The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Crows are seemingly everywhere, including cities. A new book looks at the relationship between people and crows in urban areas and what it says about modern cities.

May 27 - THE DIRT

Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.

May 27 - the transport politic

The city of Vancouver is beautiful, but according to this op-ed, it hasn't yet been able to create a truly vibrant city life.

May 27 - The Vancouver Sun

Since rejecting $800 million in federal funds for HSR, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed four new highway projects (estimated at a potential cost of $2 billion).

May 26 - U.S. Pirg

This video from <em>Public Architecture</em> looks at three outdoor lighting displays and their impact on the public realm in San Francisco.

May 26 - Public Architecture

Having lured its first major retailer on Main Street, revitalization efforts in Columbia, South Carolina's urban corridor seem to be finally paying off.

May 26 - The State

A new budget proposal in North Carolina could pull all funding for a long-planned extension of Charlotte's light rail system.

May 26 - The Charlotte Observer

FEATURE

Urban designer and architect Ken Greenberg writes "an eloquent, personal, compelling and persuasive argument for more enlightened city-building," says Michael Dudley in this review of Greenberg's new book [...]

May 26 - Michael Dudley

California's high speed rail project has been criticized for starting its first section in the state's central valley and connecting to small towns. But this piece argues that's exactly the right way to do it.

May 26 - Miller-McCune

Density reduces costs and helps make places more sustainable, according to this post in a series on "great places".

May 26 - Grist

Community members in Philadelphia have taken over a languishing site and put it back into use as a temporary park space.

May 26 - NewsWorks

A recent design competition aimed at reviving Miami's waterfront Marine Stadium has breathed new life into the area and offered innovative ideas for reusing the site.

May 26 - The Miami Herald

Seattle has been named one of the nation's safest p[laces to walk or bike. But some question whether that success will translate into any further improvements in bike and pedestrian infrastructure spending.

May 26 - Publicola

The border city of Juarez, Mexico, has been a flashpoint in the drug-fueled violence that has plagued many parts of Mexico. Recent figures show that nearly 25% of the homes there have been abandoned.

May 26 - El Paso Times

A vocal and dedicated contingent of residents have successfully rallied to halt plans to expand a highway in metropolitan Vancouver.

May 25 - Straight

The Triangle (The Raleigh-Durham area) has managed to attract a cluster of nearly 60 companies working on smart grid technology and infrastructure.

May 25 - News & Observer

Half the oil in the Persian Gulf has been pumped out of the ground - so has 'peak oil' been reached? Notably, that term doesn't even appear in the article. Instead, it discusses the difference between light and heavy oil, and the role of technology

May 25 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

The Tennessee town of Shelbyville has become a new center for Somalian refugees. A new documentary looks at what the influx of this group has meant to the city and its people.

May 25 - Miller-McCune

In this excerpt from a new book on Los Angeles, L.A.-based architect Michael Maltzan reflects on the city, and how its clashes and evolving identity are part of why it represents the future of cities.

May 25 - Places

Choreographer Jenni Bregman studied human use and interaction in urban areas to create her latest dance piece, "Intimate City."

May 25 - The Polis Blog