The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Seeking a New Life for Miami's Marine Stadium

A recent design competition aimed at reviving Miami's waterfront Marine Stadium has breathed new life into the area and offered innovative ideas for reusing the site.

May 26 - The Miami Herald

Bikeable and Walkable, But Room to Improve

Seattle has been named one of the nation's safest p[laces to walk or bike. But some question whether that success will translate into any further improvements in bike and pedestrian infrastructure spending.

May 26 - Publicola

Drug War Leaves Wake of Empty Homes

The border city of Juarez, Mexico, has been a flashpoint in the drug-fueled violence that has plagued many parts of Mexico. Recent figures show that nearly 25% of the homes there have been abandoned.

May 26 - El Paso Times

Locals Rally to Stop Highway Extension

A vocal and dedicated contingent of residents have successfully rallied to halt plans to expand a highway in metropolitan Vancouver.

May 25 - Straight

Smart Grid Industry Booms in North Carolina's Triangle

The Triangle (The Raleigh-Durham area) has managed to attract a cluster of nearly 60 companies working on smart grid technology and infrastructure.

May 25 - News & Observer


Lots Of Oil Remaining, But It's Heavy & Expensive

Half the oil in the Persian Gulf has been pumped out of the ground - so has 'peak oil' been reached? Notably, that term doesn't even appear in the article. Instead, it discusses the difference between light and heavy oil, and the role of technology

May 25 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

Mogadishu Goes Tennessee

The Tennessee town of Shelbyville has become a new center for Somalian refugees. A new documentary looks at what the influx of this group has meant to the city and its people.

May 25 - Miller-McCune


Reflecting on the Contemporary City of Los Angeles

In this excerpt from a new book on Los Angeles, L.A.-based architect Michael Maltzan reflects on the city, and how its clashes and evolving identity are part of why it represents the future of cities.

May 25 - Places

Urban Life, In Dance

Choreographer Jenni Bregman studied human use and interaction in urban areas to create her latest dance piece, "Intimate City."

May 25 - The Polis Blog

Will Olympics Earn Green Medal for London?

The 2012 Olympics are hoped to create a big economic boost for host city London. The event's long-term impacts on the environment, though, are still hard for organizers to predict.

May 25 - The Guardian

Mississippi River Course Change Likely

By analyzing maps and topographical information, this post from <em>Data Pointed</em> shows how the Mississippi River is likely to change course and head towards lower ground.

May 25 - Data Pointed

Making Safer Streets for Aging Populations

As aging populations grow, more cities and design organizations are looking at how to make streets safer for older residents.

May 25 - NPR

Guerrilla Gardens Go Legit

"Guerrilla gardening" is a growing movement where urban gardeners tend to vegetables on unused public land. But the allure of the illegal may disappear in Vancouver as city officials declare it legal.

May 25 - The Province

U.S. Builds Roads That Kill Pedestrians

A new report from Transportation for America says that more than half of pedestrian fatalities happen on arterial roads that lack ped-friendly design - and therefore are preventable.

May 24 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Swimming Pool Heated by Waste Heat from Cremations

Crematories produce a lot of waste heat. Is it sacrilegious to recycle that excess heat to warm a swimming pool, as is the plan in Redditch, England?

May 24 - Miller-McCune

Cities Aren't Disposable

So says Maria Choca Urban of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which recently released a plan for retrieving Cleveland, Ohio from the dustbin.

May 24 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Density is Good for Cities, But is it Healthy for Kids?

Yes, people walk around more, less obesity, etc. But a report shows that city kids are less frequently allowed outside to play for safety concerns.

May 24 - New Geography

Data Reveals Big Cities Safer Than Ever Before

Even amid a stalled economy, new data from the FBI reports that big cities, those with a population of at least one million, are seeing huge declines in crime.

May 24 - The Atlantic

Digital Democracy in the Big Apple

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NY's "Chief Digital Officer" Rachel Sterne presented plans to use enhance technology that connects citizens with their government.

May 24 - SeeClickFix Blog

I See Ghost Counties

Jan Willem Tulp created a stunning visualization showing the relationship between number of vacant homes in U.S. counties and the total number of homes in that county.

May 24 - Datavisualization.ch

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