The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Cities Shrinking to Survive
"More cities in the developed world shrank than grew in the last three decades. More than 40 of those cities were in the United States, according to City Mayors, an urban affairs think tank," writes Gordon Young.
Natural Gas Will Play Much Larger Energy Role
In this WSJ Opinion, MIT professor and former under secretary of Energy John Deutch explains how the BP gusher and discovery of vast supplies of unconventional natural gas will combine to increase natural gas energy usage by replacing coal, then oil.
Are Marijuana Dispensaries "Stores"?
In tiny Myrtletown, California, the Hummingbird Healing Center is arguing that it doesn't need a conditional use permit to sell weed. The county does not agree.
New Park to Bloom Under Bay Bridge
Where the Bay Bridge touches down in San Francisco, a new plan is in the works to turn a motley collection of underused spaces into a vibrant park.
Bendy Bike For Easy Lockup
Kevin Scott is a 21-year old designer and new graduate who has designed a bicycle that bends in the middle, giving the rider the ability to wrap it around a pole and lock both tires at once.
Utah Takes Possession of Half-Built Development
The State of Utah sold the development rights to for a new town to SunCor, a developer that had to bail on the project before it was half-completed. Utah bought the ailing, incomplete town from the developer and is hoping their gamble pays off.
Ten Most Terrifying Airports in The World
The Web Urbanist counts down the ten most hair raising airports. "Flying may be one of the safest methods of travel but it doesn't always look that way."
Friday Funny: Mooning Salute to Amtrak
A bet in the town of Laguna Nigel, CA lead to a 30-year tradition of dropping trou and letting it all hang out for passing Amtrak trains.
China Agrees to Finance New Argentinian Metro and Rail Construction
A $10 billion dollar spending spree will improve transit in Cordoba and Buenos Aires, but also between Argentina and neighboring Bolivia. "Funds come from the China Development Bank and will require a 15% match from the Argentinian government."
TOD: An Architect's View
The American Institute of Architects discovers that architects are finding work redesigning stations, and that a new focus on transit is driving development.
City of Boston Tours Downtown Crossing to Entice Retailers
In an effort to create a more diverse retail base and fill empty units retailers from an International Conference of Shopping Centers were guided through Downtown Crossing, The Rose Kennedy Greenway and South Boston Waterfront.
Whither City Planning In Los Angeles?
With the retirement of City Planning Director Gail Goldberg and ongoing budget problems gutting the department, a group of planners, developers, politicians, and advocates add their voices to the discussion on the future of planning in L.A.
Would You Pay To Sit On A Public Bench?
Designer Fabian Brunsing is responsible for "Pay & Sit: The Private Bench." Basically, it's a bench covered in metal spikes that retract when you feed it money.
South Korea's City of The Future
Being developed on 1500 acres of Incheon's waterfront, Songdo is a completely planned city harnessing the latest innovations in green technology and planning doctrine aimed at creating a sustainable, self contained 'city of the future.'
Designers Produce HSR Concept to Entice Legislators
In an effort to entice the British government, designers PriestmanGoode have released this video displaying a shiny new bullet train slicing through country that invented the locomotive.
Smart Grid Scores As Heat Beats Up New York City
In the face of a recent heat wave, New York City's smart grid stood up to the challenge and made sure that the power kept flowing.
Sacramento Chooses Practical Over Transformative in Downtown Revitalization
Spurning an elaborate but costly proposal to transform two blighted blocks of Sacramento's ailing downtown K Street mall the city council chose a less costly, mixed-use plan restore the blocks sooner with four story buildings and 256 housing units.
Downtown Mixed Use Generates More Than 30 Times The Tax Revenue of Malls
Sarasota County, Florida finds that one mixed use building generates 36 times the property taxes per acre as the region's largest high end mall. Mary Newsom reports that "evidence is piling up to show the benefits of compact, in-town development."
Cleveland Deals With "James Drain"
The Urbanophile explains that although Lebron James was never going to turn around Cleveland alone, his departure is indicative of the city's reliance "on a never-ending cycle of “next big things” to reverse decline."
Property Tax Revenue Downturn Hurting Cities
The economic recession is lightening up in some areas, but cities and municipalities will continue to struggle with the downturn in the economy for years, mainly because of falling property tax revenues.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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