The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Gov. Brown, a former AG who filed many lawsuits to protect the environment, sided with a renewable energy producer in a lawsuit to stop a huge solar thermal power project in the Mojave Desert on behalf of the threatened desert tortoise.

July 24 - Environmental News Service

A new report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace proposes, among other things, a 5%-per-barrel tax on petro and the creation of the National Infrastructure Bank to cope with transportation budget cuts.

July 24 - America 2050

Urban regeneration in Detroit begins with public space in a form of street market - one that sells plenty of fruits and vegetables.

July 24 - Putting People First

Kaid Benfield shares this video from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that includes audio and video of Jane Jacobs, a rarity.

July 23 - SustainableCitiesCollective

Student designer Alexander Vittouris won a design award for his bicycle made out of bamboo. What's so special about that? Vittouris shaped the frame as it grew so it needed no assembly.

July 23 - Grist

Neal Payton of Torti Gallas and Partners says that new developments that lack an identity will suffer, and that smaller blocks are often better for creating a sense of place.

July 23 - The Washington Examiner

An interview with REBAR design collective, creators of PARK(ing) Day, about using humor and absurdity to advance ideas for improving cities.

July 23 - Next American City

Jon Geeting of Nazareth Patch says that something fishy is happening in the township of Lower Macungie as megaproject is approved on 600 acres of farmland.

July 23 - Patch

Zoning codes that mandate a certain number of parking spaces for businesses that serve on-site alcoholic beverages are inconsistent with law enforcement's campaign against drunk driving, says Eric de Place.

July 22 - Sightline Daily

Using a federal grant, New York City is studying the effects of a highway teardown not just on transportation but on housing, jobs, park access and quality of life.

July 22 - Streetsblog

Companies are moving back to the city in response to a new generation of workers who prefer the urban environment over suburban office parks.

July 22 - CNN Money

Based on estimated returns on investment in single-family home rental properties of 316 markets, Las Vegas is your best bet to invest on rental properties. Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale - all in Florida - also made the list.

July 22 - CNN Money

Patrick Kennedy stresses the importance of quality over quantity in residential housing by comparing houses in McKinney, North Texas, with those on Swiss Avenue near Downtown Dallas.

July 22 - D Magazine

Tom Angotti writes that Mayor Bloomberg has ambitious goals for solving NYC's affordable housing problems, but they may not be in step with today's real estate market.

July 22 - The Gotham Gazette

Walmart easily received approval for four new big box stores in Washington, D.C. With so much opposition elsewhere, why the open arms in the Beltway?

July 22 - New Urban Network

Major study by the Partnership for Prevention identifies numerous ways to reduce air pollution, increase physical fitness and reduce traffic risk.

July 22 - Transportation and Health: Policy Interventions for Safer

The head of the New York MTA, Jay Walder, is leaving to take charge of a private transportation company in Hong Kong.

July 22 - The New York Times

Financial analysts and members of the real estate industry are worried that, if the U.S. government doesn't resolve the debt ceiling crisis soon, an already fragile housing market will be dealt a serious blow, and with it the entire U.S. economy.

July 22 - NPR

In a post at Project for Public Spaces, a politician from Spokane, WA is quoted as saying the way municipal governments could spur job growth is by building public spaces where people want to live, work, shop and invest.

July 21 - Project For Public Spaces

Dan Leavitt, California High-Speed Rail Authority’s deputy director, says Calif. can either be at the whim of 'market-driven sprawl,' or high-speed rail can revolutionize the state. Yet, arguments for getting people to ride rail are contentious.

July 21 - The New York Times