The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Honolulu Rail System Moves Closer To Funding

<p>The city of Honolulu, Hawaii, has received initial approval for a $20 million federal grant for engineering studies on a planned rail system in the city.</p>

July 15 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

NYC Asking $1 Billion For Manhattan Waterfont

<p>The space above Hudson Yards, which could be home to over 12 million square feet of new offices and residences, is up for sale.</p>

July 14 - Forbes

Congress To Fund More Affordable Housing

<p>A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to build or rehabilitate 1.5 million affordable homes in the next 10 years. Housing advocates say this is the first step towards solving a growing problem.</p>

July 14 - The Christian Science Monitor

Seattle Moves To Preserve Historic Downtown Structures

<p>With a wave of new development underway downtown, the City of Seattle has nominated 37 structures as historic landmarks, and has plans for even more preservation efforts.</p>

July 14 - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Long Commutes Discourage Volunteerism

<p>A new study demonstrates that long commutes negatively impact a community's pool of volunteers and decreases social capital.</p>

July 14 - Philantromedia


Study Reveals Biking Trends In Portland

<p>Portland, Oregon, is one of the country's most bike-friendly cities, but in a recent survey of cyclists, bike riders say that the city could be doing more.</p>

July 14 - The Portland Tribune

Friday Funny: Proposed San Diego Tower Has Controversial Design

<p>The developer of a new 40-story building in downtown San Diego is going back to the drawing boards after criticism that the building resembled a phallus.</p>

July 13 - San Diego Union Tribune


The Arts and Austin's Second Street District

<p>Austin's artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses contribute to the vibrancy, help define the identity, and sustain and grow the city's diverse cultures, especially in the burgeoning Second Street District.</p>

July 13 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

Who Is A 'Stakeholder'?

<p>After eight years of existence, neighborhood councils in Los Angeles are still struggling to define who should be involved in their process of advising the city.</p>

July 13 - The Los Angeles Times

EPA To Provide Smart Growth Assistance

<p>The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide technical assistance to communities in six states to plan for more efficient, affordable, and environmentally sensitive growth.</p>

July 13 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

What To Do With 700 Miles Of Waterfront

<p>In this Q&amp;A, the new president of New York's Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance talks about what metropolitan New York can and should do to revitalize its 700 miles of waterfront.</p>

July 13 - The New York Observer

Building Incentive's Appeal Is Unlucky Break For Las Vegas

<p>A highly favorable tax incentive for green building in Las Vegas could cost the city up to $50 million per year -- an unintentionally high price tag for a program few were expected to take advantage of.</p>

July 13 - NPR

Los Angeles Planners Envision Inland Port

<p>As the gateway for much of the freight-container cargo destined for the U.S. becomes increasingly clogged, planners in Southern California have proposed building an inland port facility to handle regional goods movement and relieve congestion.</p>

July 13 - The Los Angeles Times

Real Estate Slowdown Causes Impact Fee Backlash

<p>With the real estate market in the doldrums, developers are pressuring local government officials in California to cut impact fees. Will fee cuts spur new development? Maybe, writes Bill Fulton.</p>

July 13 - California Planning & Development Report

Post-Dotcom San Francisco Resurges

<p>San Francisco is experiencing a resurgence of high-tech businesses and wealth similar to what was seen during the dotcom boom. But this time around, the city's recovery from the bust of the dotcom era has a much different character.</p>

July 13 - The Economist

The War Over Lawn Care

<p>The move towards organic, chemical-free lawn care is sending ripples through suburban neighborhoods across the country.</p>

July 13 - The Wall Street Journal

BLOG POST

Car Kabob Kibosh

<p>In the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, Illinois, an iconic piece of public art featuring a 40-foot spear stabbing through a pileup of eight cars will soon be replaced with a Walgreens pharmacy.<br /><img src="/files/u5174/carkabob2.jpg" alt="The Spindle, Berwyn, Illinois (Source: www.berwyn-il.gov)" title="The Spindle, Berwyn, Illinois (Source: www.berwyn-il.gov)" width="133" height="167" align="middle" /> <br />

July 12 - Nate Berg

How To Get More Americans To Use Bicycles

<p>In the U.S. regular cyclists are usually athletic men braving dangerous traffic. To get the rest of the population riding bicycles, the U.S. should look at successful solutions implemented around the world.</p>

July 12 - The Washington Post Writers Group

Manhattan Parking Spot Going For $225,000

<p>Parking spaces in New York cost as much as $225,000 and could soon be going higher still, putting the cost for the prime spots above the price tag of the typical U.S. home price.</p>

July 12 - Yahoo Finance

Is Your City Watching You?

<p>New York City has plans to install a permanent closed-circuit camera system throughout the city. It is based on a similar system in London, which some credit with preventing terrorist acts. But the system's constitutionality is a major concern.</p>

July 12 - The Christian Science Monitor

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