The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Do Social-Environmental Economic Performance Indicators Work?
A new report reviews how well the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Economic Performance Indicators have been applied by 33 companies, including GE, McDonald's, Novo Nordisk, Shell, Starbucks, and Toyota.
Alaska's Shrinking Lakes
Researchers from at the University of Alaska Fairbanks find that Alaska's lakes are shrinking at a dramatic rate.
New Orleans Residents Struggle To Keep Homes
Three months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans residents face evictions as rents skyrocket.
Developers To Pay For Air Pollution Caused By Sprawl
Air pollution control meant looking at tailpipes and smokestacks. Not anymore. San Joaquin Valley is first in nation to take into account air pollution created by urban sprawl.
Tokyo's Unfolding Construction Scandal
A scandal is unfolding in Tokyo as 57 buildings are identified as likely to fail in a moderate earthquake.
Hurricane Katrina Swept Away Environmental Rules
In the name of rebuilding, government agencies waived environmental rules in the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast.
The Benefits Of Immigration
A new report by the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy finds that immigration -- legal or illegal -- produces a net economic benefit for the country.
'Absent-Urbanism' And Urbanism Awards
Susan Barnes-Gelt reviews good and bad examples of urbanism in Denver.
The Intriguing Promise Of Treasure Island
San Francisco's proposed Treasure Island development might be the new model for urban growth.
New Eminent Domain Ballot Measures In California
Voter initiatives have been filed that address the issues brought up in Kelo V. City Of New London.
Building Big, Living Small
Doug Rucker builds large, spacious residences, but lives -- and works -- in a modest 710 square foot house.
EPA Considers Easing Clean Air Act
To reduce its "regulatory burden" the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers exempting some companies from reporting small releases of toxic pollutants.
Tidal Power In Canada
Built in the 1980s, a Canadian experimental station in the Bay of Fundy is one of the few operational tidal power plants in the world.
BLOG POST
Web Content Syndication For E-government
<img src='http://www.planetizen.com/tech/files/20051215_tennnessee_feeds.jpg' alt='Tennessee.gov RSS Feeds' align="right"/><br /> <br /> The popularity of blogs and podcasting is partly driven by the simple concept of web content syndication and aggregation using RSS and ATOM feeds. Yet, a study by Yahoo suggests that <a href="http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3555521">RSS is still not widely adopted</a>. The study reports:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>"...27% of users actually consume RSS on personalized start pages without realizing that it's the underlying technology enabling what they read. Sites such as MyYahoo, MyMSN, and the Firefox browser with its active bookmarks provide easy access to regularly updated RSS feeds with little or no effort from users."</blockquote>
New Orleans' Uncertain Future
Between the diaspora of its residents, the prospect of a "Disney-fied" redevelopment plan, and the need to involve residents in planning processes, New Orleans is the site of an immense tug of war over its future.
Is Petrocollapase The Only Way To Control Overpopulation?
A columnist examines the challenges of overpopulation, food planning, and the housing bubble, and concludes that the only event that can correct our environmental overindulgence is a collapse of the oil industry.
Farmland or McMansions?
Suburban and exurban developments are pushing traditional land uses aside at a rate of more than a million acres of rural land per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pre-Fab New Urbanism For 40% Less?
The manufactured homes are tailored to an appropriate historic or neighborhood look, and will likely play a big part in rebuilding on the Coast.
Federal Role Needed in Rebuilding America's Infrastructure
Felix G. Rohatyn and Warren Rudman say opponents of "big government" must realize that private enterprise has always been made possible by federal investments in physical infrastructure, and that this federal role needs to be reconceived and refined.
BLOG POST
Living in glass data houses
Even though I knew this data existed, seeing it spatially displayed so I could easily get the scoop on all my neighbors made me uneasy. Straight from DirectionsMag.com: <br /> <br /> <ul><br /> <a href="http://newsletter.directionsmag.com/users/link.php?LinkID=26199&UserID=71070&Newsletter=401&List=1&LinkType=Send ">Mathew Kane, a doctoral student in the Indiana University School of <br /> Informatics</a>, has generated an interesting Google <a href="http://newsletter.directionsmag.com/users/link.php?LinkID=26198&UserID=71070&Newsletter=401&List=1&LinkType=Send">mashup</a>.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
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.
