The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The City of Seattle is looking to revive some of its often forgotten and neglected urban spaces: alleys.

February 28 - The Seattle Times

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant is coming up in the world but is managing to preserve its African-American culture throughout.

February 28 - The New York Times

A new survey conducted by HNTB Corporation says that nearly nine in ten Americans are currently open to high-speed rail travel for long-distance travel within the United States.

February 27 - HNTB Newsroom

<em>The New York Times</em> reviews a new book by Joel Kotkin about the role of immigration and minority populations in America.

February 27 - The New York Times

Port-au-Prince is not an outlier. Many other major cities in developing and poor countries lie along earthquake fault lines and are in danger of destruction.

February 27 - The New York Times

When people talk about cable cars, they picture San Francisco's quaint trolleys. But cable-propelled transit (CPT) is a viable transportation option in the 21st century, argues Steven Dale.

February 27 - New Geography

The new urban design review board once again deems that a publicly backed project doesn't do enough to encourage activity on the street and sends the Downtown Improvement District back to the drawing board.

February 27 - Omaha World Herald

The backlash against red-light cameras provide a cautionary tale for those who want to cut costs and raise revenue through technology.

February 26 - Wall Street Journal

Planning policies that produce cheap, abundant parking are fundamentally at odds with efforts to promote transit, biking, and walking. A new report from ITDP shows how some cities have started to align parking policies with sustainable transport.

February 26 - Streetsblog

Long commute + High Fuel Costs = Home Losses in Exurbs.

February 26 - Marketplace

Andres Duany has designed a prefab house specifically for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. 1,000 of them are on their way to the island now.

February 26 - CNU

Streetsfilms launches a new series they're calling "Fixing the Great Mistake.”

February 26 - Streetsblog

This post from <em>GOOD</em> looks at a bill from California state senator Alan Lowenthal that seeks to incentivize cities into reforming their parking rules.

February 26 - Good

After more than two years of declines in American driving patterns, the amount of driving seems to be on the rise.

February 26 - USA Today

The migration of America's low income population is spreading to the suburbs. But the suburbs aren't ready to handle the influx, according to this piece.

February 26 - Next American City

A former Naval weapons station in Concord, California will be converted into a new, 12,000-home neighborhood.

February 26 - The Contra Costa Times

BLOG POST

<p> Among the countless stories being written on the successes and challenges of these 2010 Olympic Winter Games, not surprisingly the most interesting stories to me are those that speak to the challenges of great urbanism. As a host city, Vancouver has become a massive urban laboratory, with so many opportunities to learn, and we’re soaking it all up.<br /> <br /> As we are coming to the end of the final week, a few examples of big experiments and learnings come to mind.<br />

February 25 - Brent Toderian

After a last-ditch attempt to sell the Hummer brand to a Chinese company fell through, GM has declared it will shut it down.

February 25 - The Huffington Post

A pro-smart growth group in Lockport, NY attempted to stop a WalMart Supercenter from being built in their town, but the state supreme court rejected their appeal.

February 25 - The Buffalo News

HUD, DOT and EPA have pulled together under the Obama administration's direction to create sustainable communities, and Sen. Chris Dodd is trying to make it official with a new office under HUD. But can smart growth policies survive the politics?

February 25 - Grist