The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Aspen To Encourage Transit Use By Keeping Congested Highway As Is

<p>A plan to keep an Aspen-area highway congested to encourage transit use is catching flak from locals who are fed up with crowded streets. But city officials say adding more lanes is a temporary solution.</p>

August 20 - Aspen Daily News

Flood Victims Call On Government To Limit Flood Plain Development

<p>Residents of a British town that was recently flooded gathered to demonstrate against governmental housing plans that do not advise against building in flood plains.</p>

August 20 - BBC

Beijing Proposes Plan To Limit Growth in City Center

<p>A detailed plan proposed by Beijing's city planning agency would closely manage growth, limit construction in the central city, and relocate people away from heavily congested areas.</p>

August 20 - Forbes

U.S. Secretary Peters Says Bikes 'Are Not Transportation'

<p>U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters implies that federal money is wasted on cycling infrastructure.</p>

August 20 - Streetsblog

Go Big To Go Green

<p>New research suggests that the bigger a city is, the greener it can be.</p>

August 19 - Architect Magazine


Don't Say 'Density', Say 'Walkability'

<p>The concept of increasing density has been given a negative connotation of causing crowdedness and eliminating privacy. This article argues that people will respond more favorably to plans that improve walkability.</p>

August 19 - Crosscut

Taking A Streetcar Test Drive

<p>In a fact-finding mission to see if the technology is right for their city, officials from Vancouver, Washington, will hop over the state line to Portland to try out the city's streetcar system.</p>

August 19 - The Columbian


Honolulu Traffic Best Dealt With Incrementally

<p>This editorial from the <em>Honolulu Star-Tribune</em> looks at Oahu's traffic issues and how the baby steps proposed by the Honolulu City Council may be more effective than grand-scale transit plans.</p>

August 19 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Mining Puts National Parks At Risk

<p>Mining has expanded around many of the country's national parks, causing concern that the legal extraction of natural and hazardous materials is harming the protected ecosystems.</p>

August 19 - New Scientist

BLOG POST

Graduate School 2008: Nuts and Bolts of Applying

<p class="MsoNormal"> With the summer coming to a close new students are making their way to graduate planning programs. For those thinking about applying for 2008 it is time to start preparing. The deadlines can be as early as December, now only a few months away. These tips, based on my experiences on several admissions committees, can help you make sense of the application process. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <strong>What Admissions Committees Look For</strong> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Planning schools consider up to six different elements in admissions to masters programs: letters of intent, experience in activities related to planning (paid and volunteer work, internships, and activism), letters of reference, previous grades, GREs, and work samples. </p>

August 18 - Ann Forsyth

Census Asks Immigration To Halt Raids During Count

<p>Census officials are asking immigration officials to halt raids during the 2010 Census enumeration process in hopes of obtaining an accurate count of illegal immigrants in the country.</p>

August 18 - Associated Press via The Seattle Times

The Best North American Neighborhoods

<p>The Project for Public Spaces has released its list of the five best neighborhoods in North America.</p>

August 18 - Project For Public Spaces

Major Projects Could Make Big Changes In Portland

<p>Two major projects -- the extension of a streetcar line and the construction of a hotel -- are under consideration in Portland, Oregon, but some local officials are hesitant to support what could dramatically change the character of the city.</p>

August 18 - The Portland Tribune

Car Ban Shows Success In Beijing

<p>City officials in Beijing have begun a four-day effort to limit the amount of cars filling the city's streets, and many are calling the effort a successful model to use during next year's Olympics.</p>

August 18 - BBC

The Best Canadian Roadside Attractions

<p>This slideshow from <em>The Globe &amp; Mail</em> shows some of the best and most outrageous roadside attractions from across Canada.</p>

August 18 - The Globe & Mail

Friday Funny: Onion Infrastructure Report

<p>Aging gerbils unable to generate electricity and ancient curses add to America's infrastructure woes, according to the Onion.</p>

August 17 - The Onion

Orange County Goes Urban, In A Suburban Sort Of Way

<p>A 1,400-unit condo project in Irvine demonstrates Orange County's newfound urban qualities, as well as its reluctance to shake suburban design values, according to Bill Fulton, who recently visited the construction site.</p>

August 17 - California Planning & Development Report

Seattle May Not Need Alaskan Way Viaduct

<p>Seattle finds out that closing their major highway doesn't result in traffic chaos. Maybe closing another one - the Alaskan Way Viaduct - permanently, as some citizens would like to see, is more feasible that some would have us believe.</p>

August 17 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Desertification Causes Relocation Of Thousands In China

<p>With desertification threatening thousands of acres of land, Chinese officials have announced the forced relocation of more than 10,000 people.</p>

August 17 - The Christian Science Monitor

Development Threatens Wetlands

<p>Citizens and homeowners in Washington have teamed up against a number of proposed housing developments that would replace more than 100 acres of open space and wetlands.</p>

August 17 - The Columbian

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