The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

FEATURE

November 29 - Mary Campbell Gallagher

The New Yorker takes an informal survey of the Lower East Side with slow-driving proponent Rod King.

November 29 - The New Yorker

NPR reports on the impressive growth - a tripling, even - of bicycling in the United States, with a particular focus on commuting.

November 29 - NPR

Do they work? That's the question as state officials investigate New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program.

November 29 - The Record

Could sand be the next great paving material? Thomas Kosbau and Andrew Wetzler recently won a design competition in Korea with their idea to combine sand with a bacteria that turns sand to stone.

November 29 - Next100

A proposal for a skyscraper that grows biodiesel-emitting algae took 2nd place in a competition to design the 300m tall Taiwan Tower in Taichung.

November 29 - Dezeen

Randal O'Toole argues that transit will never be energy efficient because ridership is never high enough to warrant the energy expelled.

November 29 - The Antiplanner

As landscape urbanists hover in the exalted world of the designer-hero-genius, Emily Talen asks — where are the people?

November 28 - New Urban Network

With malls failing around the country, America may want to consider innovative new projects from international sites like Morocco or the Philippines.

November 28 - Retail Traffic Magazine

When an Apple Store wanted to move into the Georgetown neighborhood in D.C., the Design Review Board pushed for a more fitting facade. After a backlash from residents eager for an Apple, the trademark building went in. Is Georgetown better off?

November 28 - Planning Commissioners Journal

Popular Science digs through their archives to unearth a collection of fantastical, futuristic trains such as amphibious monorails, suspended railways and "two-headed trains."

November 28 - Popular Science

Toronto takes the crown in a new study from the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, ranking lowest in happiness for the country.

November 28 - Yahoo News

James Way reviews two new books that propose sustainable approaches to architecture that don't dwell in post-oil, post-apocalyptic scenarios to make their point.

November 27 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Atlantic's James Fallows and Alexis Madrigal fly over Virginia & Kentucky to see first hand how mining effects the land, both in the U.S. and more importantly in China, where they're developing greener techniques for mining.

November 27 - The Atlantic Magazine

Joel Kotkin puts forward the premise that smaller urban regions are more nimble than big cities. Kotkin dubs these smaller cities like Austin, Columbus and Raleigh-Durham "efficient cities."

November 27 - New Geography

A new model of subway car designed by BMW and Siemens is being built for the Warsaw, Poland Metro. The aluminum chassis is reportedly 97.5% recyclable.

November 27 - Fast Company

Preservation laws often ban additions to designated buildings, which can be counterproductive, says Stephen Smith, who argues that incremental add-ons can protect buildings from future redevelopment driven by market forces.

November 27 - Market Urbanism

Cities attract skilled workers. But skillsets are not the same across different cities, according to this recent study.

November 26 - Martin Prosperity Institute

Los Angeles is engaged in one of the most massive rail building schemes of any American city since NYC extended its subways last century, however, LA's is a mixture of light and heavy rail, and may just be Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa's legacy.

November 26 - The New York Times - U.S.

Only 2% of bike riders in Lima are women. Jonna McKone looks at what hinders women from hopping on bikes and the further implications.

November 26 - TheCityFix