United States
One Transportation Agency to Rule Them All in Mass.
It is now official: the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation will be the singular transportation and transit agency for the entire state. With the swearing in of its five-member board, the agency can begin its work.
The Boston Herald
Lost Your Wallet? Hope You're in Utah.
A new Gallup poll asks respondents whether they'd expect a lost wallet to be returned. The results indicate that trust in neighbors and well-being go hand-in-hand.
Gallup
EPA's Porous Pavement Project
The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a test on three different types of porous pavement to devise ways to control runoff from parking lots and streets.
Scientific American
Funding the Fantastic
The Feds have given the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) $151 million to look at some highly unusual ways of creating energy. Are they so crazy they just might work -- or just plain crazy?
The Christian Science Monitor
Motorist-Cyclist Trial a Rallying Call for Respect and Rights
The ongoing trial of a California driver who allegedly injured two cyclists on purpose has become a rallying point for cyclists around the country, who are hoping the verdict elicits greater respect to cyclists from motorists.
Los Angeles Times
Measuring the Health Impact of Land Use
Officials in Oakland, CA are pioneering a new method of measuring the health impact of development, going beyond EIRs to get a more fully-fleshed assessment.
Sustainable Industries
Ford in the Black, Thanks to Cash for Clunkers
Ford Motor Co. is reporting almost $1b in profits in the third quarter. CEO Alan Mulally credits the Cash for Clunkers program and cost cutting for their success.
The Los Angeles Times
The Challenge (and Importance) of Engaging the Public
David Villano takes an in-depth survey of the state of public engagement practices in the U.S., and the positive effects of the processes that work.
Miller-McCune
Cars and Houses Brought Back the Economy
The economy is up 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, thanks in large part to government subsidies for car and home buying. Otherwise, the impact of the stimulus has been muted, says The Washington Times.
The Washington Times
Housing is Recovering - Will It Last?
Business Week looks at the recovering housing market, and believes that even though it was driven by massive government support there are signs that it might actually continue.
Business Week
Spoooooky Roads
Celebrate Halloween with this slideshow of America's creepiest roads, accompanied by the scary tales that make them part of urban (or rural) legends.
Digital City
Drive A Hot Rod, Save The Planet
How can a Porsche be better for the environment than a Prius? If you use transit to commute, and only take the hot rod out on the weekends. Slate writer Joe Eaton sold his Volvo for a combination of transit and fun.
Slate
Transportation Planning In Federal Climate Legislation
In this short radio broadcast, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer welcomes the support of influential land use planner Mike McKeever of Sacramento, who testifies in support of the bill that incorporates smart growth strategies first employed by his MPO.
Capital Public Radio
The Trouble with Transition Towns
Alex Steffen weighs the challenges of Transition Towns and, instead, advocates for bright green, optimistic democracy.
WorldChanging
Alex MacLean: Surveying a Changed Landscape
Photographer Alex MacLean talks about his book OVER: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point.
Northwest Hub
Modernism's Olmsted
Famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin died this week at the age of 93. Halprin is highly regarded in his field, but in terms of urban planning many of his designs have not stood up to the test of time. Managing Editor Tim Halbur explores his legacy.
$3.4 Billion for the Smart Grid
Earlier this week, the Obama Administration announced a significant investment in smart grid infrastructure like improved transmission lines and smart meters in homes.
The White House blog
The End of An Era for Arts Centers
The new Dallas Performing Arts Center marks the end of a boom in the development of arts centers and a moment in American architecture, says Nicolai Ouroussoff.
The New York Times
Are States Outdated?
Alan Greenblatt reports on increasing chatter among liberal blogs over whether states as a form of government are obsolete, while regional interests are more valid and under-represented.
Governing Magazine
Guns on Trains Could Derail Amtrak
The Senate transportation spending bill, signed last week, contains a provision requiring Amtrak to allow guns on its trains or lose its funding.
The Hill
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TECH-320: Advanced SketchUp Webinar
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TECH-320: Advanced SketchUp - Modeling Buildings
- Canada Increasing Investment in Carbon Capture
- DC Metro's Death Toll Rises
- Function Over Geometry
- 'Getting Religion' in Water Conservation
- The Ghost of Architecture Past
- Exercising Eminent Domain for Private Developers
- Rural America Still Leads Nation in Poverty
- Can Free Fares Save Public Transit?
- Filling In The Holes From The Big Dig
- World Bank's Urban Strategy Misses Mark
"Hoboken Daylighting" In Lieu Of Bump-Outs -- Ian Sacs
Learning from TTI -- Michael Lewyn
Automobility and Freedom: Conflicts and Resolutions -- Todd Litman
Somewhere Between Blight and Gentrification... -- Diana DeRubertis
The Future of American High Speed Rail: Regional and Slow -- Robert Goodspeed
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