The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Zealand's Planner Shortage

<p>Young people in New Zealand aren't taking up careers in planning, which is causing problems for many cities, and has developers upset about slow processing times.</p>

January 26 - Scoop Independent News

Study Considers Global Warming's Impact on B.C. Real Estate

<p>This report from the Suzuki Foundation examines climate change impacts on equity of land values in British Columbia.</p>

January 26 - Real Estate Institute of British Columbia

How Downtown Parks Can Drive the Economy

<p>This article looks at the success of downtown parks in cities big and small and argues that Eugene, Oregon, needs to start thinking about parks and stop looking at parking lots to drive the local economy.</p>

January 26 - Eugene Weekly

D.C.'s Dulles Rail Project Seems Unlikely

<p>A planned rail extension that would have connected the Washington D.C. area to Dulles International Airport has been all but killed by a federally-pushed disqualification of the project from receiving critical federal funding.</p>

January 26 - The Washington Post

High Speed Trains in America

<p><em>Treehugger</em> interviews New Urbanist Andy Kunz about the state of the nation's train system and plans for a high-speed rail network.</p>

January 26 - Treehugger.com


Friday Funny: The Amazing Disappearing House

<p>A woman in Russia returned home form vacation recently to an empty plot of land. Her home was mistakenly demolished as developers readied a site for new construction.</p>

January 25 - Associated Press

Lyon's Twin Sister City in Dubai

<p>An investor from Dubai is looking to replicate -- in close detail -- the French city of Lyon in the Arab Emirate.</p>

January 25 - International Herald Tribune


This Park Attraction Brought To You By...

<p>New York City parks officials have announced plans to generate extra revenue by selling off naming rights for some of the city's public park attractions.</p>

January 25 - New York Post

Facebook as a Community Planning Tool?

<p>A Washington D.C. developer is seeking feedback about possible redevelopment options through the social netowrking website facebook.com.</p>

January 25 - Washington (D.C.) Business Journal

Proposal To 'Unbundle' Parking Heads To San Francisco Supervisors

<p>A San Francisco supervisor has proposed several changes in parking regulations that will result in reduced new housing costs, and potentially reduced car ownership and operation. It requires the approval of the Board of Supervisors.</p>

January 25 - San Francisco Examiner

Report Says Canadian Government Needs to Renew Social Housing Funding

<p>A recent report from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is calling on the federal government to keep up tis funding of housing and shelter programs after they expire in 2009.</p>

January 25 - The Vancouver Sun

EU's Plans to Cut Carbon Have Some Worried About Competitiveness

<p>The European Union has announced plans to make a significant cutback in its carbon emissions. Some say the plans are too ambitious and will hurt the Union's growth and competitiveness, but others argue they don't go far enough.</p>

January 25 - The Christian Science Monitor

Downtown Baltimore Banking on Bookstore

<p>Construction of a new university bookstore in downtown Baltimore is seen as a critical piece of the downtown's rebirth. City officials are looking at offering tax incentives to ensure the bookstore deals comes through.</p>

January 25 - The Baltimore Sun

Protecting Endangered Species on Private Land

<p>This article examines the "Safe Harbor" agreements between landowners and the federal government that look to protect the habitats of endangered species on private land.</p>

January 25 - Audubon

Lawn Greens

<p>If 'peak oil' makes oil-intensive industrial agriculture economically unfeasible, will suburbanites need to turn their lawns into farming plots?</p>

January 25 - Common Dreams

Globalization and the Power of Urban Tourism

<p>Cities across the world are stressing the importance of tourism in supporting local economies. In this article, Susan Fainstein wonders if globalization will result in an overall reduction in the type and variety of urban places and attractions.</p>

January 24 - Urban Reinventors

States Look to Update Tax Systems

<p>This article from <em>Governing</em> looks at the state tax system and examines how states are taking steps to restructure their systems to ensure long-term viability.</p>

January 24 - Governing

Tabula Rasa in the United Arab Emirates

<p>Big-name architects have appropriately big plans for the rapidly developing United Arab Emirates. Creating a new cultural capital is appealing to them, but not as much as the fact that getting it done will be easier than anywhere else in the world.</p>

January 24 - Conde Nast Traveler

Preserving Kabul

<p>A broad cleanup and revitalization project in the oldest parts of Kabul, Afghanistan, are bringing new life to the war-ravaged city.</p>

January 24 - Associated Press

Sky Bridge Gets Approval

<p>The Salt Lake City Planning Commission has approved a controversial plan to build a sky bridge for pedestrians as part of a new mixed use development.</p>

January 24 - The Salt Lake Tribune

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City of Thousand Oaks

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City of Wisconsin Rapids

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Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.