The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Last week, Richard A. Davey Jr. was appointed the new general manager of the MBTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The Boston Globe's transportation reporter rides the T with him and talks transit.

March 29 - The Boston Globe

BLOG POST

When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s suggested that bicyclists’ needs should be accommodated in federally-funded road projects, the road lobby responded with something approaching hysteria.

March 28 - Michael Lewyn

Cities often get criticized for sending staff to check out other cities, but Tim Campbell says it's necessary for planners to see what other cities are doing.

March 28 - Crosscut

A court has ruled that, contrary to its zoning laws, the bedroom community of Pleasanton must add more bedrooms. The ruling wipes out local, voter-approved growth control ordinances.

March 28 - California Planning & Development Report

A preliminary count of all road fatalities in 2009 shows a record low figure of 33,963; almost 9% lower than 2008. The final count is due this summer. While the declining VMT due to a depressed economy was a major factor, the rate declined as well.

March 28 - The New York Times - Wheels

America is suffering from a glut of underused space- our homes, offices, and shopping centers. How can we get more efficient in our use of space? Alison Arieff has this report.

March 28 - The New York Times

Sam Staley of the Reason Foundation argues that Ray LaHood's recent statement that bikes and pedestrians will be considered on the same level as cars doesn't mesh with the facts.

March 28 - Reason

The giant Cape Wind turbine farm project has overcome significant opposition, but now two Massachusetts tribes are attempting to block its construction, claiming cultural and religious issues.

March 27 - The Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

<p> The beauty of street paint is that it costs next to nothing and it can have a huge effect in a very short period of time.  Anyone watching how New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan transforms public streets into public spaces with paint, planters, seating, and signs knows how the installation of these materials overnight works like magic. </p>

March 27 - Ian Sacs

Jacob Snow, the executive director of the Clark County Regional Transportation Commission, can't hide his excitement about new rapid transit buses coming to the Las Vegas area in this editorial.

March 27 - Las Vegas Sun

The new plan includes controversial ideas like moving underwater homeowners to government-backed FHA loans and giving grace periods to unemployed owners.

March 27 - The Wall St. Journal

The sidewalks of Portland are so busy that the city is developing plans to create 6'-8' Pedestrian Zones—basically, fast lanes for moving pedestrians separate from other street activities.

March 27 - Vimeo

The Klip House is a series of modular, prefab units that can be clipped together much like the binding on a ski boot, allowing homeowners to lease or own the home parts they need for their stage in life, then upgrade or downgrade when necessary.

March 27 - BLDBLOG

New York City's second annual Sustainable Streets Index adds a wealth of data in support of green transportation and street safety.

March 26 - Streetsblog

Les Leopold warns that the recession and budget shortfalls at the state and local level are combining with intense "anti-government" rhetoric to justify the gutting and privatizing of public services.

March 26 - Huffington Post

The results from HUD's first study on the costs of services to the homeless finds that securing and subsidizing rental housing for the homeless is more cost-effective than emergency homeless shelters.

March 26 - Houston Chronicle

NY DOT head Janette Sadik-Kahn spoke in Los Angeles earlier this week to a adoring crowd, with advice on how to make room for bikes and pedestrians.

March 26 - The Los Angeles Times

With Gov. Schwarzenegger promising $200 million in tax credits to homebuyers, Paul Shigley says it's worth looking closely at the promises that such credits create new jobs and bolster the economy.

March 26 - California Planning & Development Report

Cornell computer scientists used a supercomputer to analyze nearly 35 million Flickr photographs and determine which cities and landmarks were the most photographed. New York, London and San Francisco come out on top.

March 26 - Cornell

Montgomery County officials have approved plans to build an extensive new transit-oriented neighborhood at the area around the White Flint Metro stop in North Bethesda, Maryland. The plan is one of the largest in the D.C. area since the 1950s.

March 26 - The Washington Post