The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

With the train's black box showing that the speeding commuter train entered a 30 M.P.H curve at 82 M.P.H, causing the derailment, attention has turned toward the engineer. CNN reports that the engineer admits to "nodding off" before the crash.

December 4 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Self-driving cars may still be several years away, but federal officials are already looking to restrict the ability of drivers to operate their cars to improve road safety. They're pushing for the adoption of new technologies to reduce human error.

December 3 - Los Angeles Times

A study conducted by the Project for Public Spaces finds that New York's new CitiBike stations are a locus for more than just cycling. They provide wayfinding and street seating, serve as gathering places, and encourage random social interactions.

December 3 - PPS Placemaking Blog

Population loss has been a fact of life for many of the United States' rural towns for decades. But if the experiences of rural towns across Minnesota are any indication, manufacturing, farming, and technology may generate a widespread rural revival.

December 3 - Star Tribune

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled today that the city of Detroit is eligible for bankruptcy protection, allowing the city to proceed with the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Public employee unions are expected to appeal.

December 3 - Detroit Free Press

California's inequality is usually described in geographic terms that distinguishes between the state's affluent coastal areas and impoverished inland areas. When considering the cost of living, a statewide poverty crisis comes into focus.

December 3 - The Economist

The University of Massachusetts at Lowell has spent $600 million on construction projects over the past six years alone. But as the university grows, local leaders are asking for payments in lieu of taxes to offset the demand on municipal services.

December 3 - The Boston Globe

Creating a culture of transit in Los Angeles will require more than just expanding the area's train and bus infrastructure. New riders will have to overcome the psychological barriers that prevent many people from ditching their cars.

December 3 - KCET

Rowan Moore looks at the multiple layers that are conspiring to make a maturing Miami the "new Most Exciting City in America". Diverse cultural offerings and branded architecture are attracting international investors.

December 3 - The Guardian

Is there a correlation between running red lights and more violent crime like robberies and homicide? Gabe Klein, Chicago's distinguished outgoing transportation commissioner, thinks so. It's been dubbed "the broken windows effect."

December 3 - Streetsblog

An innovative alliance of urban school districts is working to lower the cost of eco-friendly supplies and source more sustainable food. Their efforts could provide a template for other schools and large institutions.

December 3 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

As the housing market recovers, are we back to the McMansion-binges of the 2000s? Or, are we growing just a little bit smarter?

December 2 - Shane Phillips

A frank discussion about growth and development at a recent Vancouver forum revealed the extensive common ground shared developers and neighborhood activists, and promising techniques for bridging their traditional divide.

December 2 - The Vancouver Sun

Parking lots across the U.S. are designed to accommodate the crowds of cars participating in the busiest shopping day of the year. By asking his readers to capture images of underutilized lots last Friday, Chuck Marohn set out to expose the fallacy.

December 2 - Strong Towns

A project by two researchers to map and measure all of the swimming pools in the Los Angeles basin is revealing not just for the information collected, but in how it exposed the ways in which personal privacy is being eroded by digital technology.

December 2 - Los Angeles Times

States are increasingly looking to high occupancy toll lanes as a means of revenue generation as well as congestion management, as they deal with the shortfall in transportation revenue from federal and state governments. Ga. may provide a good test.

December 2 - The Wall Street Journal

Last Friday night, more than 1,000 Londoners staged an unusual protest against the official response to a spate of fatal accidents involving cyclists.

December 2 - The Guardian Bike Blog

From pedestrianization initiatives to a trans fat ban, Bloomberg's New York was known for experimentation and innovation. Laura Kusisto says that after two decades of conservative mayors, the next administration will look elsewhere for inspiration.

December 2 - The Wall Street Journal

Eight years after downtown Rochester sparked a retail resurgence along its Main Street with a holiday light display, small towns across Metro Detroit are following suit to create a sense of place and lure shoppers away from boring big boxes.

December 2 - The Detroit News

Forget swing states, Richard Florida says, suburbs are today’s political battlegrounds.

December 2 - The Atlantic Cities