The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Despoiling of Alberta

Famous for its oil wealth and the "prosperity cheques" being handed out to every resident, the Canadian Province of Alberta is actually a classic example of rapacious growth, dangerously poor planning and poor performance on social development indicators.

September 28 - The Globe and Mail

A Plan To Raise Galveston

The article, which first appeared in 1990, details plans made after the September 8, 1900 hurricane to reshape the city of Galveston to prevent vulnerability to flooding.

September 28 - American Heritage

University To Demolish Frank Gehry Building

University of California, Irvine administrators cite structural deterioration in their decision to demolish a building designed by famed architect Frank Gehry.

September 28 - New University Paper

Rebuilding New Orleans Without The Poor

Are developers seeking to rebuild New Orleans planning to develop a new, whiter and richer city?

September 28 - AlterNet

Developers Replacing Architects As Household Names In San Diego

Since the 1950s, developers have done more to shape the city of San Diego than architects, for better and worse.

September 28 - The San Diego Union-Tribune


Was The Gulf Coast A Result Of Global Warming?

While it may be tempting to blame hurricanes Katrina and Rita on global warming, an MIT climatologist says that it's wrong to blame any single event on long-term climate change. However, the power of tropical storms is increasing.

September 28 - MIT Technology Review

Los Angeles' Smog: The New Threat to Public Health

Just when it looked like Los Angeles might be win the war on smog, a new and more deadly form of air pollution stalks the region

September 28 - L.A. Weekly


Highway Capacity: A Public Safety Issue?

In a post-9/11 and post-Katrina world, where mass evacuations mean an exodus in private vehicles, does a lack of appropriate freeway capacity represent a public safety hazard, asks Wendell Cox.

September 28 - National Review

Middleton Hills, a New Urbanism Success Story?

As housing prices continue to rise, Middleton Hills moves further and further away from the reach of the middle class.

September 28 - The Capital Times

Key Ingredients for the World's Tallest Skyscrapers

ArchNewsNow features an interview with Ron Klemencic, Chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, on the characteristics of a successful skyscraper project.

September 28 - ArchNewsNow.com

Determining the Value of Historic Preservation

Randall Mason examines the difficulties of evaluating the economics of historic preservation, analyzing various approaches and the literature in the field.

September 27 - The Brookings Institution

Army Corps of Engineers Requests $40 Billion For Post-Katrina Projects

The money, part of the larger Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief and Economic Recovery Act, would fund a variety of projects, but is drawing a storm of controversy. The amount is 16 times the amount previously needed to protect New Orleans from a Category 5 hurricane.

September 27 - The Washington Post

Wal-Mart Theme For Local Recall Election

Votes against WalMart annexation get voters riled in Jefferson, WI.

September 27 - Wisconsin State Journal

New Orleans: Plan for Racial Equality and Environmental Justice

The Steering Committee of Planners Network suggests how the New Orleans planning and rebuilding process can create a more equitable, healthy, and just city.

September 27 - Planners Network

New Car Safety Technologies Promise Increases In Fuel Economy

New studies and technologies are causing an important shift in the federal government's thinking about fuel economy rules for SUVs and pickups.

September 27 - The Wall Street Journal

Curitiba's Lessons for New Orleans

New Orleans can learn from Curitiba, Brazil, which turned its fortunes around with an innovative public transit system and by treating the poor with dignity.

September 27 - Michael Dudley

The Density Dilemma

An investigation of compact and transit-oriented development in Texas, California, Oregon, Maryland and Massachusetts suggests serious challenges ahead for density in America, writes Anthony Flint in a working paper for Lincoln.

September 27 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Developers Not Welcome In New Orleans

A grass-roots campaign has started among the displaced citizens of New Orleans that opposes the onslaught of planners and developers wanting to rebuild the city.

September 27 - Open Source Radio

European Urbanists Gain Support From Governments

A special report on the First International Congress of the Council for European Urbanism held in Berlin, 8-10 September 2005.

September 27 - INTBAU News

Is California Ready For The Big One?

Experts predict an 80% chance of a major earthquake (seven or higher on the Richter scale) in Los Angeles that would kill up to 18,000 people. California looks better-prepared that Louisiana, but is it?

September 27 - The Economist

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