The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Downtown Mixed-Use Village Envisioned As City's New Centerpiece

<p>A mixed-use village on a prime parcel of land in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, known as Renaissance Park may be the first major project to result from the city's recently adopted master plan.</p>

August 13 - Spartanburg Herald-Journal

Prosperous Pockets Peak Out Of Slow Housing Market

<p>The real estate market is reportedly down in many major metropolitan areas, but within them pockets of high-value properties are flourishing.</p>

August 13 - The Baltimore Sun

The Positive Effects Of Block Parties

<p>Getting neighbors together for community events does more than prevent crime, according to the Project for Public Spaces.</p>

August 13 - Project For Public Spaces

Coastal Erosion Threatens U.S. Energy Supply

<p>Louisiana's eroding and sinking coastline also happens to be the site of a major proportion of America's oil infrastructure.</p>

August 13 - Fortune Magazine

Small Town Residents Uneasy About New Development

<p>Residents in small-town, suburban Boston are on edge about the impending demolition of historic housing to make room for what they fear will be a national chain retailer -- a first for the town.</p>

August 13 - The Boston Globe


Measure 37's First Case Still Unsettled

<p>Preparations are underway to take Oregon's land use legislation Measure 37 back to the ballot this November, but the property rights case that became the face issue still remains unsettled.</p>

August 12 - The Portland Tribune

The Smoggiest Town In America

<p>The Central California town of Arvin exceeds federal ozone standards more often than any other city in the nation, according to EPA figures. But for Arvin residents, the smog has only local effects, not local sources.</p>

August 12 - Associated Press via The York Dispatch


The Luxurious Future Of Housing

<p>Architects and housing experts look to the future of housing and predict increases in the amount of gadgets and furnishings rather than square footage.</p>

August 12 - The Washington Post

Advocates Upset Over Proposed Changes To Affordable Housing Policy

<p>Housing advocates in Sacramento are up in arms over proposed changes to the city's housing policy that would shift responsibility for building affordable units from the developer to the city -- changes they say will limit the policy's effectiveness.</p>

August 12 - The Sacramento Bee

Bush Nixes Gas Tax Increase For Bridge Repair

<p>The chair of the House Transportation Committee had barely released his call for an increase in the federal gas tax to fund bridge repair when President Bush stated he would oppose it, claiming not more money but better priorities is the answer.</p>

August 12 - AP via New York Times

Lifestyles Clash At Urban Growth Boundary

<p>At the edge of Portland's urban growth boundary, a clash of rural and urban lifestyles is causing disputes between homeowners, farmers, and hunters.</p>

August 11 - The Oregonian

Developer Ties Mix Of Uses Into Stadium Plans

<p>Officials and developers in St. Louis continue their quest to draw a Major League Soccer team to the city with recently revealed plans for a major stadium-housing-retail-office complex.</p>

August 11 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

L.A. Joins California Cities In Park Smoking Ban

<p>Joining the ranks of Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Diego, the city of Los Angeles has approved a ban on smoking in public parks.</p>

August 11 - The Sacramento Bee

Sloping Sidewalks Pester Pedestrians

<p>Car-oriented sloping sidewalks are upsetting pedestrians in Toronto, and they have called on politicians to look for a way to give the city's sidewalks back to walkers.</p>

August 11 - The Toronto Star

Town Hopes Smart Growth Plan Will Boost Economy

<p>The city of Germantown, Tennessee, is on the verge of approving a new "Smart Code" based on Smart Growth and New Urbanism principles. City officials are hoping the new zoning changes will allow the city's economy to blossom.</p>

August 11 - The Daily News (Memphis)

Friday Funny: For The Love Of Driving

<p>Love that powerful behind-the-wheel feeling?</p>

August 10 - Funny Times

A 'New Deal' Needed for American Infrastructure

<p>Maintaining and rebuilding America's infrastructure could cost over $1 trillion. What's needed is the political will to create a "Federal Infrastructure Bank".</p>

August 10 - The Nation

Congressman Ridicules Bikes as '19th Century' Technology

<p>During debate over the House of Representatives' energy conservation bill, North Carolina Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry ridiculed bicycling as a "19th century solution."</p>

August 10 - Streetsblog

Budget Woes For Kansas City Light Rail Plan

<p>In Kansas City, plans for a new light rail line connecting the city to the nearby international airport will need about $500 million more than originally expected to complete construction and maintain operations.</p>

August 10 - The Kansas City Star

Beijing Bans Cars Temporarily

<p>Government officials have plans to keep more than a million cars out of Beijing for four days this summer as an experiment to see how the city's notoriously poor air quality can improve.</p>

August 10 - The Times Of India

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