The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

FEATURE

HUD needs to rethink its emphasis on home ownership and refocus on rentals, argues John Kromer of the Fels Institute of Government.

September 28 - John Kromer

Though its flagship congestion pricing proposal was nixed by the state legislature, New York City's PlaNYC environmental plan is moving forward. Neal Peirce takes a look at its progress.

September 28 - Citiwire

A new report in the journal <em>Nature</em> suggests that there are seven thresholds for determining planetary health -- and we're already past three of them.

September 27 - Yale Environment 360

Another column by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman on the need to raise the gas tax - in this one, he compares the U.S. to Europe and concludes that the former are 'wimps' for not having the courage to raise gas or carbon taxes.

September 27 - The New York Times - Opinion

Like many other cities, there are condos a-plenty in Seattle. Developers are trying almost anything to get them sold. But the majority remain empty, leaving developers scratching their heads about what to do.

September 27 - KUOW

The ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan resulted in 1,262 artists temporarily installing their pieces in 159 venues around downtown. The public picks the winner.

September 27 - GOOD Magazine

Some call it a city of neighborhoods. This piece from the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em> looks at the history of the urban form of San Francisco and why it looks the way it does today.

September 27 - San Francisco Chronicle

Used to pouring resources into building new homes, Habitat for Humanity sees opportunity in the vast number of vacancies caused by the mortgage crisis.

September 26 - Miller-McCune

This series of infographics and posts from <em>Good</em> looks at innovations within a variety of world cities that improve city organization and operation -- from traffic to energy production to water conservation.

September 26 - Good

Urban sports like bike polo and urban golf are taking off in Germany, and are beginning to bring life back to formerly uninhabited concrete spaces.

September 26 - Der Spiegel

Under a new service program called NYC Cool Roofs, volunteers are painting New York's rooftops white to try to lower urban temperatures and save energy.

September 26 - The Architect's Newspaper

Siemens has retrofitted trains for cold Russian winters; they are being rolled out now between Moscow and St. Petersburg and could be a model for American HSR.

September 26 - New York Times

I'll have a Conditional Use Permit, on the rocks, with a twist...

September 25 - Building Place Notebook

Can Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace replace the neighborhood bar, cafe, or hangout? Mary Newsom says no.

September 25 - Citiwire.net

Forbes profiles transportation commissioner extraordinaire Janette Sadik-Kahn, interviewed in the middle of the new public space on Broadway that she championed.

September 25 - Forbes

Westward migration in the U.S. seems to be slowing, as jobs dry up overcrowding begins pushing people away.

September 25 - Miller-McCune

A new study has shown that the environmental benefits of green roofs are even greater than previously thought.

September 25 - Gizmag

<em>The New York Times</em> takes a look at Greensburg, Kansas, the tornado-ravaged town that rebuilt itself to high environmental standards.

September 25 - The New York Times

A community of hundreds of people live beneath the glitz of the Las Vegas Strip in flood control tunnels.

September 25 - The Sun

A new highway linking Montgomery to Prince Georges County in Maryland will be the first in the state to exclusively use overhead tolling technology.

September 25 - Baltimore Business Journal