Home

The Planetizen News Brief

29 May 2008 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

In Kansas City public transit has been a hot potato recently. Back in November, voters approved plans for a light rail system, but city officials backed away amidst concerns that the system was not feasible. Since then, various other ideas have been floating around, from bus rapid transit to subways, but nothing has landed for voters or officials. Mayor Mark Funkhouser is hoping to change that, with a new comprehensive regional transit plan. The Kansas City Star reports that Funkhouser has released details of a major plan to address the region's transit needs. Covering more than 100 miles, Funkhouser's plan includes BRT, expanded commuter rail lines, and streetcars. His plan, however, only includes about 11 miles of light rail. Funkhouser’s new plan depends on money created by raising sales taxes an additional half-cent – a decision facing voters in this November’s election.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, preservationists and historians are reeling since the announcement that a line of aging skyscrapers on the city's Michigan Avenue has been named one of the 11 most endangered historic places in America. Selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the list is intended to spur cities into action to save their disappearing historic amenities. But as the Chicago Tribune reports, the city has already taken steps to save the Michigan Avenue Skyscrapers. They were named historic landmarks in 2002, but that protection was limited to the buildings' facades. The National Trust says that isn’t enough, and is calling on the city to make quick action to prevent any further devastation of the historic character that exists beneath the façade.

And while some say historic preservation efforts in Chicago haven't gone far enough, many frustrated homeowners in San Francisco are complaining about overly restrictive historic preservation regulations. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the city’s preservation standards have made home renovations difficult for many homeowners – even those who’ve enlisted the help of engineers, architects and professional preservationists. Homeowners have bemoaned the city’s heavy emphasis on preserving the historic character of the building façade, even in cases where building fronts are clearly in need of repair. And for many homes, the mere fact that they are located in historic neighborhoods has made performing even the most minor home repairs an exercise in permitting. In the preservation community, there are mixed feelings about the city’s tight grip on history. Many applaud the comprehensive efforts but worry that an uneven emphasis on the façade of buildings may end up creating architectural freaks -- with crumbling historic bodies and incompatible modern interiors.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

A New Proposal For Kansas City's Transit System

Chicago's Michigan Avenue Endangered

Want to Renovate Your San Francisco Home? Good Luck.

»