The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Mark Byrnes' slideshow introduces the most welcoming welcome signs in North America.

October 22 - The Atlantic

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> As readers of this blog will know I encourage people to find out about planning programs in multiple ways. Reading the work of faculty is a crucial first step as is reading the program’s web site. Visiting open houses or connecting with students (programs often set up some kind of chat space around admission time) are also options. Increasingly schools are using multiple forms of social media to reach current students and alums providing a useful window onto the programs for prospective students. This list highlights a few of these sources used specifically by planning programs.

October 22 - Ann Forsyth

History was made at a contentious California Air Resources Board Meeting when the board unanimously approved the nation's first Cap & Trade program to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The program results from CA's 2006 landmark climate law, AB 32.

October 22 - Los Angeles Times

Community board members, representing a traditionally Dominican neighborhood with six- to 10-story buildings, recently rejected one developer's plans for a mixed-income project of 800+ apartments, fearing gentrification and non-contextual development

October 22 - The New York Times

While some may grudgingly eat the extra fee to park downtown on weekdays, others may look toward more reliance on the El--the desired response. But is a flat congestion fee on top of already existing parking rates the best way to go?

October 22 - NPR

BLOG POST

<p> <span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS">One of the bedrocks of the Vancouver city-building story, which we often refer to as &quot;the most important decision Vancouver ever made&quot;, was the dramatic rejection of inner city freeways in the late 60&#39;s/early 70&#39;s.<span>  </span>This left our city frequently referenced as the only major North America city without a freeway. That decision led us down the very different and counter-intuitive path for livability, mobility, inner city density and urbanism that has come to be referred to as &quot;the Vancouver Model&quot;.</span></span></span> </p>

October 21 - Brent Toderian

A new survey from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments are more likely to be suffering from depression.

October 21 - The Wall St. Journal

Michael Mehaffy worked on Orenco Station in Portland, and says criticism that says it fails because most commuters drive to work misses the point of the forward-thinking development.

October 21 - The Atlantic Cities

An overhaul of the New Jersey State Plan proposed by the Governor's office would eliminate the State Plan Policy Map, which designated growth areas and conservation in the state.

October 21 - NJ Spotlight

Allison Arieff explodes the unspoken myth that public housing must look cheap and unattractive, citing some stellar examples of affordable design.

October 21 - The Atlantic Cities

That's the title of a draft report from the Australian Dept. of Infrastructure and Transport presenting model processes for creating high-quality urban environments.

October 21 - Architecture and Design

In another major blow to the struggling rail project, the High Speed Rail Authority has written the state legislature that private financing, which they had counted on to fund 1/3 the capital cost, may not be available until the train is running.

October 21 - Los Angeles Times: Environment

The Economist paints a gloomy picture of an ailing Detroit, but also says there is hope in the form of urban pioneers attracted by the affordability of space.

October 21 - The Economist

Kaid Benfield bravely tackles the topic of gentrification, suggesting that while all attempts should be made to avoid displacing current residents, revitalizing neighborhoods is still a good thing.

October 21 - NRDC Blog

New York City's privately-owned public spaces are back on the radar since protesters took over Zuccotti Park last month. Remnants of good-intentioned zoning that didn't quite do enough, the spaces are often far more lackluster than occupier-worthy.

October 21 - The New York Times

Under the "living building" pilot program, a handful of developments get to bypass the usual zoning for sticking to some of the most stringent building standards in the world. But one developer wants an additional 10 feet of height for it.

October 21 - The Seattle Times

Ariel Schwartz writes that California is poised to make a significant leap into Gov 2.0, with Apps for reporting graffiti and potholes, crowdsourcing solutions to local issues, and more.

October 20 - Fast Company

The money, part of a larger $930 million to be allocated nationwide for transit projects, will aid 16 new projects from facility maintanence to hybrid buses.

October 20 - Detroit Free Press

Charging stations for electric cars are multiplying much faster than the plug-in vehicles that can use them for many reasons. While the federal subsidies help, some in the business community believe that the chargers will attract new customers.

October 20 - The Wall Street Journal - Technology

Denver was the angriest city in the nation with 12,018 protesters per million, 5000 attending the April 15,2009 Tea Party Protest, and 2000 for the the October 15 Occupy Wall Street protest.

October 20 - The Daily Beast