The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In Philadelphia, and other cities going through demographic changes, shuttered schools provide a challenge and opportunity for redevelopment and reuse. Two board members of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) offer a creative solution.

November 11 - philly.com

Facebook has a thing for Frank Gehry—and the feeling, apparently, is mutual.

November 11 - Los Angeles Times

Cyclist deaths are rising across the U.S., but in most cities and states, drivers are rarely punished. As more people embrace cycling and more cities encourage it; it's time our laws, infrastructure, and attitudes are reformed to make cycling safer.

November 11 - The New York Times

Reports of horrific destruction are starting to emerge after one of the strongest storms on record slammed the Philippines over the weekend. The government estimates that 10 percent of the country has been affected.

November 11 - The Washington Post

Emily Badger of The Atlantic Cities and Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution sit down with The NewsHour's Gwen Ifill for a discussion on the elections of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

November 10 - PBS NewsHour

The $800 million Graton Resort & Casino will soon open in Sonoma County for the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria and be the closest tribal casino to San Francisco.

November 10 - Sacramento Bee

Save your ink if you're writing a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times - deniers have now been warned that the paper won't print letters 'that say there's no sign humans have caused climate change'.

November 10 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

To meet America's health challenges, planning and public health are becoming reconnected across the country. But a century ago, the fields were "nearly indistinguishable". How did they become disconnected in the first place?

November 10 - AIArchitect

As part of a campaign for International Water Week, Amsterdam's water corporation, Waternet, will use struvite from donated urine in order to fertilize the city's green roofs.

November 10 - Future Cities

Spire or antenna; what sits atop One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan? The answer isn't just semantics, it will determine if the building is indeed taller than Chicago's Willis Tower. A decision by the official arbiter could come next week.

November 9 - NPR

What's the best way to get people to bike? "[M]ake clear the costs of not biking, in minutes saved or dollars not spent," writes Emily Badger. A new tool developed by Zach Rausnitz uses Google Maps data to compare travel times of alternative modes.

November 9 - The Atlantic Cities

With record ridership stressing Seattle's public transit system, the last thing the city needs is a funding crisis created by political intransigence. Unfortunately, that's what the city seems to be getting, reports Tanya Snyder.

November 9 - DC.Streetsblog

A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland quantifies the rate at which America's 55 largest cities gentrified between 2000-2007 based on neighborhood home values. The results may surprise you.

November 9 - Next City

What does it take to build sustainably? That a question that the USGBC's LEED program hoped to define. A group of developers in New York is trying to go beyond LEED to create "truly sustainable buildings".

November 9 - The New York Times

Images of a new apartment development in Qingdao, Shandong province have caused a stir on the Internet in recent weeks. The reason? Builders painted dozens of fake windows along the high-rise buildings' facades. Who were they trying to fool?

November 8 - Business Insider

BLOG POST

"Push buttons" designed to protect pedestrians often don't.

November 8 - Michael Lewyn

Recent deaths along London's cycling "superhighway" have forced Mayor Boris Johnson to rethink how to protect users of the city's expanding cycling infrastructure from vehicle collisions.

November 8 - The Guardian

While President Obama's push for much-needed infrastructure investment in the face of opposition and inaction may be admirable, one must ask if his continued pleas are falling on deaf ears. Could the political winds be changing?

November 8 - The New York Times

Sure, having a boorish crack-smoking mayor who refuses to get help or step down is a problem. But Toronto's existential problems are structural, writes Richard Florida. The city's "outmoded growth model and system of governance" threaten its success.

November 8 - The Globe and Mail

Because city residents generate four times as much trash as rural residents, the rapid growth of the world's cities is leading to the rapid growth of the world's garbage. A new study examines future trash troubles and potential solutions.

November 8 - Fast Company Co.Exist