The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>A New Jersey town along the one of the state's light rail line has rejected a plan for adding new mixed-use residential to its downtown, for fear of new development threatening its main street's historic character.</p>

May 13 - Streetsblog

<p>Celebrated for its livability and character, the city is increasingly unaffordable to the very people who gave Seattle its funky vibe.</p>

May 13 - The Seattle Times

<p>Plenty of quality parks -- along with good weather to enjoy them -- gives these cities the edge when it comes to outdoor enjoyment. San Francisco, which spends the most per capita on parks, ranks first.</p>

May 13 - Forbes

<p>After personally taking up cycling and seeing the city's poor reputation among cyclists firsthand, Mayor Thomas Menino is leading a campaign to make Boston a more bicycle-friendly city.</p>

May 13 - The Boston Globe

BLOG POST

<p> &quot;Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Amtrak Train 715. We&#39;re expecting a smooth ride today and should be moving along right on time,&quot; said the voice of the train conductor over the loudspeaker. He then continued, &quot;And thanks for joining us for National Train Day&quot;. The loudspeaker then turned off, and was followed instantly by the voice of an incredulous woman a few rows behind who said &quot;What?&quot;

May 13 - Nate Berg

<p>The northern California city of Vallejo has declared bankruptcy, becoming one of few cities and the largest in the state to do so. Other struggling cities are watching closely to see if the strategy helps to save the city.</p>

May 13 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Pubilc art should be guided by public input, according to this commentary.</p>

May 13 - The Guardian

BLOG POST

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <p> Some commentators argue that sprawl is an inevitable result of affluence, based on European development patterns. These pundits tell a simple story: European urban cores are losing population and becoming more automobile-dependent - just like American cities. So if Europe can’t beat sprawl, neither can America. </p>

May 13 - Michael Lewyn

<p>Homebuilders have been removed from the language of a transportation funding bill that would have required developers to pay for new roads.</p>

May 13 - Arizona Daily Star

<p>CBS' "Early Show" highlights the sorry state of the country's infrastructure, warning that the U.S. may become a "second-rate country" if the necessary repairs aren't made [Includes video].</p>

May 13 - Raw Replay

<p>Chicago's federally funded pilot program will target some of the city's most congested arteries with new bus-rapid transit lines that will feature dedicated lanes, pre-paid boarding, "next bus" signs, and potentially bicycle sharing.</p>

May 13 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Facing a shortage of affordable housing, Westchester, New York, is considering using the excess parking lots of local office park campuses for new housing development.</p>

May 12 - The New York Times

<p>Light rail vehicles aren't as green one might think, and cities that really want to lower carbon emissions might want to take a harder look at new hybrid-electric buses, argues a recent column.</p>

May 12 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

<p>Following the lead of law enforcement, San Diego's code enforcement department is opening storefront offices where residents can come in with questions and complaints.</p>

May 12 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

<p>States are helping homeowners who want to have a more eco-friendly lifestyle by overturning homeowner association regulations that ban solar panels and wind turbines.</p>

May 12 - USA Today

<p>With growing numbers interested in urban agriculture, American Public Radio's Marketplace interviews one urban farmer in Pasadena, California.</p>

May 12 - Marketplace Radio

<p>Record gas prices have helped the nation's transit systems attract record numbers of riders. Notably, the biggest increases have occurred in the South and West, where public transportation has traditionally been underutilized.</p>

May 12 - The Seattle Times

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana">We’ve all been subject to them – the endless powerpoint presentations that extol the worst aspects of animated text and mind-numbing bullet points.<span> </span>While Edward Tufte has written about the <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html">horrors of powerpoint</a>, I see it as just a tool and like any tool it can be used wisely or poorly.<span> </span>After all, David Byrne, the former Talking Heads front man, makes <a href="http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/eeei/index.php">art with powerpoint</a> so it can’t be all bad.<span> </span>But one thing struck me at the American Planning Association’s (APA) conference two weeks ago:<span> </span>some sessions would have been much better if the powerpoint presentation (or abuse thereof) didn’t get in the way.<span> </span>In actuality, some of the best presentations I attended didn’t use powerpoint at all.

May 12 - Scott Page

<p>UCLA Professor Donald Shoup has criss-crossed the nation lecturing about the many benefits from market pricing of parking -- but he says too many cities are still making decisions based on politics.</p>

May 12 - The Toronto Star

<p>Melbourne, Australia, has its own brand of suburban sprawl: suburbia without the space. A new comprehensive plan aims to address the woes of suburban Melbourne, but some say it doesn't go far enough.</p>

May 12 - The Age