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The Planetizen News Brief

13 November 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

Urban planners, your dream may be coming true. Word is out that President-elect Barack Obama is making moves to establish a White House Office of Urban Policy. The announcement came this week from Obama transition co-chair Valerie Jarrett, who says this will be a high-profile department focusing on city issues and providing a comprehensive approach to urban development. It’s a move planners are calling long-overdue. The Department of Housing and Urban Development was set up by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 to tackle city and housing policy, but the city part kind of dropped off the radar as the years went on. Obama’s administration hopes the new Office of Urban Policy will bring that attention back. Speculation abounds at who will fill Obama’s cabinet, and no names have been listed for the urban policy post as of yet.

Meanwhile, a point-counterpoint at Building Design Online debates whether shopping centers can be viable tools for city regeneration. A retail developer and an architect trade points, arguing that retail is either the cause of or the cure for urban decay. By creating a sense of place, the developer argues, shopping centers are reviving the demand for public spaces in which to engage, and creating walkable areas that encourage interaction. On the architect’s side, shopping centers are chastised for draining the life out of neighboring areas and hurting local economies and small businesses. It is argued that any economic gains are often offset by a corporate takeover of the community in question. Whether cities should rely on shopping centers for regeneration is clearly debatable, but essentially it all comes down to what cities are looking to gain and what they’re willing to give up.

And finally, this Christmas may not be so jolly, as cities and companies across the country are scrimping on holiday decorations to save some extra cash. The Wall Street Journal reports that cities and businesses are stringing up fewer Christmas lights and downsizing or completely eliminating holiday parties amid a tight economic slowdown. From Michigan to Florida to Tennessee, small cities are being forced to make cuts to traditional holiday festivities, as city budgets decline and homeowners face extreme mortgage troubles. Even elf and Santa Claus bookings are on the decline. As the impact of reduced property taxes and a struggling economy take their toll on cities across the country, Americans may be facing at least one year without a Santa Claus.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

Obama Administration to Create Office of Urban Policy

How New Retail Can Revitalize Cities

The Year Without A Santa Claus

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In short, we’ve seen the last of the cheap oil on which we’ve built our economy, our communities, and our daily lives.
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