The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Anaheim, California, serves up an alternative to Kelo in the form of promoting competition, loosening business restrictions and lowering taxes, writes Steven Greenhut.

April 7 - The Wall Street Journal

A new study with evidence from New York City -- plus a "five-city social experiment" -- claims that there is no evidence to support the popular anti-crime theory.

April 7 - University of Chicago Chronicle

SustainLane's recently released rankings of the largest 50 U.S. cities by preparedness for rises in oil prices leaves some cities, from Colorado Springs to Kansas City, room for improvement.

April 7 - Colorado Springs Gazette

Displaced and overwhelmed, three major organizing networks provided immediate aid to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, and began working for long-term, equitable recovery. Will they be able to rise to the human and political challenges?

April 7 - Shelterforce Magazine

"Superboxes" may mean the days of seeing rows of newspaper boxes on sidewalks are numbered.

April 7 - The Globe and Mail

El Paso is one of the last Southwest cities to turn its downtown around, but will the proposed plan work?

April 7 - El Paso Inc.

MSN Real Estate publishes a special on McMansionization, detailing the backlash, a new "less is more" movement, and ways to fight the trend.

April 7 - MSN Real Estate

Demolition of the ostensibly failed modernist development Punta Perotti in Bari, southern Italy, was completed on April 2, to make room for the 10th International Architecture Exhibition (includes videos).

April 7 - La Biennale di Venezia

Thousands from Mexico and Central America are rushing to New Orleans where work is easy to find and no one is checking illegal workers' documentation.

April 6 - The Los Angeles Times

While Pictometry's new mapping technology is being used for public safety, it's also being used by building officials who don't have to leave the office to see who's building without a permit.

April 6 - Wired Magazine

Since the state dismantled its economic development agency, its piecemeal efforts compare poorly to other states' coordinated strategies, as shown in the state's poor showing at the biotech industry's largest trade show.

April 6 - San Francisco Business Times

Just months after approving the FEMA trailer site, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has riled federal officials by halting all construction in the Algiers neighborhood.

April 6 - The Boston Globe

California's governor and legislative leaders are backing a plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions 25% by 2020.

April 6 - The San Francisco Chronicle

A development of 1,000 homes designed for car-free living has been proposed for a 30-acre site in Hayward, California.

April 6 - Oakland Tribune (via reprint at cicle.org)

The policy features sustainable development and public transit.

April 6 - Business Line

Sit back, relax, and parallel park with the help of Toyota's new Prius.

April 6 - CBS News

A new company initiative calls for over 50 new stores in blighted urban areas, with the promise of help for local businesses and chambers of commerce.

April 6 - The Washington Post

In the event of a flu pandemic, the federal government will be largely unavailable to cities across the country. Municipalities should prepare for a long disruption, relying on schools, churches and other social networks to develop response plans.

April 6 - The Sacramento Bee

Congress for the New Urbanism honors 17 diverse projects in affordable housing, transit-oriented development, high-density infill plans, wilderness preservation, and freeway-taming strategies, with the 2006 Charter Awards.

April 5 - Abhijeet Chavan

Beijing's new 'green' ministry of science building is China's first to pass the stringent, globally-recognized LEED certification.

April 5 - The Christian Science Monitor