The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Congress is in the midst of discussing whether or not more people ought to be eligible for homeless services. But without any additional funding to go with it, some argue that a broadened definition of homelessness may be unrealistic.

September 17 - The New York Times

Civic leaders in Indianapolis are considering closing Monument Circle to traffic. Says one, "From a European perspective, this could be one of the great public spaces in America."

September 17 - Indianapolis Business Journal

Three teams of landscape architects were given 24 hrs. to develop a master plan for the growing Michigan town of New Buffalo.

September 17 - Metropolis Magazine

BLOG POST

<p> More than anything, I remember laughing at them. While I, as a bright-eyed undergrad, woke up at 11 to enjoy my very liberal arts classes in everything from gerontology to the physics of music, the business students would trudge out the door in suits and ties. For class. In late-summer Philly humidity. Eighteen years old and already soulless pre-professional slaves. </p> <p> Poor bastards, I thought. </p> <p> Now that I’m in graduate school, two things keep the schadenfreude at bay as Wall Street drowns in its own excesses. One, karma’s a bitch. And two, as a soon-to-be planner, I’m quickly realizing I’ve become one of them. </p>

September 17 - Jeffrey Barg

Although it is a public transit success, Metrolink was cobbled together with old freight rail lines. It was a relatively cheap and quick way of providing rail service, but its drawbacks have become obvious.

September 16 - California Planning and Development Report

By charging more to ride at peak commuting hours, BART hopes to spread the use of the system more evenly throughout the day.

September 16 - SF Gate

A new study confirms what Critical Mass riders have known all along- the more bicyclists on the road, the less likely it is that cyclists will get hit by a vehicle.

September 16 - University of South Wales

In both the United States and Canada, this fall's federal elections are being driven by environmental issues, which are driving a wedge between urban and rural voters.

September 16 - Globe & Mail

Gulfport, Mississippi lays plans to be the home of America's largest container port facility.

September 16 - Sun Herald

BLOG POST

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">I occasionally get accused locally of being too much of a &quot;booster&quot; for Vancouver&#39;s success and reputation in city-building and urban design. Although I usually tend to mix in a healthy dose of &quot;constructive</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> candour</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">&quot; on how we need to improve, if there&#39;s truth to this accusation, I&#39;d say I come by it honestly. First off, I&#39;ve been an admirer and careful student of the Vancouver approach to urbanism, as imperfect as it might still be, long before I arrived in the City as Director.

September 16 - Brent Toderian

Looking into a future gone increasingly urban, the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has made a list of the ten cities or urban areas that will be the richest in 2020.

September 16 - Financial Times

This article from <em>The New York Times</em> contrasts the rapid development of cities like Beijing and Dubai, while New Orleans continues to struggle in its Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.

September 16 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Starbucks stores have seen a lot of protests. Due to its international brand recognition, the chain became an easy mark for activists looking to draw media attention to concerns from <a href="http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2002/09/30/news/5504.shtml">genetic engineering</a> to <a href="http://www.iww.org/en/node/4267">union busting</a>, from <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16692792/">store placements in historically sensitive locations</a> to <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/reverend-billy-arrested-at-astor-place-starbucks/">the company’s opposition to Ethiopia’s application to trademark three types of coffee</a>.

September 16 - Jess Zimbabwe

As the 100-year anniversary of the writing of the Burnham Plan for Chicago approaches, the city and its suburbs are thinking big about how to improve the city.

September 16 - Chicago Tribune

Some real estate agents are winning new clients by showing up for property showings on their bicycles.

September 16 - Globe and Mail

Michael Janzen built an 80 sq. ft. house out of stuff he got for free off of Craigslist. He's just one example of people moving into very small homes to reduce their energy use and housing costs.

September 16 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> I often hear debates over the costs of different modes of transportation, particularly between driving and public transit travel. Rising fuel prices have made public transit more attractive for some trips, boosting ridership, but critics point out that for most trips, transit fares are still comparable with fuel costs (for example, at $4 a gallon, fuel costs about $2 for a typical 10-mile trip, comparable to a bus fare in a typical city), and generally take longer. It is therefore legitimate to ask whether public transit really saves money. </p>

September 15 - Todd Litman

Having been previously destroyed by a hurricane, Galveston has always been vulnerable, despite its sea wall. Hurricane Ike is a reminder of why building on barrier islands is so risky.

September 15 - LiveScience

Religious leaders In the Williamsburg Hasidic community are calling for a ban on bike lanes in their neighborhood because of bikers passing through in revealing clothing. One Hasid says, "It bothers me, and it bothers a lot of people."

September 15 - NY Post

A Chinese architecture team has proposed a futuristic star-shaped city of 15,000 that would visit cities around the world and change the stereotypes of Chinatowns.

September 15 - Building