The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A new report from the Alliance for Biking & Walking takes a state-by-state look at the cycling and walking community, safety statistics, and investment figures.

February 1 - Streetsblog

The main reason people move to the outer suburbs is for larger homes, says a small study conducted by Ohio State University.

January 31 - The Columbus Dispatch

Locals in some of the smaller towns of British Columbia are skeptical that they will see the economic benefits of the this year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

January 31 - Winnipeg Free Press

BLOG POST

<p> As a young kid, skirting aimlessly throughout my suburban municipality from one car-optimized shopping center to the next on my bicycle in search of stimulation (and perhaps trouble), I vividly recall - though I likely didn&#39;t describe it as - the internal conflict between interesting commercial destinations on the inside, and the banal, cruel approach to these places on the outside.  Although the primitive human desires of my psyche subconsciously longed for a central place to congregate with other lost children of the suburbs, I never had a downtown; I never had a community center.  In this vacuum, I compensated with all that was available. </p>

January 31 - Ian Sacs

That's where authors Nathan Cherry and Kurt Nagle found their inspiration for their new book about urban form. Grid/Street/Place.

January 31 - The Huffington Post

<em>Worldchanging</em>'s Alex Steffen says the question of cities versus suburbs is the political conflict that will define the next decade.

January 31 - Grist

In the world of natural gas, Oklahoma City is ground zero. Sandridge, a large independent producer of natural gas, is parlaying its new importance into a $100 million investment in the downtown, complete with parkland.

January 31 - Fast Company

More than a million Haitians have fled the capital city of Port-au-Prince, and government officials are advising them to stay out of the city. But many question if these provincial cities will be able to provide jobs and economic opportunities.

January 30 - The Christian Science Monitor

Plans by Las Vegas officials to siphon water from northern Nevada down to the growing city may have hit a wall, as a recent ruling from the state Supreme Court found fault with the region's water rights application process.

January 30 - Los Angeles Times

This piece from <em>Utne Reader</em> looks at the role of architecture in the public works projects of Medellin, Colombia, a city that has struggled with severe crime.

January 30 - Utne Reader

New Orleans has had a rough couple of years. But now that the city's professional football team is headed to the Super Bowl, the city is relishing the opportunity to celebrate.

January 30 - The New York Times

Having stalled in the state Senate last June, a bill that aims to "reduc(e) governmental or government-required subsidies for parking" passed out of the senate on Jan. 28. Parking strategies would be eligible for cap & trade credits under the bill.

January 30 - Los Angeles Times

A series of mock-advertisements herald the gentrification of Brooklyn.

January 29 - Flavorpill

The growth patterns of amoebae as they spread out to connect to food sources bears a striking resemblance to the map of a rail system. Some say the amoeba could inform urban planners and designers.

January 29 - MSNBC

An unused right-of-way between Lansdale, PA and Bethlehem is being contested between those that want to return it to passenger rail service and those that want to turn it into a linear park.

January 29 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Joan Lowy suggests that the Obama administration's claim that the high-speed rail initiative will create jobs overlooks the fact that the expertise is in Europe and Asia and foreign firms will likely be needed to develop HSR quickly.

January 29 - CB Online

Cityscape Farms has developed a new technique for farming fish along with vegetables in combined urban food systems that allows them to farm in developed areas.

January 29 - Good

This piece from <em>The New York Times</em> profiles architectural photographer Iwan Baan, whose style differs from the status quo to emphasize the urban and social context of the buildings he's photographing.

January 29 - The New York Times

With a rapidly progressing bike infrastructure program, the city of Long Beach, California, is edging its way to becoming one of the country's most bike-friendly cities.

January 29 - Los Angeles Times

Traffic is expensive. This infographic from <em>GOOD</em> looks at how much congestion costs cities and what they are trying to do to cut down the traffic.

January 29 - Good