The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>To deal with the escalating costs of its FasTracks program, Denver is looking for private bids to save money.</p>

June 18 - The Rocky Mountain News

<p>Pennsylvania attracts more college students than any other state. Now officials are trying to figure out how to have the economy benefit further by getting them to stay after graduation.</p>

June 17 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>From Thai Towns to Little Ethiopias, cultural and ethnically-themed neighborhoods are increasingly sought by cities to lure economic activity and residents.</p>

June 17 - The Economist

<p>Saving and reusing older buildings converses resources on top of preserving a communities historic character.</p>

June 17 - Historic Preservation

<p>While neighborhood farmer's markets are all the rage in the U.S., redevelopment officials in Hong Kong are making plans to raze of the city's oldest open-air food markets -- which is falling victim to gentrification.</p>

June 17 - International Herald Tribune

<p>Despite efforts to limit big box retailers in the city, Chicago is riding a new wave of retail spending at the likes of Target and Wal-Mart -- though smaller local retailers are also sharing in the boom.</p>

June 17 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Despite rising gas prices, more people are commuting to work alone, the amount of carpoolers has dropped, and no increase has been seen in the percentage of Americans who use public transit, according to recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.</p>

June 16 - The Washington Post

<p>In what may be a first for the U.S., the state of Florida is proposing a plan to offer property owners a choice between two ways of calculating property taxes.</p>

June 16 - The Ledger

<p>Rather than investing in new downtown development projects and hoping for people to come, Fort Worth, Texas, is trying to attract more residents downtown with street fairs and events, building a customer base for any future development.</p>

June 16 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

<p>Plans for development have threatened the historic industrial buildings along Brooklyn's waterfront in recent years. Now, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has declared the waterfront one of the nation's most endangered historic places.</p>

June 16 - The New York Times

<p>One Alabama city's efforts at redevelopment serves as an example for communities struggling with the economic impact of a base closure.</p>

June 16 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>The Borough President of Staten Island has called for a boycott of 'Staten Island Landfill' ice cream, saying it is insulting to the community -- yet sales of the creamy confection are through the roof.</p>

June 15 - Gothamist

<p>Research by several economists shows that areas with a lack of child-care suffer economically, since parents are more likely to drop out of the workforce or move to communities with more options.</p>

June 15 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>U.S city parks have given over large swaths of green to automobile storage, but not every park is held hostage by the automobile. Cities are finding ways to increase access while relieving pressure to provide parking in parks.</p>

June 15 - Parks & Recreation

<p>State and local governments are starting to demand money back from companies that receive tax breaks and grants to locate in their community, and then skip town.</p>

June 15 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>California Planning &amp; Development Report columnist Morris Newman doesn't think much of the Disney Company's attempts to prevent housing development in Anaheim's resort district.</p>

June 15 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>The Baltimore City Council has approved an inclusionary housing bill requiring developers to designate a certain portion of new developments as affordable. Proponents say the measure is flawed, but a good first step.</p>

June 15 - The Baltimore Sun

<p>In response to a recent report that cast doubt on the effectiveness of dedicated bus lanes in Vancouver, some are cautioning against abandoning the lanes too soon.</p>

June 15 - The Vancouver Sun

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt">Some readers may be familiar with the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt"><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/telecom-cities">TELECOM-CITIES listserv</a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt"> that I&#39;ve run for the last ten years, sharing discussions about how information and communications technology is transforming cities and the process of urbanization. Once upon a time back in 1998, 1999, TELECOM-CITIES was an active community of researchers trying to figure out what fiber optics and cell phones and dot-com startups meant for the future of cities. Over the years, the list has maintained that focus, but growth of readership has been stagnant for years.

June 15 - Anthony Townsend

<p>Walkability has been shown to greatly improve the health and wellbeing of senior citizens. In response to recent studies on this issue, planners are looking to create walkable neighborhoods that encourage healthy habits for residents of all ages.</p>

June 15 - The Seattle Times