The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

This discussion from <em>TED</em> looks at the ancient water engineering techniques used in the Golden Desert of India, and argues that these centuries-old methods offer lessons for water planners today.

January 3 - TED

A growing number of universities are offering programs in urban sustainability studies, including Tufts, New York City College and the University of Colorado.

January 3 - The New York Times

<em>Curbed LA</em> takes an amusing look at the urban planning proposals that bubbled up in L.A. throughout 2009.

January 3 - Curbed LA

After an extended history of favoring rural areas over metropolitan ones, The World Bank appears to be changing course.

January 3 - Citiwire.net

Universities bordering impoverished neighborhoods can do more to improve living conditions, according to the founders of LIFT, a group that trains volunteers. The group is featured on this week's episode of <em>Smart City</em>.

January 2 - Smart City

A group of historians and urban enthusiasts have developed a successful tourist organization that explores the underground structures and spaces of Berlin.

January 2 - The New York Times

<em>Change Observer</em> interviews Casey Jones, the director of design excellence and the arts for the U.S. General Services Administration about green building and sustainability in urban design.

January 2 - Change Observer

Parks officials in San Francisco look to mimic New York City's approach to funding parks through public-private partnerships.

January 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

Portland, Oregon planners are updating the city's zoning to make home improvements for solar panels and eco-roofing easier to do, but some developers think it will actually make things more difficult.

January 2 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Sweetheart deals using public monies to fund stadiums have backfired across the country, causing more drain than gain.

January 1 - The New York Times

The Walled City of Kowloon, Hong Kong was demolished in 1993, but remains a symbol of what happens when a city evolves anarchically. It was known as 'Hak Nam', or 'City of Darkness.'

January 1 - Design Observer

Architect Tushar Advani has designed an iconic new bus station for Detroit, a mandate from transportation planners looking for a symbol of progress for the ailing city.

January 1 - Metropolis Magazine

Architecture critic James S. Russell interviews James Murren, the man behind CityCenter in Las Vegas. It was Murren's idea to hire the six star architects who designed the site. Murren says the Ground Zero designs inspired him.

January 1 - Bloomberg.com

<em>Triple Canopy</em> interviews architectural historian Kazys Varnelis about the importance of city data, the difficulty of building new infrastructure and how best to react to a stiflingly complex society.

January 1 - Triple Canopy

BLOG POST

<p> Every so often, I read a blog post or an article talking about the trade-off between &quot;mobility&quot; and making places more accessible to nonmotorists.  The hidden assumption behind such statements is that &quot;mobility&quot; means cars going as fast as possible.  So if every street is an eight-lane highway with cars going 70 miles per hour, overall social &quot;mobility&quot; is therefore high.  </p>

December 31 - Michael Lewyn

Britain is becoming increasingly privatized as urban regeneration projects put entire neighborhoods in the hands of developers. One project spans 34 of Liverpool's streets, putting public space in private control.

December 31 - The Guardian U.K.

The state of Minnesota has released its final plans for a high-speed rail route connecting the Twin Cities to Chicago.

December 31 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune

<em>U.S. News and World Report</em> has named urban planning one of its 50 top careers for 2010.

December 31 - U.S. News And World Report

Sharing apartments as roommates is a foreign concept in Japan- single people have traditionally preferred their own tiny living quarters. A new glut of large, fancy apartments has created a new market for roomies.

December 31 - The Wall St. Journal

BLOG POST

<p> Very snowy holiday greetings from Finland, everyone!  While here visiting my in-laws and friends, I wanted to take a quick moment and share an interesting observation about the way Finns handle the incessant layers of snow that blanket their chilly winter country.  It seems that aside from limited access highways and some primary arterials, the Finnish standard for snow treatment is to plow to a reasonable depth, but not worry too much about an inch or two of snow base layer covering streets.  Some streets get sand treatment as well, but salt is used very, very sparingly. </p>

December 31 - Ian Sacs