The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Are the Arts Losing Out in D.C. Redevelopment?

In downtown Washington D.C., arts spaces are mandated by zoning, however the city's breakneck redevelopment is making such venues increasingly harder to find. Mark Jenkins looks at why a well-intentioned regulation isn't working.

February 13 - The Washington Post

Detroit For Sale?

Detroit's municipal financial crisis may force the city to sell some of its most venerable assets including Belle Isle, City Airport, and even the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, reports Darren A. Nichols.

February 13 - The Detroit News

Chinese Cities in Desperate Need of Competent Planning

A new report by one of China's premier academic research organizations has warned about rising discrepancies between the growth of China's cities and their ability to provide the resources necessary to serve those populations.

February 13 - China Daily

The Rise of Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing

Writing in Time, Anita Hamilton examines the rise of peer-to-peer car sharing networks, and why, exactly, the world's largest car company would support such a system.

February 13 - Time

What the Feds are Doing to Connect Housing Policy to Health Policy

<em>NewPublicHealth</em> recently published an interview with HUD’s Raphael Bostic on the nexus between Housing Policy and Public Health, and the steps the Feds are taking to improve people's health through housing.

February 13 - New Public Health


Why the Politics of Climate Change Matter

Suzy Khimm reports on a new study that demonstrates politicians affect the way that Americans view the issue of climate change more than almost anything else, including news, weather, or science.

February 13 - The Washington Post

Waste Disposal Becomes Sexy

Katherine Fung pens a feature in <em>The Architect's Newspaper</em> on the recent wave of projects seeking to improve the way our waste management infrastructure looks and works.

February 13 - The Architect's Newspaper


Murky Future for Two of D.C.'s Architectural Gems

The good news is that two of Washington's historical treasures are scheduled for renovation and re-use; columnist Steven Pearlstein delivers the bad news.

February 13 - The Washington Post

The Story Behind One of the Most Controversial Buildings in the Country

Love it or hate it, it's nearly impossible not to have an opinion of Boston's brutalist City Hall building. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of its conception, Leon Neyfakh reports on the improbable story of its creation.

February 13 - The Boston Globe

The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes

Roger E. Eastman recounts the process and product of a recent effort by Flagstaff, Arizona to replace an outdated zoning code with an innovative hybrid of form-based and Euclidean elements.

February 12 - Planning

The Appeal of In-Town Big Box

Emily Badger recounts the litany of gripes about Big Box stores, then proceeds to present the results of a recent study that shows why they may not be so bad after all.

February 12 - The Atlantic Cities

The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet

Felicity Barringer reports on the growing practice of recycling treated wastewater as drinking water in southwestern cities attempting to address diminishing water supplies.

February 12 - The New York Times

How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?

In a fascinating essay in the journal <em>Places</em>, Keith Eggener examines the politics of architectural reputation through the lens of architect Louis Curtiss's life and career.

February 12 - Places

Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?

Architect Jeanne Gang and scholar Greg Lindsay have penned an opinion piece in which they investigate the ways in which designers and planners can fix the housing crisis by responding to economic, demographic, and cultural changes.

February 12 - NY Times

NY Times Defends the Port Authority

When a recent audit of the Port Authority's spending at ground zero turned up $3.8 billion in cost overruns, the Governors of New York and New Jersey went on the offensive. Michael Powell provides some cover for the agency.

February 11 - The New York Times

Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time

In this video, host Richard Quest takes us underground to view the work firsthand, where two explosions occur daily right underneath dense city blocks.

February 11 - CNN Business 360

Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?

San Francisco will launch a pioneering electric bike share program this year, with the hope that pricing will help nudge consumers towards more efficient decisions, writes Sarah Laskow.

February 11 - Good

The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit

Over the past 100 years, women-only train cars have come and gone in Japan. Daniel Krieger reports on why these subway cars have endured amongst women’s concerns for safety.

February 11 - The Atlantic Cities

Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl

An Urban Land Institute panel of experts has delivered a vision for how to revitalize the historic Rose Bowl and its environs.

February 11 - Urban Land Institute

Friday Funny: Smellvertising, Coming to a Bus Stop Near You

John Metcalfe reports on an advertising campaign appearing at bus stops across the UK featuring a fiberglass potato sculpture and a mysterious odor emitting button.

February 10 - The Atlantic Cities

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