The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

As warnings from scientists about our changing planet become more dire, countries are retreating from their prior climate commitments. Once a leader, the European Union is bowing to economic pressures and loosening renewable energy targets.

January 26 - The New York Times

The prevailing wisdom is that as a neighborhood gentrifies, long-time, low income residents are forced to move out because of rising rents, i.e. displacement. Two studies from Columbia University and the Federal Reserve draw different conclusions.

January 26 - NPR

Instagram images and group bike rides now celebrate the Bay Bridge’s eastern span, but the bridge’s long construction process was a constant source of concern. A new report details what went wrong to (hopefully) prevent future mistakes.

January 25 - Los Angeles Times

Last year, the U.S. increased oil consumption by two percent, surpassing the increase in China for the first time in more than a decade according to a new IEA report. How does this increase square with peak car, peak VMT, and peak oil consumption?

January 25 - Marketplace

Tuesday was a day of celebration in South L.A. as officials broke ground on the 8.5-mile Crenshaw Line, the newest addition to the region's expanding transit network. But just two days later, politicians resumed bickering over how to connect to LAX.

January 25 - Los Angeles Times

It's hard to imagine how the wintry mess blanketing cities across midwest and northeast could improve street safety. But recent snows provide one benefit being touted by safety advocates: temporary curb extensions or "neckdowns" caused by snow banks.

January 25 - BBC News

Like many cities amidst an influx of Millennials, Philadelphia must solve problems with crime and eduction for the young generation to stay. A new report from Pew Charitable Trusts indicates many Millennials have no intentions of sticking around.

January 25 - Philadelphia Daily News

There’s a note of melancholy over the human condition in the work of a prankster who has been plastering satirical images and messages around cars on the London Underground.

January 24 - Prosign

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As the north side of Chicago has gentrified, many Chicago schools' test scores have improved- evidence that if a city neighborhood attracts enough affluent families, its schools will become more attractive as well.

January 24 - Michael Lewyn

The October opening of a new 1.9-mile stretch of road on Chicago’s Southside anticipates a 40-year master plan for the Lakeside development—600 acres of new development in the middle of one of the country’s largest cities.

January 24 - The Architect's Newspaper

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Want an easy to use public engagement tool that helps you to understand the visual preferences of the public? StreetSeen (http://streetseen.osu.edu), a free online tool allows planners and others to simply construct and deploy visual surveys.

January 24 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

For those of you who thought the recent shuttering of Sydney's monorail symbolized the general decline of the once-futuristic transit mode–think again! Sao Paulo is set to open a new 17-mile line, the first segment of a monorail-based transit system.

January 24 - Wired

Los Angeles' City Planning Department offers a layman's introduction to the many forms of zoning codes, from Euclidean to Performance to Incentive.

January 24 - Los Angeles Department of City Planning

Following unsuccessful attempts to move the Oakland Athletics to San Jose (an area controlled by the San Francisco Giants), team owner Lew Wolff is resistant to a plan to move the team to a waterfront location.

January 24 - San Jose Mercury News

Completed in 1880 as a company town by railcar tycoon George Pullman, the 300-acre Pullman Historic District in Chicago could be a beautiful addition to the National Park System.

January 24 - The Architect's Newspaper

Sears, Macy's, and J.C. Penney are among the national retailers who've announced substantial store closings recently. Retail industry experts believe the closures are just the beginning of an approaching "tsunami" of shrinking and shuttering stores.

January 24 - CNBC

The much maligned "Prius tax", an annual registration fee for hybrid and electric vehicles to ensure they pay their share of road costs that was part of former Va. Governor Bob McDonell's landmark transportation bill last year, may soon be history.

January 24 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Recent trends in declining car ownership, along with the Millennial generation’s widely-reported abhorrence for driving, have some wondering if the era of car dominance is over. But what if the decline just comes down to trouble paying the bills?

January 24 - The Globe and Mail

Mayor de Blasio's goal of building or preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years goes beyond what previous mayors have been able to achieve. How realistic are his chances of reaching this "lofty goal"?

January 24 - Jonathan Nettler

On Places, Simon Sadler explores the magical thinking and many contradictions of the TED Talks.

January 23 - Places Journal