Planning News

• Friday Funny: The Solution for Distracted Walking May 17, 2013
  New York City's DOT recently launched a pilot program to make city streets safer for those texting while walking. Well not really. But for some trusting New Yorkers, “Seeing Eye People” is a service worth utilizing. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Court Ruling Imperils Los Angeles BIDs May 17, 2013
  The Arts District Business Improvement District in downtown Los Angeles was recently ordered to dissolve by a Superior Court judge for providing dubious economic development services. Other area BIDs fear the ruling could threaten their operations. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Where in America is it Easiest to Bike to Work? May 17, 2013
  Today, the U.S. is celebrating Bike to Work Day. With increasing investment in bike infrastructure across the country, cycling is becoming a commuting option for more and more workers. Richard Florida looks at the places where it's easiest. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Video Allegedly Shows Toronto Mayor Smoking Crack Cocaine May 17, 2013
  In what may be the saddest and most shocking turn yet in the saga of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, a video has reportedly surfaced that appears to show the Mayor smoking crack cocaine. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Bay Area Commuters Clamor for More Ferry Service May 17, 2013
  Several days a week dissatisfied patrons are left behind when full boats depart the Larkspur Ferry Terminal in Marin County. More ferries to SF are planned, as are new parking fees at the terminal and shuttle service for those who forgo driving. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• 'Multi-Story Stomach' Solves Supermarkets' Spoiled Food Problem May 17, 2013
  A first of its kind waste-to-energy plant in Los Angeles produces enough energy to power 2,000 homes per year by processing 150 tons of spoiled supermarket food per day. Could this model help other grocers reduce their environmental footprint? […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Can a New Streetscape Help Heal Syracuse's Low-Income Near Westside? May 17, 2013
  The winners of a competition to rethink the streetscape along 5 blocks of Syracuse's Near Westside hope to "get people out on their feet" and improve public health in the historically low-income neighborhood. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Ways to Fail at Form-Based Codes 04: Don’t Capture the Character May 17, 2013
  Form-based codes extract the DNA of the desired local character, and enable it by right. Hazel Borys talks about how to get the numbers right in this week's Back of the Envelope. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Hope for Healed Urban Fabric Dashed by Security Concerns at Former Trade Center Site May 17, 2013
  After the World Trade Center attacks, planners, neighbors, and Mayor Bloomberg supported reweaving the site into the city's street grid, in the process undoing "a painful planning error of the 1960s." Security concerns seem to have won out, however. […]
  Jonathan Nettler
• Official's Embrace of Gentrification Causes Stir in Detroit May 17, 2013
  Speaking at an event this week, Detroit's economic development czar was unabashed in his support of gentrification for the troubled city. The subject is a sore one for a city that still recalls the rampant black displacement of the 1940s and ’50s. […]
  Jonathan Nettler