The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

What Has 16 Pedals, 12 Seats, and Goes Up to 10 MPH?

The first bicycle bus for schoolchildren, built by Dutch company Tolkamp Metaalspecials, of course.

February 8 - Fast Co.Exist

Wind Farm Proposal off New Jersey Shoreline Draws Controversy

An independent analysis insists that Fishermen's Energy's 30-megawatt wind farm project could cause a statewide economic disaster, writes Tom Johnson.

February 8 - Next American City

Why Tea Party Criticism Should Matter to Planners

Andrew H. Whittemore contends that planners dismiss the far-fetched theories of a grand United Nations sustainability conspiracy at their own peril.

February 8 - The Atlantic Cities

New Study Ties Housing Affordability to Sustainability

Sarah Laskow reports on a new study by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) that seeks to rethink how affordable housing is defined to incorporate transportation costs.

February 7 - Good


Assessing Miami's New Urban Experiment

Three years after its adoption, Sean McCaughan assesses the impact of Miami 21, first New Urbanist zoning code adopted by a major American city.

February 7 - The Architect's Newspaper

Saving the Mall By Returning to Its Ideals

Stephanie Clifford documents the extraordinary lengths malls across the country are going to in hopes of attracting customers in the face of e-commerce and a battered economy.

February 7 - The New York Times


In the Bright Sun of the Desert, a Difficult Compromise is Exposed

Julie Cart writes about the solar power compromises being forged in the deserts of the American Southwest, where the landscape is being sacrificed on the altar of alternative energy.

February 7 - Los Angeles Times

Mastering the Art of Stairway Persuasion

A new study shows that a friendly reminder of the health benefits of taking the stairs can cause a sustainable increase in their use, writes Jeannine Stein.

February 7 - Los Angeles Times

The Obama Administration's Crusade for Homeowners

President Obama's multi-billion dollar proposal to help homeowners involves providing them refinanced, government-backed loans. The plan is not without its doubters, however.

February 7 - PBS NewsHour

See the New WTC Views, 80 Floors Up

This Architizer blog post features breathtaking photos from the WTC Progress Twitter account.

February 7 - Architizer

Toward a More Inclusive Planning Process

Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson raises the issue that there are not enough minorities representing the communities that planners and designers strive to make better.

February 7 - Grist

Waiting for the Subway

When compared to China's accomplishments in completing subway lines, North America's cities look exceedingly timid, where construction timeframes can stretch into decades. Will Doig examined why.

February 7 - Salon.com

Exhibit Seeks to Understand Japan's 'Metabolism' Architecture

The new exhibit at Toyko's Mori Art Museum will be the first architecture showcase since the 2011 earthquake, and displays a movement central to the country's history of building and rebuilding.

February 7 - The New York Times

A Federal Assault on Transit

At the <em>Transport Politic</em>, Yonah Freemark provides a comprehensive overview of the 'all-out ideaoligical battle' being waged by the House GOP against public transit.

February 6 - the transport politic

Urbanists, Council Revolt Over Toronto's Transit Plans

Upon becoming Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford killed existing public transit plans, declaring the "war on the car" over. Now a coalition of urbanists and a majority of city council members are turning against Ford's subway-only plan.

February 6 - The Globe and Mail

Examining the Super Bowl's Balance Sheet

The day after the big game, Diana Lind, with the help of a <em>Planet Money</em> Podcast, delves into the economic ramifications of hosting a super bowl, and wonders whether Indianapolis might not turn out to be the night's biggest loser.

February 6 - Next American City

Has Preservation Gone Too Far?

Ben Adler writes about the growing contingent of policy wonks, architects, and architectural critics who believe that preservationists have acquired too much power.

February 6 - Architectural Record

The Collapse of the Architecture Profession

Recounting the exalted heights that the profession reached in the last decade, and its complete meltdown during the Great Recession, Scott Timberg asks: where does architecture go from here?

February 6 - Salon.com

Is the High Line Gay?

Erik Piepenburg speak with Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert Hammond about the celebrated park's connections to gay culture in New York City.

February 6 - The New York Times

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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.