The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A huge mall in China -- the largest in the world -- has just a 1% occupancy rate.

March 10 - Gadling

Neighbors across the country are clashing over whether or not to build sidewalks in their neighborhoods.

March 10 - The Wall Street Journal

Critics in Toronto are blasting a new transit plan from Mayor Rob Ford that they say overlooks the city's suburban areas.

March 10 - The Toronto Star

Homes located near transit stops are more energy efficient than homes classified "energy efficient", according to a new study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

March 10 - USA Today

WebUrbanist.com has identified 11 of the most interesting modern urban rooftops in the world.

March 9 - Web Urbanist

An event held at The Brookings Institution invited transit experts to discuss the lessons learned from BRT systems in Latin America and their applicability in the United States.

March 9 - Sustainable Cities Collective

NYC is reusing materials from a construction site in Queens to redesign the area's streetscape with pedestrian safety in mind.

March 9 - THE DIRT

Despite what seemed to be a drained post-industrial condition in the 1970s, Seattle has been growing. This post looks into why.

March 9 - The New York Times

The Chinese megacity of Chongqing has announced plans to install a half a million surveillance cameras by 2012.

March 9 - Agence France Presse

With high development occurring in India, new mapping technologies can greatly help smart growth in the burgeoning country.

March 9 - The Wall Street Journal

Cities in California, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada that were "sunburnt" by the economic recession need to smartly manage their future growth.

March 9 - USA Today

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal">A few weeks ago the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released its latest <a href="http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/media_information/press_release.stm">Urban Mobility Report</a>, and yesterday INRIX released its <a href="http://scorecard.inrix.com/scorecard/">National Traffic Scorecard 2010 Annual Report</a>. Both paint a grim picture of roadway conditions.</p><blockquote style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: none; padding: 0px"> <p class="MsoNormal"> “America is back on the road to gridlock,” warns INRIX. </p>

March 9 - Todd Litman

Columbus, Ohio has been experimenting with zoning overlays, which do not change the underlying land use regulations but add a set of form-based regulations focused on livability.

March 9 - Columbus Dispatch

The city of lakes ironically gets a redesigned riverfront, as was unveiled by the city's Park and Recreation Board. Click for more and the video of the winning design.

March 9 - THE DIRT

New data from the Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle miles traveled are up to their highest level since 2007. But when population growth is factored in, those levels drop significantly.

March 9 - Brookings Institution

As the parks system grows in Seattle, it is becoming more difficult to afford to maintain. One local official calls the system "unsustainable".

March 8 - The Seattle Times

California Controller John Chiang, an independent, elected officer, audited 18 of the state's 425 redevelopment agencies (representing 16% of all RDA dollars) and found huge differences in how blight is defined and a lack of accountability.

March 8 - Los Angeles Times

An contributor to the Huffington Post writes what he believes is the core of urbanism as a thought and its purpose.

March 8 - The Huffington Post

Why do cities in Australia and Canada consistently dominate livability ratings?

March 8 - GOOD Magazine

For over a decade, the City of New York has disposed of thousands of old subway cars by tossing them into the Atlantic Ocean. The "Artificial Reefs Program," as it is known, is considered by the city as an environmentally friendly method of disposal.

March 8 - Fast Company