The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>According to a recent survey of architects in Ireland, 80% think that local planning decisions do not support good design and are essentially a waste of time.</p>

July 18 - The Irish Times

<p>The Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae crisis is resurrecting the debate over the role the federal government should play in the housing market.</p>

July 18 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>In this column, Richard Florida argues the decline in the popularity of suburbs is not just a product of rising oil prices, but a result of a new "spatial fix" that is reorganizing how and where people live their lives.</p>

July 18 - The Globe and Mail

<p>A new documentary film looks at the achievements of Michael Reynolds, who for 20 years has been building eco-friendly, off-grid "earth ship" houses built out of natural materials and car tires. </p>

July 18 - The Independent

<p>A new study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that living in poor and violent neighborhoods can significantly increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.</p>

July 18 - The Baltimore Sun

<p>The American Human Development Project has determined that the U.S. demonstrates huge disparities in life expectancy and other well-being indicators, based on geography, race, sex and class.</p>

July 18 - The Independent (UK)

<p>San Francisco has been named the most walkable American city by the walkability website WalkScore.</p>

July 18 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Incidents of violence and vandalism highlight a rising tide of local opposition to teh construction of new mosques in Germany.</p>

July 18 - Der Spiegel

BLOG POST

It&#39;s a unique time to be joining the staff of Planetizen as managing editor. The world seems to be awakening for the first time to all of the issues we deal with everyday, whether we work in urban and regional planning, environmental preservation, architecture and placemaking, landscape architecture or transportation. Suddenly, everyone understands that these niches are, in fact, interconnected, and that &quot;place&quot; as a general concept affects everything we do. Unfortunately, it took $4.85 gasoline and a mortgage crisis that is sinking our economy, but at least people are thinking! <br />

July 17 - Tim Halbur

<p>The much-maligned rail system is being reconsidered, as gas prices and environmental awareness send people looking for solutions. But can Amtrak step up to the plate?</p>

July 17 - Newsweek

<p>Seattle is closing the lid on a disappointing experiment with public toilets after spending $5 million dollars to install them. Cities from Boston to San Francisco have had mixed results with automated toilets, The New York Times reports.</p>

July 17 - The New York Times

<p>Federal regulators have criticized planners of a bridge expansion for not considering how the new bridge would induce sprawl and increase pollution.</p>

July 17 - The Oregonian

<p>Students at Petoskey High School in Michigan are building the first “frybrid” -- a grease-powered hybrid -- in Northern Michigan.</p>

July 17 - Petoskey News-Review

<p>The City of Miami is pushing a new 'mega-plan' that rolls a stadium, tunnel, public park, trolley system, and bailout into one $3 billion dollar deal. Miamians, including local car dealer Norman Braman, are pushing back.</p>

July 17 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>When you live near raging wildfires, you begin to understand why the State of California spends nearly $1 billion a year on firefighting. You also start to see why some state lawmakers say it's time for more local responsibility.</p>

July 17 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>More than 2 million people are expected to be added to the metropolitan Chicago region by 2030, and water supplies may not be able to keep up. Officials are trying to find a solution.</p>

July 17 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>A $5 million project on Long Beach Island to restore the eroding beachfront is stymied by homeowners who don't want to allow easements through their property.</p>

July 17 - NJ.com

<p>Almost 200 New Jersey mayors have joined together to oppose new affordable housing requirements that they say their cities can't possibly comply with.</p>

July 17 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

<p>With less than a month left before the start of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, residents in the Chinese metropolis are still being evicted to make way for event-related construction.</p>

July 17 - The Washington Post via the Boston Globe

<p>An informal survey by APTA says that cities across the U.S., cities are experiences surging transit use in all modes. Transit agencies are expanding every way they can, but face budget shortfalls.</p>

July 16 - CNN