The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Even in virtual environments, it turns out, good planning matters. The virtual environment, Second Life, offers a view into the future of how planning may evolve in virtual worlds, and how planners might use virtual environments to plan.</p>

January 17 - Planning magazine, American Planning Association

<p>With more and more infill sites being developed, environmental due diligence on potential development sites has become the norm, partly due to the insistence of lenders and municipalities.</p>

January 17 - The Globe & Mail

<p>Mass production and prefabrication have revolutionized the manufacturing of cars, planes and ships -- now a number of pioneering builders and architects are applying these technologies to the housing industry.</p>

January 17 - Wired

<p>State and local officials are offering $100 million dollars in tax breaks to the Internet company should it locate a new facility in Lenoir, North Carolina. Yet some wonder if the generosity will pay off for the town.</p>

January 17 - The News & Observer

<p>Drawing on lessons from Hurricane Katrina, disaster experts and government officials are gathering in New Orleans to discuss how to develop emergency plans for those who can't or don't drive.</p>

January 17 - The Advocate

<p>A shantytown set up to protest Miami's housing crisis is winning over neighbors and has become a "warm community."</p>

January 17 - The New York Times

<p>Alberta's inability to provide the necessary municipal and social infrastructure to keep pace with oil sand developments is beginning to make life in the north "intolerable."</p>

January 17 - Rabble

Despite a long-held promise of not spending any city money to attract a tenant to Kansas City's now-vacant sports arena, the city may be willing to pay millions to build a practice facility in an effort to woo a pro hockey or basketball team.

January 17 - Kansas City Pitch

<p>The central location and the expanse of space to facilitate a variety of different uses are getting people excited about the newly proposed City Plaza in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, despite the fact that it will cut through a well-used street.</p>

January 17 - The Independent Weekly (North Carolina)

<p>A innovative program for gifted children in Australia is giving students a chance to learn the basics of town planning.</p>

January 17 - The Sydney Morning Herald

<p>The father of New Urbanism takes on avant-garde architects and environmentalists as he talks about his latest project in Vancouver, Canada.</p>

January 16 - The Tyee

<p>Tesco, a UK-based supermarket chain, has plans to provide housing for staff members in new mixed-use developments featuring its stores.</p>

January 16 - BBC

<p>In many urban areas, farmers' markets provide both a connection to nature and a sense of community.</p>

January 16 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Developers in the city's booming downtown are pushing to change the rules originally enacted to preserve view corridors to the Texas State Capitol Dome.</p>

January 16 - San Antonio Express-News

<p>A wave of new development has finally come to gritty Georgia Avenue, and though many are pleased with the sorely needed investment, gentrification worries abound.</p>

January 16 - The Washington Post

<p>Ever in search of more consumers, advertisers seem intent on covering more places and spaces with marketing messages.</p>

January 16 - The New York Times

<p>French architect Jean Pierre Heim has proposed creating a semi-outdoor multimedia entertainment center in Shanghai -- a cinema, shopping center and restaurant all-in-one.</p>

January 16 - Shanghai Daily

<p>With her patrician manner and focused attention to the quality of buildings and public space, New York City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden has become a controversial figure in the city's planning and development circles.</p>

January 16 - The New York Times

<p>Forest City Enterprises has put forth a proposal to bring a major mixed-use urban infill community to Dallas-Ft. Worth on the grounds of Texas Stadium.</p>

January 16 - New Mexico Business Daily

<p>A new wave of public street furniture has rolled out in New York City, including bus shelters, newsstands, and automatic public toilets. Some are unsure whether the new designs will be accepted by a city already overwhelmed with visual individualism.</p>

January 16 - International Herald Tribune