The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, argues the planning model that has made Portland, Oregon, a planner's dream has taken a far greater toll than the benefits it provides.</p>

July 10 - Cato Institute

BLOG POST

<p>I recently discovered the Greek urban planner <a href="http://www.doxiadis.org/page/default.asp?la=1&amp;id=10">Constantinos Doxiadis</a> (1913-1975) through a biographical sketch by Ray Bromley in a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0470851600/sr=8-2/qid=1184009865/ref=dp_proddesc_0/102-0473148-3796168?ie=UTF8&amp;n=283155&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1184009865&amp;sr=8-2">collection of essays</a>. An energetic polymath, Doxiadis launched his career overseeing postwar reconstruction in Greece after WWII. Through involvement in the United Nations he developed an extensive international network of contacts concerned with urban development. </p>

July 9 - Robert Goodspeed

<p>DPZ finished three designs late last week detailing a level of urbanity that promises to make the sprawling 650 square mile City of Houston a more attractive place in the 21st century.</p>

July 9 - The Houston Chronicle

<p>In city after city, stadium-building with tax dollars is taking priority over more important priorities like public schools.</p>

July 9 - CommonDreams.org

<p>A privately-financed campaign allows web visitors to vote for the "New 7 Wonders" of the world.</p>

July 9 - CNN

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal">BELLAGIO – No, not that Vegas hotel, but the ancient village of Bellagio, Italy – on the gorgeous rocky shores of Lake Como, a deep water lake that winds around the Dolomites in northern Italy. Here to cover a month-long summit about 21^st century urban futures, I rented an apartment and rather quickly woke up to realize that, after many years writing about the virtues of mixed-use urban centers, I had never actually known a single residential night in one. Lots of nights in big hotels of course, but that’s not really the same thing as living in a residential unit of a small building over retail shops and restaurants.

July 9 - Anonymous

<p>An oil boom is bringing news jobs and strengthening the economy but also harming the environment.</p>

July 9 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Series of concerts around the world urge individuals, corporations, and governments to address global warming.</p>

July 9 - The New York Times

<p>A movement that could create a massive shift in the architecture and design fields is going unnoticed because its leaders are not as media-savvy as architecture's biggest stars.</p>

July 9 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Facing a transportation funding shortage, a county supervisor in Washington has proposed letting some roadways get more crowded and congested to save the money that would have been spent to improve them -- money the county doesn't have.</p>

July 9 - The Columbian

<p>Architects are using the online virtual reality world of Second Life to create elaborate and expensive 3D models of historic architecture and extravagant homes -- and many people are buying them.</p>

July 9 - The Guardian

<p>A new report cites poverty and a lack of a national housing strategy for the dramatic increase in homelessness in Canada.</p>

July 9 - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

<p>The British government is working on the details of a pilot program that will create small neighborhood councils that would control public money and make decisions on various infrastructure and civic projects.</p>

July 9 - BBC

<p>Seattle's public participation process has served as an example for cities across the globe, but the former city official who was instrumental in creating that reputation says the city's current leadership has moved away from that model.</p>

July 9 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

<p>With office rents second only to Midtown Manhattan, developers are arguing that it's time to add skyscrapers to the Washington D.C. skyline.</p>

July 9 - The Houston Chronicle

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">I find it intriguing when I hear folks talk about how high energy prices will cause a tipping point and everyone will rush back into the city in order to afford to commute to work.<span>  </span>If, or as, higher costs for energy begin to play a greater role in location choice it is as likely that they will force even more employers to move to the suburbs.<span>  </span>In many urban areas we may be well past the point where fuel price pressures to minimize travel would result in land use changes that move population back to town.<span>  </span></font></font></p>

July 8 - Steven Polzin

<p>In this new column, award-winning journalist and author Roberta Brandes Gratz reports on urban development crises around the country and the opportunities they present for positive action.</p>

July 8 - The Next American City

<p>AECom -- the Los Angeles based parent company of planning and design firm EDAW and a host of other development and engineering firms -- is continuing its consolidation.</p>

July 8 - CNN Money

<p>The town of Bridgeville, California, is for sale for the third time on the online auction site.</p>

July 8 - Forbes

<p>They just wanted to get away from growth and suburban sprawl by moving out to the country, but for residents of the Texas Hill Country, growth and sprawl were not far behind.</p>

July 8 - The New York Times