The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

14 Unusual "Pop-Up Shops"

The temporary shop, formerly the type of thing one would only see at the holidays - think fireworks, or Christmas trees - is now hot.

December 20 - Top Pop-Up Shops

The Largest Urban Park In America Coming To Chicago

A new park in Chicago aims to turn 140,000 acres of under-used and post industrial land along the Second City's southern rim into the country's largest urban park. Governor Pat Quinn hopes to add private funding to the $17m allotted by the state.

December 20 - The Atlantic

Kuala Lumpur's Sprawl Creating A Mini Los Angeles

In a recent report about Malaysia, the World Bank has said that the capital's urban sprawl is transforming it into a "mini Los Angeles" rather than a densely populated Asian City.

December 20 - The Wall Street Journal

Cornell Is Chosen For Roosevelt Island Science School

Only three days after Stanford pulled out of the bidding, rival Cornell is to be announced as the university chosen to create a new science graduate school on Roosevelt Island.

December 20 - New York Times

Environmental Devastation From Russia's Oil Drilling Considered Routine

It's on the scale of a Deepwater Horizon spill every 2 months - except that it's considered the cost of doing business. Aging pipes, lax oversight and inclement weather all combine to make an estimated 5 million tons of annual spillage.

December 20 - AP via Yahoo Finance


Security Perimeter Design Gets A Facelift

For almost a decade, security features have been added to the perimeters of important public buildings without regard for aesthetics, and now are being 'beautified,' across the nation.

December 19 - The Atlantic

Super-Healthy City Gets First McDonalds

Loma Linda, California has an average lifespan higher than most cities, and a significant population of vegetarians. Last week, the city council approved the first McDonald's in town. Will it have an impact on the community's health?

December 19 - The Los Angeles Times


The Metabolism of the Urban Web

Regular Planetizen contributors Nikos Salingaros and Michael Mehaffy get deep into the importance of network connectivity in cities and the reasons why sprawl is incredibly ineffective.

December 19 - Metropolis

Escaping the Data and Going With Your Gut

Jeff Wood, no stranger to transportation modeling and data-crunching, suggests its time to open up transit planning to gut-level reactions.

December 19 - The Overhead Wire

Life in the Slow Lane

After decades of building for speed, cities are rediscovering the virtues of slow: walking, biking and streetcars are taking over from freeways.

December 19 - Salon.com

The Tea Party vs. Urban Planning

Anthony Flint reports on a number of planning initiatives stopped in their tracks by protesting Tea Party members, who are strongly opposed to "smart growth communism."

December 19 - The Atlantic Cities

Parking Garage to be Topped with Urban Farm

The City of Vancouver is building a 6,000 sq. ft. greenhouse atop a downtown parking garage as part of its goal to become the greenest city in the world by 2020.

December 19 - The Vancouver Sun

Cleveland's Growing Problem with Abandoned Homes

60 Minutes reports on Cleveland, Ohio's growing problem of abandoned homes, where 1/5th of all houses are now vacant.

December 19 - CBS News

Cities Unprepared to Help Those in Need

A new report says that U.S. cities are lacking in preparation (and in funds) for providing food and shelter for those in need.

December 19 - Governing Magazine

Businesses Drive Regionalism

Ian Scott attends a symposium sponsored by The Citistates Group on the topic of regionalism and comes away with a greater understanding of having an effect at the regional level.

December 19 - Citiwire.net

BLOG POST

Planning to Get an Internship

<span style="font-size: small; font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </span> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">It’s winter break for many northern hemisphere planning students so time to start planning for next summer’s internship. I have previously blogged about &quot;making the most of an internship&quot;: <a href="/node/51287" target="_blank">http://www.planetizen.com/node/51287</a>. Here I briefly talk about the practicalities of getting one.</span></span> </p>

December 18 - Ann Forsyth

Stadium Seats Recycled Into Bus Stops

An "independent urbanist" group in Indianapolis spearheaded an idea to take seats from the closing Bush Stadium minor league ballpark to be used as much-needed bus stop furniture.

December 18 - The Urbanophile

Congressional Transportation Committee Debates CA High Speed Rail

The stage moved to D.C. from Sacramento for the latest debate on the pros and cons of California's embattled HSR plan. The more vocal detractors from the Central Valley and Peninsula testified before the few members of the committee who attended.

December 18 - The Sacramento Bee - Transportation

Washington Navy Yard Projects Getting Dusted Off

Developers who held out through the recession are finally getting back to moving their projects for the Washington, DC Navy Yard. Jonathan O'Connell reports.

December 18 - The Washington Post

U.S. Now Exports More Petroleum Products Than It Imports

Petroleum products are defined as refinery products, such as fuel. The U.S. passed a threshold in November. The EIA recorded 689.4 million barrels of oil refinery products imported and 753.4 million barrels exported in the first 9 months of 2011.

December 18 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

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