The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Journalist Patricia Leigh Brown pays a visit to Sea Ranch, the legendary early attempt at ecological community design.

December 25 - New York Times

A California state arm called the Bay Conservation and Development Commission has announced plans for a $125,000 contest to come up with ideas for cities to deal with climate change in the San Francisco Bay Area.

December 25 - San Francisco Chronicle

<em>Ecotopia</em> is a '70s cult novel that imagines a future where the Pacific Northwest secedes from the U.S. to become an environmentally-conscious utopian state. The NY Times reflects on the influence of this under-recognized novel.

December 25 - The New York Times

Neal Peirce reflects on the happier moments of 2008 -- and a future that seems bent on creating better places and communities.

December 25 - Citiwire

Nobel laureate and Energy Secretary designee Steven Chu is apparently at odds with the president-elect's position on fuel prices in terms of the price signal it sends to motorists and home-buyers.

December 24 - ABC News: The Note

City leaders in Galveston looking for ways to recover from Hurricane Ike turn to an old staple of the local economy: gambling.

December 24 - Houston Chronicle

In this op-ed, "San Francisco is not London", Steve Falk, the CEO of the S.F. Chamber of Commerce, explains why London-style congestion pricing is inappropriate for the downtown core - that it would only hurt businesses without reducing congestion.

December 24 - San Francisco Chronicle

Colorado's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has clamped down on drilling in the state, particularly around sensitive habitats. The booming energy industry in the state is fighting the decision.

December 24 - The Wall St. Journal

The eccentric megaprojects keep coming in Dubai, leaving some to question the environmental wisdom of so much development in a notoriously water-poor desert.

December 24 - Guardian

Emeryville, CA is a success story of redevelopment. City leaders transformed a decaying industrial area into a booming retail landscape. But with the economic downturn, locals are questioning the wisdom of basing the city on retail.

December 23 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">As we move into a 2009 full of staggering urban challenges - economic, environmental, social, and leadership challenges - do our planning departments have the passion, creativity and leadership to be what our cities need them to be?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </span> </p>

December 23 - Brent Toderian

A new global map released by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre reveals that 95% of the world's population lives on 10% of the land.

December 23 - Science Daily

The New Amsterdam Project in Cambridge, Mass., recently debuted a fleet of pedal-powered cargo tricycles, aimed at clients who want to reduce their carbon footprint.

December 23 - The Christian Science Monitor

The federal government has blocked plans to build a 16-mile road through a Southern California state park, mainly over environmental concerns.

December 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

This column from <em>The Tyee</em> looks at the architecture for Vancouver's 2010 Olympic games and is not impressed.

December 23 - The Tyee

The Bush Administration's ideology of homeownership combined with a lack of oversight contributed significantly to the collapse of the housing market and the present economic crisis, according to this New York Times investigation.

December 22 - New York Times

With a record amount of commercial real-estate debt coming due, some of the country's biggest property developers have become the latest to go hat-in-hand to the government for assistance.

December 22 - The Wall St. Journal

The Pulitzer-prizing winning auto columnist for the LA Times reviews the hybrid version 2010 Ford Fusion - a car that shows Washington it is on the right track, even if a tad late. Neil highlights the importance of its nickel battery technology.

December 22 - Los Angeles Times

This summer, the provincial government announced a $2 billion public transit fund focused on regional co-operation. Thousands of commuters from bedroom communities around Calgary could benefit from the infrastructure.

December 22 - The Calgary Herald

Amid the citywide blight of Detroit is the City Airport neighborhood -- rife with crime and virtually deserted by residents. But now former residents have begun to write and blog about the neighborhood, its better times and its possible futures.

December 22 - Utne Reader