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The Planetizen News Brief - 5/7/09

7 May 2009 - 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

The recession, it seems, is pulling people together. A recent article from the Washington Post looks at a trend of increasing public participation in community activities. Vacant homes are turning out to have a silver lining in some communities, as concerns over security have neighbors banding together for neighborhood watch groups and other similar activities. The result is better communication and interaction between neighbors. Some scholars and sociologists are saying this trend of “neighboring” is an unexpected boon for civic engagement. Historically- during the Great Depression, for example- tough times can slow community participation. But researchers think this recession-fueled uptick could finally bring about a revival of civic engagement not seen since the 1960s.

Meanwhile, some neighbors in Northern California are pulling together for another cause- suing the State of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority. The cities of Menlo Park and Atherton have filed suit challenging the chosen route of California’s high-speed rail project connecting Northern and Southern California. Menlo Park and Atherton are getting cold feet about the route running through their neighborhood, and want the line moved. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, a successful ruling in the lawsuit could delay the project by two to three years, and add millions to the price tag. Despite those delays, the plaintiff cities are standing strong in their opposition. Unless the train is rerouted, opponents say, it will cut a deep scar across their communities, and that’s a scar they’d rather have someone else suffer.

And finally out in London, Mayor Boris Johnson recently announced an ambitious plan to build a new bridge over the Thames. But it’s not your ordinary bridge. Johnson wants it to include shops, housing, and twin high-rise towers. The Evening Standard reported recently on the plan, which is actually an idea put forward back in the 1990s. Plans were dropped later in the decade, but Johnson is set on putting them back into motion. The living bridge would be similar to Florence’s Ponte Vecchio bridge, which also holds buildings. And though the idea seems futuristic, it wouldn’t be the first time a bridge was more than a bridge in London. The iconic London Bridge originally had buildings and commercial properties, but they were torn down almost 200 years ago. As far as a timeline for this new bridge is concerned, the plan is mainly in the idea stage. Though the design has been completed, Johnson still has the task of convincing Londoners and local officials that the $120 million project is worth the effort.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

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