The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana">I was reading the New York Times Magazine special architecture issue a few weeks ago when something jumped out at me.<span> </span>On the intro page to the issue of the “Mega-Megalopolis” one of the by-line says “How does an architect plan for a city with no history?<span> </span>Or a city that just keeps growing?”<span> </span>Interesting questions particularly given the fact that to charge architects with the task of planning our cities is affording too much power to a profession that simply doesn’t have it.<span> </span></span> </p>

June 26 - Scott Page

<p>The U.S. Conference of Mayors has resolved to phase out purchasing bottled water, not only for environmental reasons, but as a way of encouraging more financial support for municipal water systems.</p>

June 26 - AlterNet

BLOG POST

<p> Maybe it's the rain in New York today, but I'm gloomy. So while<a href="http://www.iftf.org/node/2068"> China collapses</a>, it looks like the mobility-land use solution embodied in many of America's newer suburbs seems to be unravelling due to high oil prices. </p><p> The IHT reports: </p>

June 26 - Anthony Townsend

<p>Paul Krugman writes that we need to stop conflating owing a home with citizenship.</p>

June 26 - The New York Times

<p>The economics of long commutes are forcing many to the conclusion that suburban living is no longer viable, and suburban housing prices are falling accordingly.</p>

June 26 - The New York Times

<p>A grassroots group is working to remove barriers to erecting clotheslines, which are commonly banned by apartments buildings as a blight. The group is pitching their work as an energy conservation effort.</p>

June 26 - Rutland Herald

<p>Transit agencies around the U.S. offered free rides on a single day, and large crowds follow. But observers aren't sure they'll stick around when they have to pay again.</p>

June 26 - San Jose Mercury News

<p>In a deal with a large sugar farming operation, the state of Florida will buy up 187,000 acres of land near the Everglades -- a move environmentalists are applauding.</p>

June 25 - The New York Times

<p>The world's first moving building, a 80-storey tower with revolving floors giving an shifting shape, will be built in Dubai, its architect says.</p>

June 25 - BBC

<p>Members of the British Parliament attempt to speed up the process for planning major projects. But some advocates and observers fear the public's voice will be muted.</p>

June 25 - BBC

<p>In a bold move likened in this article to the Apollo program, General Motors is throwing everything it has into the development of the Volt, a revolutionary plug-in electric hybrid.</p>

June 25 - Atlantic Monthly

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">In my last post, I suggested that transit’s “resurgence” is, ultimately, much ado about nothing. Transit’s increased ridership, while important for transit managers, will do little to change fundamental travel patterns of US urban areas. </span> </p>

June 25 - Samuel Staley

<p>Kentucky and Tennessee residents who were evicted in the 1960s to make way for a nature preserve are fighting to make sure their history is accurately represented in historical markers and visitor centers at the site.</p>

June 25 - Knoxville News Sentinel

<p>A homeowner on the verge of foreclosure in Las Vegas is not going down without a fight. He is literally destroying his home from the inside out.</p>

June 25 - CBS 8 Las Vegas

<p>Landscape architect Gary Sexton worked on a tight budget and dodged commissions and regulations to create a beautiful vision for downtown Bremerton (near Seattle).</p>

June 25 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

<p>Fort Worth, Texas officials try to tackle the thorny issue of gas pipelines snaking through residential neighborhoods.</p>

June 25 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

<p>Toronto's Metrolink brings together city and transportation planners to brainstorm the transit of the future.</p>

June 25 - The Toronto Star

<p>Two new parks in San Francisco show how great neighborhoods are defined by their public spaces, according to this article from the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em>.</p>

June 25 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Following on the success of its bike-sharing system, Paris is planning to unveil a citywide green car-sharing system.</p>

June 24 - The Guardian

<p>Steven Malanga writes about the resurrection of Bushwick, a Brooklyn neighborhood, from its decrepit past.</p>

June 24 - City Journal