The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Security-Dictated Design for Kabul's Newest Luxury Hotel

Adjacent to the U.S. Embassy, a five-star Marriott hotel designed to withstand bombings may serve as a "security bubble" once opened in February 2013.

December 28 - NPR

Does Gentrification Need to be a Bad Word?

Gentrification has come to signify wealthier residents pushing lower-income residents out of a community, but gentrification also has some "undeniable upsides". Ward 8 in Washington D.C. offers a glimpse into how gentrification can aid a community.

December 28 - Salon.com

Banned Billboards A Success in Brazil

Five years after Gilberto Kassab, the mayor of São Paulo, Brazil passed the "Clean City Law", banning all visual pollution around the city, both citizens and businesses are thankful.

December 28 - GOOD Magazine

Spain's Six-Mile Madrid Rio Park Replaces Freeway

The NYT chief art critic, Michael Kimmelman, reviews Madrid's almost complete six-mile long park, Madrid Rio, that is having a transformative effect on the city. The park was made possible by the under-grounding of the M-30 ring road.

December 28 - The New York Times

Interview With (ex) Republican Congressman Fighting Climate Change

NPR's Guy Raz re-interviews South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis, one of only two Republicans not re-elected. Interviewed last year after losing his primary due to the Tea Party, NPR wanted an update on his activities and views on climate change.

December 28 - NPR: All Things Considered


Branding Buildings in NYC

What's in a name? For some of New York City's buildings, a brand that reflects history, mood, and even geography. Joanne Kaufman takes us through the naming process for some of the city's newest buildings, and what they might mean to buyers.

December 27 - The New York Times

An Invitation to Sprawl?

New legislation by the Maharashtra State Governments would allow private land owners to apply for city boundary expansions as a tool to ease congestion.

December 27 - Hindustan Times


Anticipating the Impacts of Extreme Weather On World's Major Cities

A new report from the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change offers specific impact projections for 24 countries. CNN offers a slide show of recent calamities.

December 27 - CNN

Increasing State Gas Taxes Insufficient To Meet Road Projects' Costs

In her ongoing coverage of Missouri's I-70 expansion and state transportation deficits, Streetsblog's Angie Schmitt analyzes MO's consideration to double the state 17-cent state gas tax to finance the truck only lanes from Kansas City to St. Louis

December 27 - Streetsblog Network

Jane Jacobs Kicked Off Intertwined Revolutions Of Early 1960s

1961 marked an extraordinary year for urbanism, with the publication of Death and life of Great American Cities, and also foreshadowed two other intellectual and social revolutions led by women: environmentalism and feminism.

December 27 - California Planning & Development Report

A Profile of the Most Conservative Zip Code in Texas

Highland Park, ZIP code 75205, represents the top of the 1% in Texas, and is the most enthusiastically Republican community in the country.

December 26 - Mother Jones

Revive Farming, Revive Haiti

After the earthquake, Haiti's recovery has not been in rebuilding the center city, but through decentralization and the development of farming. But even this plan, reports Randal Archibald, is fraught with challenges.

December 26 - The New York Times

Does Local Economic Development Work?

Academic Mario Polèse argues that the history of local economic development is a "story of academic fads", that have "proven of little practical use."

December 26 - City Journal

D.C. is Tops in High-Earners and Highly Educated

Is it the presence of the federal government? Is it the smart people? And which came first? Derek Thompson dissects D.C., the nation's fastest growing, richest, and best-educated city.

December 26 - The Atlantic

Northern Manhattan Sees White Collar Boom

Traditionally immigrant neighborhoods in the northernmost reaches of Manhattan, Washington Heights and Inwood are seeing new, white collar companies set up shop in the low-rent neighborhoods.

December 26 - City Limits

Outdoor Markets Gain In Popularity

Holiday festival markets are flourishing in central city squares across America, following the model of the great Christmas markets of Germany and other European countries.

December 25 - Citiwire

NewsHour Interview With 'Quest' Author Daniel Yergin

Noted energy expert Daniel Yergin has written "The Quest" as an update to his landmark 1991 book, "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power" to capture changes in the oil industry. Full transcript and video of NewsHour interview available.

December 25 - PBS NewsHour

Hondura's Experiment in Massive Free Market City Building

Can Honduras develop it's own Hong Kong by enabling free market "startup cities"? The sleepy city of Trujillo is selected for the country's first experiment.

December 25 - The Economist

Top 2011 Design Milestones for the Public Good

Archinect's John Cary compiles a comprehensive list of most forward-thinking designs in 2011 that have impacted people's lives, and the way they interact with the built environment.

December 25 - Archinect

The World's 10 Most Impressive Modern Churches

The tradition of celebrating Christmas in church has not changed, but the buildings have. Architects are redefining our urban landscape and not stopping short at sacred buildings.

December 25 - The Architects' Journal

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