The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

<p>The high school curriculum overlooks a great many subjects, so we could go on at length pointing out its ironies and shortcomings. But the topic at hand happens to be urban planning, so let&#39;s stick with that. </p>

May 10 - Josh Stephens

<p>A $2 billion plan to transform the Los Angeles River from a concrete-lined flood control channel into park-lined urban waterway received final approval from the city's leaders.</p>

May 10 - Christian Madera

<p>In the last five years, U.S. cities have taken a different approach to dealing with homelessness -- providing specialized services to the most vulnerable. The man heading this effort says that other cities like Vancouver should follow the U.S. lead.</p>

May 10 - The Vancouver Sun

<p>In an effort to encourage its growing elderly population to exercise, Berlin, Germany has opened a public playground intended for the city's most senior citizens.</p>

May 10 - Der Spiegel

<p>This report from <em>NPR</em> looks at the preparations, new technologies, and test runs that are currently underway to prepare for Census 2010.</p>

May 10 - NPR

BLOG POST

<p>BEIJING, 9 MAY 2007--Anyone questioning China&#39;s potential to become the dominant player in the 21st century and beyond need look no further than the <a href="http://www.bjjtw.gov.cn" title="Beijing Transp. Info Ctr">Beijing Transportation Information Center</a>. The entrepreneurial leader of the center, Mr. WANG gang, has lead the development of the most innovative system for managing traffic congestion I&#39;ve seen, putting U.S. systems to shame and leapfrogging over London&#39;s cutting edge signal coordinatin system. Rather than try to regulate congestion by limiting automobile use, they have figured out a way to use technology to make its use more efficient. </p>

May 10 - Samuel Staley

<p>With hopes of generating income by selling carbon credits to polluters, Native Americans in Idaho are converting their farmland back to forests. But carbon sequestration is not required in the U.S., lowering the amount of revenue they can generate.</p>

May 10 - The New York Times

<p>Despite many claiming it has been completed, Boston's Big Dig continues to put a strain on the state budget. The latest estimates have the costs rising $333 million more than previously expected.</p>

May 10 - The Metro West Daily News

BLOG POST

<p>Planners regret them, neighbors dislike them, and they gobble up valuable real estate in the center city. The downtown expressway is a much-disliked reality in most American cities. Now&#39;s the time to do something about them. </p>

May 9 - Robert Goodspeed

<p>Having successfully reduced congestion through enacting congestion pricing in central London, Mayor Livingstone now plans to take the same approach to air pollution by designating greater London to be a Low Emission Zone.</p>

May 9 - The Guardian

<p>Planners and government officials in India are proposing to let developers build upscale housing and mixed use projects on land where one of Mumbai's largest slums. Concessions have been offered to residents, but many are opposed to the plan.</p>

May 9 - NPR

<p>When luxury condo developers started buying up properties on W Street in D.C., the low-income tenants who already lived there decided to get in the game.</p>

May 9 - Shelterforce Online

<p>Dubai announces that it will be the site of a new $2.2-billion Universal theme park, while neighboring emirate Abu Dhabi announces a comprehensive planning effort called Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.</p>

May 9 - Los Angeles Times, Gulf News Report

<p>A development company has agreed to donate 4,000 acres of land to create a large, international airport in the Florida Panhandle, a controversial move they hope will bring enough people and economic activity to support the houses they plan to build.</p>

May 9 - The New York Times

Wal-mart will install solar rooftop panels at 22 facilities. Marc Gunther writes about the significance of the initiative.

May 9 - Fortune

<p>As the number of farmers markets grows across the nation, Neal Peirce examines the health, social, and economic benefits farmers markets provide to communities.</p>

May 9 - The Washington Post Writers Group

<p>Transit officials have approved a plan to take over the city's transportations systems, creating an expanded and more unified web of trains and buses.</p>

May 9 - Mail & Guardian

BLOG POST

<p>BEIJING--When I first learned that I wouldn&#39;t be able to rent a car in Beijing, I was disappointed. That&#39;s how I usually break away from the business &quot;bubble&quot; to learn something about a city. But, it didn&#39;t take more than an hour to realize that I was better off with a local driver than tackling it myself.  Driving habits, combined with roads choking with pedestrians, cars, buses, and taxis, convinced me I needed to leave the driving to a &quot;pro&quot;.</p>

May 9 - Samuel Staley

<p>Booming Shanghai is on a track to become one of the biggest and most economically-active cities in the world.</p>

May 9 - BBC

<p>Developers plan to build an 'iconic' 76-story structure in downtown Los Angeles. It would be the tallest residential tower west of Chicago and dramatically alter L.A.'s skyline.</p>

May 9 - The Los Angeles Times