The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>A German engineer has developed small, individually-powered rail cars which he hopes to put into use on the country's old railroad tracks. The systems is a new fusion of trains and taxis, operating automatically for on-call use by small groups.</p>

January 13 - Der Spiegel

<p>A local businesswoman is building her 8,000 square foot dream home, modeled after a European castle, in the midsts of the city's downtown.</p>

January 12 - The Albuquerque Tribune

<p>Given a history of environment problems, some wonder if the 2008 Olympics in Beijing will showcase the world's worst pollution as well as world-class athletes? A marathon runner dies as the City's pollution index hits 149 (100 is unhealthy).</p>

January 12 - Knowledge@Wharton

<p>Hailed by many as setting a new fuel standard to reduce carbon emissions and questioned by others as to its effect on smog levels and gas prices, the new regulation will reduce the carbon content of transportation fuels 10% by 2020.</p>

January 12 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>A new report from the World Watch Institute warns that uncontrolled urbanization in the form of slums is contributing to serious social and environmental consequences.</p>

January 12 - World Watch

<p>Hawaii's housing boom and other factors like high rents and a shortage of developable land mean that housing is often out of reach for the state's working poor. As a result, Hawaii has one of the nation's largest homeless populations.</p>

January 12 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>With Southern California's strictest urban growth rules and a commitment to preserving open space and agriculture, Ventura County has become the region's hotbed of smart growth.</p>

January 12 - The Planning Report

<p>As current city management professionals inch toward retirement, a shortage of younger candidates may mean tough times ahead for professionally managed cities.</p>

January 12 - The New York Times

<p>With its downtown booming, Austin, Texas is trying to help homeowners who are feeling the squeeze from rising property values -- by buying their land.</p>

January 12 - The Austin Chronicle

<p>Redevelopment officials are looking at the southern frontier of downtown as the next potential neighborhood for revitalization and new transit-oriented development, but some locals are worried about the area's gentrification.</p>

January 12 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>An editorial in the New York Sun scoffs at Mayor Bloomberg's desire to see more affordable housing built when the zoning code is as thick as a phone book and developers are nickel and dimed every step of the way.</p>

January 12 - The New York Sun

<p>Harvesting wind energy from cars? Mark Oberholzer comes up with the innovative idea of harvesting energy from the wind of passing cars.</p>

January 11 - Metropolis Magazine

<p>Noted L.A.-area scholar Ed Blakely helped Oakland and L.A. rebound from earthquakes; now he's turning to the resurrection of New Orleans. The Planinng Report features an interview.</p>

January 11 - The Planning Report

<p>City Planner Dick Gleeson has his sights set high for the city of Dublin, Ireland, proposing a remodeling of the city by 2016. His plans include everything from increased open space and bike paths to continued economic development to curb sprawl.</p>

January 11 - Nate Berg

<p>In Washington's Puget Sound, a proposal has been made to create a regional transit authority to oversee the coordination, planning, and financing of all transit projects for more than 128 transportation agencies in four counties.</p>

January 11 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

<p>Intended to be one of 9 Shanghai suburbs evoking architecture and culture from other countries, the pseudo-Canadian "Maple Town" suburb bears little resemblance to its original plans.</p>

January 11 - The Globe & Mail

<p>A host of multi-million dollar intown mega-developments -- all mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented -- promise to remake Atlanta into a more walkable, urban city. However, the suburbs are in "no danger of emptying."</p>

January 11 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>While using green building practices has become popular in new construction, the same is not true for renovation projects.</p>

January 11 - The New York Times

<p>The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy helps cities in the developing world address traffic and congestion with creative, cost-efficient solutions. Executive Director Walter Hook shares some strategies for the US as well.</p>

January 11 - The Planning Report

<p>In a third and perhaps final attempt, developer John Rosenthal submitted plans to locate 668 housing units, 57,000 square feet of retail, 1,200 parking spaces, and a redeveloped transit station in Boston's Kenmore Square neighborhood.</p>

January 11 - The Boston Globe