The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Roger Valdez set out to read and review the entire land use code of the city of Seattle. Now that he's done, he says it's time to rewrite the whole thing.

August 25 - Crosscut

A new report from the London School of Economics looks at the “cycling economy” that is taking the United Kingdom by storm and the economic benefits generated by individual cyclists.

August 25 - TheCityFix.com

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave approval to kayakers and canoeists to paddle down a 1.5 mile strip of the L.A. River that is deemed by the federal government safe enough for public recreation, reports Michael Martinez for CNN.

August 24 - CNN

A Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit program called CommunityNEXT is raising funds and providing a $250 rent subsidy for those that chose to live in Detroit's downtown of Midtown.

August 24 - The Detroit News

Bay City, Michigan, which has seen seven consecutive months of rising home prices, is one of 25 metro areas seeing a rebound in their real estate market despite a slow economic recovery, Morgan Brennan reports for Forbes.

August 24 - Forbes

Canadian Urban designer Ken Greenberg and American planner Trent Lethco argue that investing in cycling infrastructure improves driving conditions -- for those times that you really need a car.

August 24 - The Globe and Mail

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), a Canada-based research group, is calling for world leaders to band together to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.

August 24 - AutoBlogGreen

A new public space is coming to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, and the city plans to crowdsource its name.

August 24 - University City District

Coal is still the largest power source in the United States: 45% of our energy comes from it. News21 has an evocative multimedia site exploring our inescapable dependence on coal.

August 24 - NEWS21

GOOD Magazine writes about Chicago's O'Hare International Airport dedicating 2,400 square feet of vacant space to on-site beekeeping.

August 24 - GOOD Magazine

Despite major resistance for an extended streetcar line, a shorter, 2-mile downtown light rail is quite popular. Supporters say there is a sense of "urgency" behind the project, which could be built as soon as 2015.

August 24 - Kansas City Star

Officials in Russia are hoping to create their own version of Silicon Valley by luring tech companies to the Skolkovo innovation hub.

August 24 - Financial Times

Infrastructure costs are towering in the U.S., but much of that could be because of old habits in road building. This column looks at how cities and states can reduce their infrastructure costs.

August 23 - Citiwire

It appears that everyone is talking about the impact that sports stadiums have on urban economic development. As soon as one person says they're a terrible idea, another article will retort the benefits brought to a given city.

August 23 - Initiative for a Competitive Inner City

Thomas Rogers laments the fact that no disaster movie has bothered to obliterate a Canadian city or landmark.

August 23 - Globe and Mail

From 2000 to 2010, Kendall County, Illinois was the fastest growing county in the country. Today, it seems the downturn has caught up with Kendall.

August 23 - Chicago News Cooperative

Japanese officials recently approved plans to build a 320-mile magnetic levitation train system. The $114 billion project is expected to begin construction in 2014.

August 23 - Ecomagination

Two neighboring towns -- one with a bustling soccer stadium and the other with a struggling minor league baseball stadium -- offer a story of changing times in the U.S.

August 23 - The New York Times

Russian officials are pushing a plan to build a tunnel connecting Russian territory to the United States.

August 23 - MSNBC

Transit oriented development is on the rise in California, with new projects being pushed in conjunction with new rail lines in Southern California and the Bay Area.

August 23 - The Architect's Newspaper