The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Hawaii's Hot for Renewable Energy

The state's energy administrator says that "renewable energy will be a driver of Hawaii's economy at least for the next decade."

January 5 - Sustainable Business Oregon

Learning From the Schwarzenegger Era

This op-ed writer does not look kindly at the 7-year legacy of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. As Gov. Jerry Brown addresses the $28 billion budget deficit left by his predecessor, Joe Mathews considers Schwarzenegger's legacy.

January 5 - Los Angeles Times - Opinion

"Architectural Sizzle" in India

With the outsourcing business booming, Indian companies are building sexy new office towers with the goal of attracting the hottest software developers and consultants.

January 4 - The New York Times

What Will Chicago Be Like, Post-Daley?

Blair Kamin reflects on the soon-to-be-ex-mayor Richard Daley's legacy, his "passion to build," and how Chicago might be shaped without his influence.

January 4 - The Chicago Tribune

Builders Balk At New Energy Requirements

A handful of residential code revisions went into effect in Ohio on January 1st, including an energy conservation code with stricter standards on insulation that is causing an uproar among homebuilders.

January 4 - Builder Magazine


Big Homebuilders Not Yet Embracing Green Standards

With few exceptions, America's largest homebuilders are slower than companies in other fields to act on environmental concerns, according to a survey conducted by Calvert Asset Management Company.

January 4 - New Urban Network

New Report Says Roads Don’t Pay For Themselves

A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group PIRG's report estimates that road construction has cost the American public $600 billion since the highway system began.

January 4 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill


Untangling the Knots of Planning Ethics

Daniel Nairn reviews Robert Kirkman's new book, The Ethics of Metropolitan Growth.

January 4 - SustainableCitiesCollective

Recycling Carpet Could Save Millions of Barrels of Oil

Four billion pounds of old carpet get dumped every year in the United States, and five pounds of oil goes into producing a single pound of nylon. New recycling methods could save all that oil by producing new nylon from old with little energy cost.

January 4 - greentechmedia

A Perfect Storm For Bad Roads

Winter storms have combined with bad road engineering, geography, funding shortfalls and inequities in Sonoma County, California. drivers and cyclists can expect an unusually rough ride this year and more to come.

January 4 - The Press Democrat

Improving Your Neighborhood in the New Year

Sarah Goodyear at Grist gives seven ideas for New Year's resolutions you might consider for improving your community, including planting something, going for a walk, and getting to know your neighbors.

January 4 - Grist

The Definitive Guide to New Transit in 2011

Yonah Freemark over at the Transport Politic presents an exhaustive catalog of openings and construction of new transit in the U.S., from the Wickford Junction Commuter Rail Extension in Rhode Island to Phase 1A of the Expo Line in Los Angeles.

January 4 - the transport politic

El Paso Hopes to Revive Business Corridors

The city of El Paso is hoping a new plan will breathe life back into formerly booming streets sucked dry after a freeway replaced them as the main entrance to town.

January 3 - El Paso Times

80 Million People a Year Added to the World

National Geographic tackles the controversial issue of population growth, and the sustainability of a growing population. Should we worry about maxing out the planet? Not necessarily, according to Nat. Geo.

January 3 - National Geographic

Inside Detroit's Abandoned Iconic Buildings

This slideshow from <em>The Guardian</em> looks inside some of Detroit's historic and decaying buildings.

January 3 - Guardian

How Vancouver's Waterfront Went Public

This piece from <em>The Globe and Mail</em> takes a look at the history of Vancouver's waterfront, and how it gradually became public land.

January 3 - The Globe and Mail

The Evolution of Bollards

After 9/11, lower Manhattan became a tangle of makeshift roadblocks and security measures. Architect Rob Rogers was tasked with redesigning the bollards to be more pleasing to the eye while still serving as secure barriers to entry.

January 3 - Metropolis Magazine

China Shoots Upward

Out of the 15 tallest buildings in the world, ten are in China.

January 3 - PressTV

Innovative Redesigns for the Simple Traffic Light

The common traffic light isn't normally thought of as a problem. But what if you were colorblind? That's just one aspect of these eight proposals for a rethinking of the traffic light, gathered by WebUrbanist.

January 3 - WebUrbanist

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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.