The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

California Transit: It'll Drive You To Drive

Northern California planner and lawyer Joel Ellinwood has committed himself to riding trains and public transit whenever possible. He's learning a lot along the way.

October 12 - California Planning & Development Report

Gulf Coast Ponders Future Amid Erosion and Destruction

As land continues to disappear along the Gulf Coast and hurricane damages increase, many are beginning to reconsider whether to rebuild or retreat.

October 12 - USA Today

Poetry in Public Space

Poet Marc André Brouillette, a professor at Concordia University in Montréal, brought a team of professionals together to experiment with installing poetry and text in public spaces.

October 12 - Concordia Journal

Is Farmland Preservation Worthwhile?

Preserving farmland has always been a major issue in the U.S. But as Bill Fulton discusses, the local economic results don't quite justify the efforts.

October 12 - Governing

Bailout Will Try to Save Suburbs, But Can't

Despite the $700 billion financial bailout plan, the suburbs will continue to lose population and value, according to Peter Katz. He says it's time for the government to prevent suburban development that is only doomed to fail.

October 12 - Citiwire


Dubai on a Path to 'Ecological Disaster'

With too much focus on "architectural bling" and a hyperactive development pattern, Dubai is in danger of becoming a modern planning disaster, according to architect Thom Mayne.

October 11 - Building Design

T. Boone Meets Gov. Palin To Talk Energy

Oil, gas and wind man T.Boone Pickens is clearly interjecting himself and his plan into presidential, and vice-presidential politics. Recently, he sat down with Sarah and Todd Palin to promote his plan of using natural gas as a transportation fuel.

October 11 - Boone Blog


New York Families Make One Bedroom Work

The amount of young families squeezing into one-bedroom apartments in New York City is on the rise.

October 11 - The New York Times

Bailout Gives Tax Break to Bicycle Commuters

The $700 billion bailout bill includes federal tax benefits for people who commute by bike.

October 11 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Bridge Planners Face Hurdles in Portland

As new design requirements come in at a late stage, bridge planners in Portland are trying to nail down a design for the new light rail bridge that is affordable, appropriate and beautiful. But the beauty aspect may fall to economics.

October 11 - The Oregonian

Friday Funny: Cat Key to Town's Economic Development

A stray cat born and raised at a Japanese train station has been named its official stationmaster -- and become a tourist attraction that's successfully boosted the local economy by more than $10 million.

October 10 - AFP

What Copenhagen's Parks Can Learn From New York

Park planners from Denmark recently toured some of New York's parks and found much to be jealous of.

October 10 - The New York Times

Controversial Land Use Law in Utah

A battle is brewing in Utah over a Senate bill that banned voters from overturning land use decisions, and the power plant that is the first significant land use to be impacted by the law.

October 10 - The Salt Lake Tribune

141 Miles of Rail for Raleigh-Durham Triangle

A feasibility study released last week shows that a 141 mile transit system could be built on existing right-of-ways in the Triangle for $1 billion, a fraction of the proposed budget for transit in the region through 2035.

October 10 - The News Observer

Green Technology for Cities

Writing from the Connected Urban Development conference in Amsterdam, reporter Scott Smith says that "the sustainable future will be a networked future."

October 10 - WorldChanging

Housing for Post-Foster Care Kids

As many as 65% of foster care kids in Utah end up homeless and on the streets. A youth commission in Salt Lake County is proposing a new sort of housing project to help young adults as they age out of the foster care system.

October 10 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Americans Continue to Migrate to Metropolitan Regions

Professor Richard Morill of the University of Washington maps population growth over the past seven years, which shows a continuing pattern of movement towards large metropolitan regions.

October 10 - newgeography

Noise Pollution in San Francisco is A Health Risk, Study Shows

A new study shows that noise pollution on the streets of San Francisco is putting nearly one in six residents at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and other stress-related illnesses.

October 10 - The San Francisco Chronicle

One-in-Six Homeowners 'Underwater'

Some 12 million households now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, leading economists to worry that foreclosures will continue to rise.

October 10 - MSNBC

Ike's Devastation Underreported

The media's inattention to Hurricane Ike has hidden its devastating impacts on infrastructure and the environment, as well as a poor response on the part of the federal government.

October 10 - Brattleboro Reformer

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