The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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

Devastated train commuters in Southern California rode the rails again today, comforting friends after last week's accident that left 25 dead.

September 15 - Los Angeles Times

A new study has found that almost 30% of the public space in New York's financial district has limited access or is completely closed to the public.

September 15 - Crain's New York Business

"Good Morning America" in cooperation with Amtrak will launch a 'Whistle-Stop' Tour at Grand Central Station on Mon, Sept. 15 - one full week live, two hours daily from a moving train featuring five station stops, making for a 'technology first'.

September 15 - ABC News

Across the country, the billboard industry is fighting to prohibit tree planting on public spaces that might block their billboards.

September 15 - On The Commons

Don Norte of the West Hollywood Dept. of Public Works argues that before cities can cut parking, they need to have good transit. Don Shoup counters that in that case, behavior will never change.

September 15 - Parking Today

This article from <em>Next American City</em> looks at rising ridership on Amtrak and how the train operator is not quite ready to handle it.

September 15 - Next American City

FEATURE

Chuck Donley argues that planners should get over their fear of being pigeonholed as "the technically-savvy" one in the office and learn to embrace new graphics technologies like Google Earth.

September 15 - Chuck Donley