The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>An old-fashioned community barn-raising in Masonville, Texas could in fact be a glimpse of the future.</p>

June 7 - Fort Collins Now

<p>GPS from cellphones is enabling exciting research into human behavior, but European studies show that our behavior is rarely exciting.</p>

June 7 - International Herald Tribune

<p>Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich gives his two cents about the need to expand public transit.</p>

June 7 - Robert Reich's Blog

<p>This slideshow from <em>Wired</em> takes a tour of some of the best subway systems in the world, boasting some of the world's most extravagant stations and efficient commutes.</p>

June 7 - Wired

<p>London's underground subway system recently banned the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and to celebrate the last night of drunken train commuting, Londoners converged on trains to get hammered. They also got rowdy, assaulted and arrested.</p>

June 6 - BBC

<p>A senior care facility in Germany teamed with the local transit agency to install a fake bus stop near the home to stem occupant disappearances after Alzheimer's patients repeatedly wandered off site to catch buses at real stops.</p>

June 6 - Telegraph

<p>Following the example set by Sao Paulo, Brazil, the city of Encinitas, California is considering a plan to ban new billboard advertisements within the city.</p>

June 6 - The North County Times

Council Member David Yassky was one of congestion pricing's earliest and most vocal proponents, and he hasn't yet given up on the prospect of charging tolls to drive in Manhattan.

June 6 - The Planning Report

<p>With fill-ups costing close to $70,000 for a transatlantic flight, airlines are facing a grim future.</p>

June 6 - The Globe & Mail

<p>Air pollution is so bad in Mexico City that residents have less sensitivity to smells, according to a recent study.</p>

June 6 - Reuters

BLOG POST

<p> <strong>Bank, Commission, Capital Budget or Business as Usual?</strong> </p> <p> There&#39;s a growing consensus the U.S. needs to invest more in our infrastructure, especially our transportation infrastructure. Too many roads and bridges are in poor repair, and congestion is slowing the economy of many cities. High gas prices has only added to intense interest nationwide for new and enhanced public transportation. With the expiration of the SAFETEA-LU legislation, next year Congress has the opportunity to revise the policies guiding investment in this critical infrastructure. </p> <p> Unfortunately, after the interstate highway system, the federal role in transportation infrastructure is mostly known for its excessive pork barrel spending (bridges to nowhere) and limited funds and Byzantine policies restricting mass transit investment. </p> <p> How should we evaluate the various proposals to reform federal policy? The Urban Land Institute (where I am working this summer) proposed an 8-point &quot;action agenda&quot; for infrastructure in their second-annual <a href="http://www.uli.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&amp;CONTENTID=125957&amp;TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay. cfm">infrastructure report</a>. The agenda is a statement of principles that should guide investments. It includes: build a vision for the community, invest strategically in coordination with land use, fix and maintain first, reduce driving, couple land use decisions with water availability, break down government &quot;silos,&quot; cut pork barrel spending and support smart growth, keep score and keep governments accountable. </p> <p> Taking those principles as advice, let&#39;s take a look at what has been proposed. </p>

June 6 - Robert Goodspeed

James S. Russell comments on the $1 billion deal to redevelop Hudson Yards, and finds the plan lacking in vision.

June 6 - Bloomberg.com

<p>Vancouver has plans to spend nearly $3 billion on a 12-km stretch of subway. But a recent study shows that same amount of money could be used to create a tram system covering more than 175 km in the city.</p>

June 6 - The Tyee

<p>Years after it followed many others like it and closed its doors, a paper mill in upstate New York has come back to life, and brought its town back to life with it.</p>

June 6 - The New York Times

Many of famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin's optimistic 1970s public spaces are being updated and reconsidered. Historic preservationists fight back, but supporters say, "It's a living, breathing space, not a museum."

June 6 - The Hook (Charlottesville, VA)

<p>The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made final a decision that says much of the Los Angeles River is not navigable, and is therefore not a river. It will retain some Clean Water Act protection, but developing on its watershed may become easier.</p>

June 5 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>A peaceful suburb wanting to preserve its tranquility is pitted against a large rail company attempting to lessen freight congestion around Chicago by running its trains through it and other suburbs on an existing rail line it hopes to purchase.</p>

June 5 - Associated Press via Miami Herald

<p>One of the hosts of Mythbusters turns his eye on new ideas for energy sources, from grape juice to used tires.</p>

June 5 - Mother Jones

<p>Charlotte's light rail system has proven to be a major success in the city, spurring development and igniting the local economy. But as it expands, will the other communities it benefits join in the funding party?</p>

June 5 - Governing

<p>Washington, D.C. police decide to stop everyone entering a neighborhood that has seen 22 killings so far this year, including a recent triple homicide.</p>

June 5 - The Washington Post