The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Builders' groups and developers are upset over a proposal in Houston that would require them to include park space in any developments of 100 units or more. They say the requirement will stifle development.</p>

August 17 - The Houston Chronicle

<p>An unintended effect of Measure 37 -- Oregon's controversial 2004 land use law -- is that homeowners are allowed to build giant billboards on their property. Some have, and local officials are hoping a new ballot measure will address the issue.</p>

August 17 - The Oregonian

<p>The homeless population of a government-sanctioned tent city has slowly dwindled to less than half its original size as officials in the Canadian city of Edmonton move forward with plans to close the impromptu squatter settlement.</p>

August 17 - CBC

<p>Improvements in public services and rising wages are fostering the creation of a prosperous middle class in many Latin American countries.</p>

August 17 - The Economist

<p>The owner of a historic 18th Century home near Boston is looking to preserve the building and give it a new life as a donut shop.</p>

August 16 - The Boston Globe

<p><em>National Geographic Adventure</em> has released a guide to the best adventure towns in the U.S. Their lists include the best small towns, cities, mountain towns, coastal towns, and others.</p>

August 16 - National Geographic Adventure

<p>Medellín, Colombia, has escaped from the bloody grips of the violent drug warfare that consumed its streets in the 1980s to become a vibrant and active city.</p>

August 16 - International Herald Tribune

<p>Thanks to recently acquired federal funding, commuter lanes along Miami's Interstate 95 will soon be replaced by toll lanes.</p>

August 16 - The Miami Herald

<p>The bridge collapse that killed at least 36 people this week in China is being blamed on rushed construction and the larger issue of the country's emphasis on rapid economic growth.</p>

August 16 - International Herald Tribune

<p>A group of concerned, beer-drinking citizens is issuing a warning that more than 50 pubs are closing every month in England due to a planning loophole that makes it easy for owners to convert their bars into more profitable housing developments.</p>

August 16 - BBC

<p>The Bay Area received $158 million from a federal congestion pricing program for improvements to traffic, transit, and parking, but it is conditional upon San Francisco and California legislative approval for the controversial tolls on Doyle Drive.</p>

August 16 - San Francisco Examiner

<p>In this interview, urbanist Mike Davis talks about the rapidly growing emirate of Dubai.</p>

August 16 - Ink by the Barrel

<p>The wave of condo conversions in the Seattle area is hitting seniors especially hard.</p>

August 16 - The Seattle Times

<p>This piece from <em>The Roanoke Times</em> laments the coming of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, and blasts the planning process that let a proposed mixed-use walkable town center transform into a "big-box juggernaut".</p>

August 16 - The Roanoke Times

<p>As more cyclists and runners use the streets of Los Angeles, incidents of road rage and accidents are on the rise.</p>

August 15 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>A history of speedbumps have hindered transit funding in Minnesota, but after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the state's roads may finally get the maintenance money they need.</p>

August 15 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

<p>Can globalization change the world's poorest neighborhoods?</p>

August 15 - The Washington Post Writers Group

<p>With a surge in population and some large-scale retail and entertainment complexes in the works, downtown L.A. is in the midst of a major urban shift. But as this column from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> argues, developers are shaping the growth.</p>

August 15 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Two civic groups in Washington D.C.'s Chinatown are battling over a proposal to close an alleyway to allow the development of offices. Opponents argue the plan is short-sighted, while others say an economic boost will save the struggling district.</p>

August 15 - The Washington Post

<p>Plans to redevelop a harbor are under consideration in Victoria, British Columbia, but would require the relocation of a busy ferry terminal -- one of the harbor's top services. The ferry's operators say the redevelopment would fail without them.</p>

August 15 - Times Colonist