The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Despite efforts by politicians to enact policies that reduce congestion, the biggest improvements in traffic reduction appear to be tied to rising gas prices and tolls, according to data from New York.</p>

July 6 - The New York Times

<p>This segment from <em>NPR</em> looks at what's behind the trend of house prices falling more sharply outside of cities.</p>

July 6 - NPR

<p>The Onion reports on a study showing that a vast majority of Americans want further investments in public transit so everyone else can get off the road and make their drive faster.</p>

July 5 - The Onion

<p>Florida's plans to purchase nearly 300 square miles of land for Everglades restoration may face some significant challenges, according to skeptics.</p>

July 5 - The New York Times

<p>In this column, landscape architect Bill Thompson, FASLA, takes a look at the shortcomings of Boston's City Hall Plaza as a public space and what he feels are misguided efforts to preserve it.</p>

July 5 - Land Online

<p>In a move to combat the growing numbers of foreclosed homes and provide affordable housing, Fairfax County, Virginia, has announced plans to buy up foreclosed properties to augment the county's supply of affordable homes.</p>

July 5 - The Washington Post

<p>Plans for redeveloping the World Trade Center site in Manhattan have been pushed back again, possibly to 2013.</p>

July 5 - BBC

<p>Satirist Stephen Colbert demands an explanation why the U.S. no longer has the world's tallest skyscrapers while construction is booming overseas.</p>

July 4 - Comedy Central

BLOG POST

Last week marked the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in <em>Kelo v. New London</em>. The first time I read <em>Kelo</em>, I thought what many Americans probably thought: that any government could seize property for any reason, so long as it compensated prior owners. <br /> <br /> But after having taught <em>Kelo</em> to law students several times over the past few years, I now realize that Kelo is much more complex. <em>Kelo</em> was a 5-4 decision, and Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a separate concurrence. Because Justice Kennedy was the “swing vote”, his decision predicts future Court decisionmaking more accurately than the Court’s primary opinion, because a taking which fails to satisfy Kennedy might not be able to get five votes in the Supreme Court.

July 4 - Michael Lewyn

<p>While Americans celebrate the birth of their country, Canadians are celebrating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, the first permanent settlement in New France. David Hackett Fischer reflects on the city's history and importance.</p>

July 4 - The New York Times

<p>Plans to build a new bridge over the Columbia River in Portland ignored projections that said the newer, bigger bridge would contribute to outward expansion of development from the metropolitan core.</p>

July 4 - The Oregonian

<p>The county board of supervisors in Loudoun County, Virginia, has voted to ban itself from accepting any campaign contributions from developers or builders.</p>

July 4 - The Washington Post

<p>Forbes works with the Center for Neighborhood Technology to find the best neighborhoods to get around affordably.</p>

July 4 - Forbes

<p>The Bureau of Land Management has reversed course on a proposed moratorium on the construction of solar projects on public land.</p>

July 3 - Las Vegas Sun

<p>The Mississippi and Missouri rivers were once dramatically wider, but a century of re-engineering has constricted their courses, making "flood magnification" inevitable.</p>

July 3 - Salon

<p>New York's Union Square is the scene of a lively protest featuring Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. At stake is the square's pavilion, which is set to be transformed into a restaurant.</p>

July 3 - The Village Voice

<p>Austin and a number of other cities are working to reduce the carbon footprint left by their fleets of city vehicles. Austin officials are looking for ways to offset their remaining emissions.</p>

July 3 - Austin American-Statesman

<p>Employers in the Seattle area are outpacing City Hall in providing incentives to employees not to drive to work in single occupancy cars. A state law even requires companies with 100 or more commuters to provide alternative commuting plans.</p>

July 3 - The Seattle Times

<p>A short video profile shows renewed interest in Arcosanti, the utopian community founded by architect Paolo Soleri. Could Soleri's 40 yr. old utopia be the wave of the sustainable future?</p>

July 3 - NBC 12 News

<p>UC Irvine student Cristi Lopes is writing software for "SkyTran", a virtual high-speed train based in Second Life. The virtual world will actually serve as a useful simulator for the real thing.</p>

July 3 - The Times Of India