<p class="Body"> <span>“<em>The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance</em>” </span><span style="font-style: normal">– President</span><span style="font-style: normal"> Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span>This being the decade anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks, it seems a good time to consider how our society responds to such threats, and what planners can do to maximize safety.</span> </p>

September 11 - Todd Litman


Creating Energy from Subway Motion

Like systems used in electric vehicles like the Prius, an energy company think it could attach flywheels to subway trains and use the kinetic energy of their movement to generate energy that would feed back into the system.

September 11 - Inhabitat

Mysteriously, Parking Tickets in East Village Drop 48%

Officials are at a loss to explain why parking tickets issued in New York's East Village have decreased by almost half between 2009 and 2010.

September 11 - DNAInfo


Bank-Owned Foreclosures Cause Problems for Cities

As bank-owned homes become a source of blight and crime, cities struggle to effectively hold banks accountable for their maintenance. Large banks tend to be the worst offenders, often failing to remove trash and weeds or paying fines.

September 10 - Contra Costa Times

Water Treatment Facility Turned Awesome

A new park in Toronto includes a water treatment tower that, with artist Jill Anholt's help, creates a beautiful water feature that some say will be a catalyst for future development in the area.

September 10 - Water Canada

IBM Releases "Commuter Pain Index"

A survey of over 8,000 commuters in 20 cities across 6 continents yields an alarming result. By and large, commuters in emerging economies face traffic conditions that are far worse than those who live in the U.S. and Europe.

September 10 - The Infrastructurist

Let There Be Lights in Oslo

Taking full advantage of residential density in Norway's capital, director André Chocron turns Cold Mailman's hit single "Time is the Essence" into a fantastic audiovisual experience.

September 10 - ArchDaily

L.A. Ousts a Car Lane for Bikes

The unfathomable happened this week in Southern California when L.A. converted 2.2 miles of road into a bike lane that stretches along 7th Street from Koreatown to Downtown.

September 10 - The Los Angeles Times

Friday Funny: Open-Source Bathrooms?

A yet-to-be-released iPhone app will give users access to a Google Maps overlay showing the location of the nearest private bathrooms that your friends (and friends of friends) have agreed to let you use.

September 9 - Popular Science

"Parklets" Pop Up in Vancouver

Transplanting the wildly popular pilot projects in NYC and SF across the northern border, the City launches VIVA Vancouver program that converts parts of eight streets into public spaces.

September 9 - THE DIRT

Disaster Planning, Politics, and Payment

Half of the US population lives in coastal areas, but 100% of the population foots a portion of the insurance bill. And as storm event strength is trending upward with global warming, the inlanders are getting less excited about that payment stream.

September 9 - PlaceShakers

Redesigning the National Mall

Got what it takes to revamp the Union Square, Washington Monument Grounds, and Constitution Gardens? The design competition is now open to anyone who has the vision of making this revered space in D.C. the "best park in the world."

September 9 - THE DIRT

Only Collective Actions Make a Difference

You gave up your large home for a small apartment by the train station, your car for a bike, disposable bags for your canvas one, and of course you recycle everything. Are you making a difference? Not according to this NYT column.

September 9 - The New York Times - Opinion

Promoting Equity in Subsidized Housing

As the real estate market begins to rebound, many affordable housing advocates and developers in NYC are calling for a modification of the 80/20 program.

September 9 - The New York Times

Fake City in Middle of Nowhere to Be Used as Simulator

A tech firm is building a simulated city across 20 miles of New Mexico desert as testing grounds for new green technologies and renewable energy.

September 9 - Jeff Jamawat

Local Produce, National Food Systems

MacArthur genius Majora Carter is driving a new national brand for locally-sourced produce. Could the local food movement become mainstream, and survive going corporate?

September 9 - Solutions

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