The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

St. Joseph, Missouri, facing low ridership on its historic trolleys, put them in storage. Five years later, the city is unsure what to do with their non-working streetcars.

June 24 - St. Joseph News

In this article from <em>Next American City</em>, Josh Stephens looks at the role convention centers play in cities, the high hopes cities have for them, and the often poor returns they offer.

June 24 - Next American City

Amendment 4 would require city and county comprehensive plans to go in front of the voters to be approved. It has been approved for a 2010 ballot.

June 24 - The Orlando Sentinel

City manager of Phoenix Frank Fairbanks talks about how the city created a program to advise residents on how to effectively and creatively reuse old buildings.

June 24 - Governing Magazine

Cap and trade is the topic du jour in climate change circles. A new report from CCAP makes the economic case for using those revenues to promote smart growth that reduces transportation emissions though VMT reductions.

June 24 - Center for Clean Air Policy Press Release

FEATURE

In his new book<em> Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How Cities are Changing the World</em>, Jeb Brugmann proposes a new way of thinking about citybuilding. Planetizen Correspondent Michael Dudley has this review.

June 24 - Michael Dudley

U.S. Energy Secretary Stephen Chu said at the Asia Society Washington, D.C. center awards dinner that "climate change is the greatest challenge facing science."

June 24 - THE DIRT

BLOG POST

<p> I am a bicycle commuter in Los Angeles, which on the face of it is a pretty tricky proposition. The major boulevards here are designed like freeways, and people use them as such. Pico, Highland, Sepulveda, Olympic- these streets were built for speed and make commuting not a little tricky for your serious bicycle commuter. </p>

June 23 - Tim Halbur

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">As attention to energy efficiency and climate change continue to pervade the thinking and planning of the future transportation system, we are increasingly challenged to make very real decisions about the prudence of various investments. The current context for decision-making offers perhaps the greatest uncertainty regarding the future witnessed in the lifetimes of people in the planning profession today.

June 23 - Steven Polzin

Returning from CNU, James Howard Kunstler reacts to a NY Times article about California's high-speed rail plans, and reflects on New Urbanism's shift away from traditional-neighborhood developments and into preparing for the 'long emergency'.

June 23 - Kunstler.com

The new west wing of the Vancouver Convention Center(VCC) provides 338,000 square feet of new function spaces as well as an angular six acre green roof, which is the largest non-commercial roof in North America.

June 23 - The Architect's Newspaper

The economic downturn has halted many projects in Dubai, but the show's not over in the elaborate emirate. In fact, its patterns of development may even be spreading to other cities around the world.

June 23 - Los Angeles Times

Mayors from big cities are feeling shortchanged by the federal government, which they say is disproportionately handing out stimulus money to small and rural areas.

June 23 - Los Angeles Times

Neighbors of Dodger Stadium who are frustrated over game-day traffic and a lack of parking are trying to deal with the hordes of baseball fans by erecting fake signs.

June 23 - The Eastsider LA

The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, will soon be one of the most watched cities in the world, with plans for 165 closed circuit cameras monitoring public spaces.

June 23 - Los Angeles Times

There are some arguments against speed cameras, but one says bicyclists are one of the major hazards on roadways.

June 23 - Wash Cycle

Struggling cities are increasingly looking at the idea of bulldozing vacant properties and "shrinking". But two columnists argue it might not be such a good idea.

June 23 - Citiwire

According to this op-ed, allowing cities to de-densify undermines the importance of the city's role in society at large--namely, as a breeding ground for technological and cultural innovation.

June 23 - Los Angeles Times

The Architect's Journal selects the most significant architecture and urban design from the Star Wars films.

June 23 - The Architect's Journal

BLOG POST

<p> I can’t deny that one of my strongest personality traits is that of being a hard-core cheapskate.  So much so, that I feel obliged to caveat this post by saying that my initial reasons for getting into rooftop gardening were more to save money on buying fresh vegetables and fruit from our rather pricey local markets than any particular affection for gardening.  While it turns out that my wife and I probably do save money (surprisingly, I never ran the numbers), the joy of gardening, and the kick I get out of showing our rooftop garden off to friends, has far outweighed the economic benefits.  As counter-intuitive as it sounds, urban gardening is much easier than you might imagine.  The hardest part is overcoming the psychological hurdle of thinking that it is difficult, confusing, time-consuming, or takes up lots of space.  In fact, it is none of these things; you don’t need expensive, special equipment, or any particular skill.  You only need a window box, a fire escape, or a small patch of patio if that’s all you have.  If this geeky transportation engineer can grow tomatoes, so can you!

June 22 - Ian Sacs