The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Columnist Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune shows a snapshot of Cabrini-Green as it undergoes its "transformation." She writes that in the end, its success depends on the people. The first of a series on Cabrini-Green.

July 7 - The Chicago Tribune

The median price of a California home is nearing 1/2 million dollars.

July 7 - Builder Magazine

SUVs and other gas guzzlers would pay tax, while enviro-friendly cars would get rebates.

July 7 - The Guardian Unlimited

Struggling to halt the planned demolition of the 108-year-old Century Building, St. Louis preservationists find themselves up against an unexpected adversary---the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

July 7 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Atlanta Journal Constitution plans to chronicle the birth of the small community of Pendergrass as it grows from a rural railroad crossing to a bustling Atlanta suburb.

July 7 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Joel Kotkin argues that culture and tourism alone cannot not save cities.

July 7 - The Los Angeles Times

Two LA Times reporters race from Los Angeles to San Francisco. One drives, the other takes a plane.

July 7 - The Los Angeles Times

New York State DOT has begun to build roundabouts throughout the State to improve road safety, but the public is not yet convinced.

July 7 - Times Union

A populist petition puts the "FasTracks" plan to construct six new rail lines in the Denver region on the November ballot.

July 7 - The Denver Post

BLOG POST

Via <a href="http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/003430.html">SmartMobs</a>, an interesting piece of forthcoming software called <a href="http://www.civicspacelabs.org/">CivicSpace</a>. According to the site, it's based on DeanSpace, one of the pieces of social networking software that the Dean for President campaign used as an organizing tool. Salient bits from the description:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>CivicSpace is being built with the needs of distributed organizations in mind. It will give you and the supporters within your community a solid framework for organizing and engaging those around you in action. But it also will allow you to plug your community into a network of other communities where you can share your ideas, knowledge, relationships, and organizational information.</blockquote>

July 6 - Anonymous

BLOG POST

I herewith draw your attention to the High Line, an unused, elevated railway that cuts through Manhattan's Meat Packing district. Some good, artsy pictures <a href="http://www.kottke.org/photos/highline0204/index.html">here</a>, the official site of the organization that wants to redevelop the High Line <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/">here</a> and a book with even better artsy pictures (and an essay by brilliant Harvard landscape/urban historian John Stilgoe) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/388243726X/qid=1089163838/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-9877415-8018419?v=glance&s=books">here</a>.

July 6 - Anonymous

Neal Peirce discusses how cities such as Boston and Chicago are betting on green buildings.

July 6 - The Washington Post Writers Group

An Michigan appellate court rules in favor of private property rights over public access to lake shorelines.

July 6 - Michigan Land Use Institute

The executive director of Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation responds to an editorial about the Metrorail project.

July 6 - The Washington Post

Bicycling Magazine picks Chicago as the best big cycling city in the United States.

July 6 - Chicago Sun-Times

New Urbanism is just "window dressing" writes David Knopf.

July 6 - Des Moines Register

The viability of a community is linked to its access and use of information and communications technologies. How are communities planning for technology?

July 6 - Planning Magazine

Joel Kotkin traces a shift in the role of cities.

July 6 - Joel Kotkin

A dispute among residents, environmentalists town officials leads to an exodus from the posh Georgica Pond region of East Hampton.

July 6 - Wall St. Journal

Small NC town changes zoning ordinance to accomodate Walmart.

July 6 - Winston-Salem Journal