The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Collecting Census data can be a daunting task. But in some places, like New York City, just finding the people to survey can be most of the challenge.

June 5 - NPR

After months of input on boundaries from readers, the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> has released its map of neighborhoods in the city.

June 4 - Los Angeles Times

The Planning and Zoning Commission of Lubbock, Texas is in the process of revamping old zoning to meet a new voter-approved iniative to allow off-premise alcohol sales.

June 4 - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Rob Powers was researching his architecture thesis in St. Louis, when he made a discovery: local landmark buildings weren't crumbling from age, but from brick theft.

June 4 - Built St. Louis

A review of <em>Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs</em> by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, from Residential Architect Online.

June 4 - Residential Architect Online

This piece from <em>Wired</em> looks at the Swedish mining town of Kiruna that is literally picking itself up and moving.

June 4 - Wired

The city of Cumberland, Maryland is prepping a new zoning text amendment to regulate wind turbines, primarily to create height restrictions on turbines over 150 ft. in height.

June 4 - Cumberland Times

Car industry analysts try to assess the future of the market - will Zipcar and public transit change car ownership forever?

June 4 - The New York Times

Water Lawyer Michael George details the causes and effects of the current California drought, and sees hope that pinched water supplies may drive innovation and collaboration in building sustainable water systems in the West.

June 4 - The Planning Report

"Getting There" columnist Cathy Woodruff investigates the use of cobblestones in Albany's historic neighborhoods.

June 4 - Albany Times Union

Back in September, we reported that the trust fund had to receive an $8 billion bailout. Reuters reports that a second bailout is required to prevent the fund from going broke by August. Sen. Boxer indicates she supports indexing the gas tax.

June 4 - Reuters

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> Once again, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) delightfully surprises the design community with another major leap forward in making city streets a public realm for all users (I can’t tell you how odd it still feels to write that).  As if the impressive, incessant roll-out of bike lanes, successful implementation of the “Select Bus Service”, and the unprecedented changes to Times Square and its environs weren’t enough to pique the imaginations of New Yorkers used to streets built for cars, NYCDOT has just issued their “<a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/streetdesignmanual.shtml">2009 Street Design Manual</a>”.  Planners and Engineers, get ready for a thrill! </p>

June 3 - Ian Sacs

Is congestion pricing unfair to poor people? Rand has released an Environmental Defense Fund-sponsored report, "Equity and Congestion Pricing" that attempts to answer this question and report on other equity-related aspects of congestion pricing.

June 3 - Environmental Defense Fund - Press Release

BLOG POST

<p> <span><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Calibri">Automobile industry subsidies are an inefficient way to support economic development. Even worse, policies intended to support automobile manufacturers and recover loans can be economically harmful.</span></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri"> </span></span> </p>

June 3 - Todd Litman

A tour examining 'the future of work' looks at several 'coworking communities' around Manhattan, where freelancers and small businesses have pooled resources into one location.

June 3 - Urban Omnibus

Barry Diller, IAC, and his wife, Diane Von Furstenburg, a well-known fashion designer, have donated $10 million to the Friends of the High Line, which is a non-profit group that manages the project.

June 3 - THE DIRT

Transit advocates may be louder than highway backers for the first time in discussions about the next authorization bill, but highway supporters warn less highway funding means less gasoline taxes.

June 3 - Congressional Quarterly Today

Ryan Avent at Streetsblog calls Randal O'Toole's anti-transit arguments "transparently foolish."

June 3 - Streetsblog

With a budget proposal that threatens to close 80 percent of California state parks on the table, Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, explains how the state's budget crisis left the SMMC "dead in the water."

June 3 - The Planning Report

The U.S. Census Bureau is putting marketing messages in soaps and fortune cookies in foreign languages in an attempt to improve the number of participants.

June 3 - USA Today