The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>The Municipality of Wood Buffalo is looking to fill 49 new positions in its planning and development department to cope with the area's incredible growth -- a result of the tar sands boom in northern Alberta.</p>

February 8 - Wood Buffalo Communications

<p>The older suburbs around Richmond, Virginia -- and many other cities around the country -- can no longer count on being immune to poverty, crime and under performing schools that has long affected the urban core.</p>

February 8 - Style Weekly

<p>Leaders in Edinburgh, Scotland have adopted a new green building code to lessen the environmental impact of development.</p>

February 8 - Green Building Press

<p>Rural colleges are urbanizing their campuses to stay competitive with their peers and keep up with evolving demographic preferences.</p>

February 8 - The New York Times

FEATURE

February 8 - Michael Gunder, PhD

<p>In hopes of inspiring future civic leaders, an innovative volunteer program teaches grade school children about how a city works.</p>

February 8 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

<p>With more than 300,000 new cars hitting the roads each year, the Chinese capital has a serious shortage of parking. The solution? More parking lots of course.</p>

February 8 - China Daily

<p>The lengthy list of candidates for the top job at the Boston Redevelopment Agency includes architect and Harvard professor Alex Krieger.</p>

February 8 - Boston Herald

<p>Enthusiasts are using Google Earth and Microsoft Live Search Maps for unexpected purposes.</p>

February 7 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Science News reviews the research and opinions linking sprawl and obesity, and investigates whether urban sprawl "makes people fat."</p>

February 7 - Science News

<p>The first-ever rating system for sustainable urban neighborhood development is seeking pilot projects.</p>

February 7 - The Congress for the New Urbanism

<p>As many communities across Europe and the United States decrease in size, academics ponder just how to plan for for cities with declining populations.</p>

February 7 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>The first apartment buildings will soon begin rising on the former Hudson Yards, made possible by the rezoning of 300 acres two years ago.</p>

February 7 - The New York Times

<p>The "often-overlooked measure" of homes for sale that are empty is the highest it's ever been. The figure could represent the influence of housing "speculators" and may signal continuing weakness in the national housing market.</p>

February 7 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>This report from <em>NPR</em> looks at the many factors that are delaying the disbursement of recovery and housing funds to hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast region.</p>

February 7 - NPR

<p>With the expansion of light rail projects in Portland, Oregon, an inconspicuous town center may finally find an identity and truly become a center of activity.</p>

February 7 - The Portland Tribune

<p>Estimates of the tax breaks required by developers of a massive mixed use cultural and business center in downtown L.A. have risen more than 50%, according to a recent report. The city-subsidized tax breaks have upset some residents and officials.</p>

February 7 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>A new trend appearing in the slums of Brazil is a high number of foreign tourists and expatriates who visit or even move into the impoverished areas. Meanwhile, Brazil's middle and upper classes keep their distance from the dangerous slums.</p>

February 7 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>An Italian village that once spent almost three months of each year in the shadows of a nearby mountain has turned to technology to provide sunlight during its annual spell of darkness. A huge sun-tracking mirror now reflects light onto the village.</p>

February 6 - International Herald Tribune

<p>Critic Paul Goldberger suggests that New York planner Robert Moses may deserve another look at the "sheer scale of his achievements." Goldberger reviews the forthcoming book, "Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York".</p>

February 6 - The New Yorker