The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

This 1950s commercial for the Los Angeles Metro poses another benefit of using transit: your car will stay looking brand new!

March 27 - Cartoon Brew

Editor Ed Zotti writes about the numerous challenges facing Chicago's El train, and details his proposal for fixing it, which includes adding much-needed service on the North Side.

March 27 - The Chicago Reader

Johanna Hoffman writes in praise of historic preservation, that most maligned of planning disciplines.

March 27 - Next American City

As the Chicago Housing Authority begins demolishing the now-vacant urban renewal project, artist Jan Tichy is preparing an art installation to on commemorate the site reflecting on the themes of home, housing, and community.

March 27 - The Chicago Reader

BLOG POST

<p> <span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman">I’ve had a lot of students ask me recently about who should write a letter of reference as they apply to graduate school. I have a policy on my own web site stating when I will <a href="http://www.annforsyth.net/forstudents.html#ReferenceLetters" target="_blank">write a letter</a> but there are more general principles that hold across many faculty members and programs.</span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small"> </span></span> </p>

March 27 - Ann Forsyth

A new report is cause for concern in Canada. It shows that poor public transit and bad traffic are damaging the economic engine of cities like Toronto.

March 26 - The Globe and Mail

Developer Brad Lamb is cranky about urban planners' insistence on building tall buildings on podiums that meet the street, then taper off in the Vancouver style to let in light and views.

March 26 - The Globe and Mail

A new study, "Tech for Transit: Designing a Future System," concluded that four-fifths of research participants felt car ownership was not essential to their everyday commute.

March 26 - TheCityFix.com

Landscape architect and designer Ken Smith talks about some things that inspire him, such as William H. Whyte's classic book The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

March 26 - Fast Company

Egyptian architects and planners cite the number of large public spaces as a factor in the success of protests in that country leading to the ousting of Hosni Mubarak.

March 26 - Congress.org

At the 210-acre Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor Island State Park, two different visions prevail over preserving -- or destroying -- the 26 historic buildings on the island.

March 25 - The Architect's Newspaper

Speigel Online reports that wind turbines are proving to be prone to breakdowns and accidents. In Europe, the wind business is booming, but growing concern about safety could put a crimp in the growing industry.

March 25 - Climate Adaptation

Last week, a bill was submitted to Congress to create an entity to "facilitate efficient investments and financing of infrastructure projects." Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution explains how he thinks a natl. infrastructure bank could work.

March 25 - Miller-McCune

Over 200 Ugandan women met in Buhoma,Uganda to learn how to ride and repair bicycles in an effort to promote bicycling and provide economic development opportunities.

March 25 - TheCityFix.com

Following trends seen in Europe and China, a public park in New York City has installed a ping pong table.

March 25 - DNAInfo

State budget problems are trickling down to cities, which are being cut off from funding by their governors.

March 25 - The New York Times

Sarah Goodyear points out the absurdity of the idea that urban planners who are seeking to raise tolls and parking fees while increasing transit accessibility are mounting a "war on cars".

March 25 - Grist

This visualization compares the costs of providing water in cities across the world, and shows how those costs have grown or shrank in recent years.

March 25 - Kraeutli

The City of San Francisco is expanding its program of "parklets" -- small public patio-like spaces built on parking spots.

March 25 - The San Francisco Examiner

Rural Kitsap County, Washington, has been debating over a policy change that would allow new communities to spring up in the area.

March 25 - Kitsap Sun