The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Matthew Ridgeway wonders if the infrastructure benefits of new streetcar projects- facade improvement, streetscaping, community investment- could happen with direct investment, leaving streetcars out of the picture.

December 29 - coolconnections.org

Density gives cities an edge, according to this study of commutes around the world. Hong Kong, Osaka, and Berlin all rank highly.

December 29 - MSNBC

FEATURE

A paradigm shift is occurring in the development patterns of American cities -- even the inner cities that have struggled for decades with decay and abandonment, writes Kofi Sefa-Boakye of the Compton Community Redevelopment Agency.

December 29 - Kofi Sefa-Boakye

Suisman Urban Design was hired to design a theoretical Palestinian State, in the hopes that the plan might encourage the peace process. The plan was released in 2005, and has been gaining traction and admiration ever since.

December 28 - Places Journal

The U.S. Census Bureau released its report for the year ending July 1, 2008. It showed that the effect of the recession was to reduce domestic migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the West and Sunbelt. Utah was the fastest growing state.

December 28 - The Wall Street Journal

The new Tom Cruise film Valkyrie features scenes shot in the massive and recently closed Tempelhof Airport, the sheer size of which will pose challenges to any redevelopment.

December 28 - The Globe and Mail

The Financial Times analyzes the effects of the falling price of oil on energy markets and concludes that the short term economic gain for oil consumers will come back to bite them as investments in alternative fuels will cease as will conservation.

December 28 - Financial Times

How well mayors and city officials deal with snowstorms is one of the best indicators of how well they can serve their cities, according to this article from <em>Governing</em>.

December 28 - Governing

BLOG POST

<p class="EC_MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman">Because of President-elect Obama’s plans to spend billions of dollars on infrastructure, some recent discussion of smart growth has focused on proposals for huge projects, such as rebuilding America’s rail network.</span> </p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman">But walkability often depends on much smaller steps, steps that require changes in tiny increments of space.</span> </p>

December 27 - Michael Lewyn

Dongtan eco-city was to be a community of 50,000 residents living in a utopian, eco-friendly development. But since the mayor of Shanghai, a big supporter, was arrested on fraud charges, the whole project may be dead in the water.

December 27 - The Christian Science Monitor

Infrastructure funding in California is grinding to a halt as two crises hit simultaneously: a political impasse unable to resolve a budget gap of $42 billion and a credit crisis leaving the state unable to sell its bonds.

December 27 - Los Angeles Times

A new Google Maps mashup creates a visual representation of an atomic bomb dropped on your city.

December 27 - BLDBLOG

Next American City reports on a recent conference that emphasized the role of immigrants in fueling economic growth.

December 27 - Next American City

This audio slideshow from <em>Financial Times</em> looks at the severe shortage of clean water in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and what some activists are trying to do to provide clean water for the dwellers of the city's illegal slums.

December 27 - Financial Times

The Onion reports on an "area man" whose decision to live in his parents' basement looks like a wise move.

December 26 - The Onion

The complex, organic form of Mediterranean towns has been traced to a dynamic system of reproducing building codes.

December 26 - Emergent Urbanism

The Interior Department is proposing a rule change for National Parks that would open thousands of miles of park trails to mountain bikes. Conflicts between bikers and hikers are expected.

December 26 - The New York Times

Commissioner of Economic Development Brian Reilly makes the case to overhaul the city's 1951 zoning ordinance to a form-based SmartCode.

December 26 - Buffalo News

Businesses in Fort Worth, Texas, invest in a city-led plan to combat homelessness.

December 26 - Fort Worth Business Press

Kaid Benfield, Director of the Smart Growth Program at the NRDC, picks some if his favorite success stories of smart growth transformation, from Atlanta's Beltline to Berlin's Hackesche Hofe.

December 25 - NRDC Switchboard