The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Mukesh Ambani found himself the center of a lot of controversy with the 27-story residence he built last year in Mumbai, overlooking a sea of poverty. Vikas Bajaj reports that now that it is completed, the Ambani's hardly even use it.

October 19 - The New York Times

As the Occupy Wall Street movement grows, it is developing into a "mini society" complete with its own forms of community and institutions, including a public library.

October 19 - City Limits

Executives of Rock Gaming LLC and its partner, Caesars Entertainment Corp, are hoping to revitalize Cleveland's downtown nightlife and create connections with nearby businesses by building Horseshoe Casino Cleveland.

October 18 - The Plain Dealer

Not updated since 1975, and years in the making, Los Angeles County has finally released a Bike Master Plan, available now for review.

October 18 - Streetsblog

BLOG POST

<div> <br /> </div> <div> I am writing this missive from the living room of a Starbucks. Not that you&#39;d care where I&#39;m writing from. Except this time it&#39;s relevant.  </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> Here on Montana Avenue, in Santa Monica, I&#39;m joined by other folks who are also on their laptops, recovering from yoga, or just biding their time. The guy sitting at my table just sold a pilot to Fox. That&#39;s nice for him. A few weeks ago I sat next to Hillary Swank here. She&#39;s not hurting either.   </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div> But others aren&#39;t so lucky. To its credit, Starbucks seems to want to do something about it. </div> <div> <br /> </div> <div>

October 18 - Josh Stephens

Branding a city, writes Scott Doyon, isn't as easy as creating a product brand. Cities already have identities, so a new brand can ring false if it isn't in harmony with reality. Case in point: Dunwoody, Georgia.

October 18 - Terrain.org

Poet Jon Cotner uses fleeting snippets of conversation in public spaces as the basis for his poetry. Caitlin Blanchfield took a walk with Cotner to talk about his process.

October 18 - Urban Omnibus

A report from the Brookings Institution finds that the growing population of foreign-born residents in the U.S. is eschewing larger cities, settling instead in suburbs and smaller cities.

October 18 - The Atlantic Cities

A Sears Shopping Center in Lincoln Park, Michigan has found a novel way to kill their competitor - close the easement the developer is using to access the property.

October 18 - The News-Herald

Wounded but far from dead, the WSJ examines the many problems plaguing California's formidable HSR project. With federal funding likely to be pulled by House Republicans, the Journal reports on the courses the project could take.

October 18 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

A new report by planning consultant Zach Taylor exposes the politics behind the scenes of "Best Cities" lists. Taylor believes the motives behind all the parties involved are often not transparent.

October 18 - The Atlantic Cities

Greg Hanscom at Grist asks, if, as polls say, so many Millennials want to live in the city, why is the downtown resurgence a trickle rather than a flood?

October 18 - Grist

Liu Yugie offers and considered and compelling analysis of the state of architecture in China today, and asks if "is China a playground for international architects or an abused testing ground for bad design?"

October 17 - China Daily

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has announced a plan aimed at protecting the city's views by preventing construction of tall buildings in lines of sight and preventing illegal building construction.

October 17 - Hurriet Daily News

The Big Worm is a 2.2 mile elevated highway carving its way through South America's biggest city, carrying 80,000 vehicles a day past the bedroom windows of once elegant art deco apartment buildings.

October 17 - The Washington Post

Nevada has gone from having the lowest unemployment in the US in 2006 at 4% to the highest now at 13.4%. Once again Las Vegas is proving to be a reflection of the country's wider problems, where the top end of the market never dropped out.

October 17 - The Guardian

FEATURE

Despite its cold weather and spread-out development patterns, a Midwestern city beat Portland, San Francisco and Boulder for the title of #1 Bike City. Jay Walljasper explains how.

October 17 - Jay Walljasper

A new survey found that 64% of Americans think that the relationship between local officials and developers makes the approval process unfair.

October 17 - The Saint Index

New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea says that the city's own parking minimums are making it difficult to make public housing sites more mixed-use, mixed-income and financially sustainable.

October 17 - Streetsblog

Quincy, Massachusetts is planning to clear out 50 acres of its city center and build $1.3 billion in retail shops, offices, parking garages and more, plus $300m in new infrastructure. A new financial model is making it possible.

October 17 - Governing Magazine