The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Could Detroit turn its crumbling buildings into tourist attractions? The Urbanophile says there are worse ideas.

March 12 - The Urbanophile

San Antonio's River Walk is getting a new stretch of revitalized riverfront, but it's neither the utilitarian drainage ditch of the past nor the heavily sculpted tourist attraction of recent years.

March 12 - San Antonio Express-News

In response to a recent piece criticizing architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff, <em>Places Journal</em> Editor Nancy Levinson extends the criticism to the entire field, questioning whether its global scope is realistic.

March 12 - Places Journal

Approved plans for a 10,000 square foot mansion in Berkeley, California have been classified "green" by the city's environmental rating system. Neighbors and environmentalists, however, say the house is hardly an environmental model.

March 12 - The New York Times

The City of San Francisco has for years had a "Sunshine" ordinance, requiring that public agencies make their documents and proceedings available to the public. But recent reviews show that sunshine has been hard to find in the city of fog.

March 12 - San Francisco Bay Guardian

China has announced plans to extend its high speed rail network Wetsward across the continent, connecting its eastern shores to Europe.

March 12 - the transport politic

This post on <em>The Infrastructurist</em> looks at the most expensive public transit projects of the last ten years in the United States.

March 12 - The Infrastructurist

The city of Miami is putting its 311 phone system and the civic problems it's used to report online, enabling residents and city officials to easily track local problems.

March 12 - Government Technology

BLOG POST

<p> Last year I had the opportunity to teach a graduate course on &quot;Web 2.0 for Policy and Planning&quot; at the University of Southern California&#39;s School of Policy, Planning &amp; Development. </p> <p> Although I am co-teaching a different class this year, I have updated my <a href="http://ppd599.wordpress.com/">course website</a> with a revised course syllabus and extensive <a href="http://ppd599.wordpress.com/reading/">reading list</a> on Web 2.0 and planning, based on what I learned from teaching the course in Spring, 2009. </p>

March 11 - Chris Steins

The Center for Public Integrity continues its investigation into who is influencing transportation policy at the federal level. They found that lack of governmental focus has left the door open for developers to point the way.

March 11 - Center for Public Integrity

California republicans are arguing that the state's environmental laws are hurting the economy. This editorial from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> questions the wisdom of that argument and wonders what negative impacts would come from lifting CEQA.

March 11 - Los Angeles Times

In an effort to track and reduce energy use, large buildings in New York City have been eligible for a system that monitors energy use by the hour. But few building owners have signed up.

March 11 - The New York Times

While it's typically states and the federal government that spend most of the money on marketing the decennial census, cities have been taking the lead in 2010.

March 11 - Governing

The first new international airport in America in more than a decade is taking form in Florida panhandle. It's part of a broad effort to turn the region into a destination -- and a valuable real estate development.

March 11 - The New York Times

The small community of Tofino on Vancouver Island is looking to ban all future franchise retail establishments from moving into town.

March 11 - The Vancouver Sun

Most of the new housing units being occupied in New York City are illegal basement spaces. Bringing those spaces up to code could create thousands of units of affordable housing in the city.

March 11 - Urban Omnibus

Can historic preservation make room for evolution, and even change? UNESCO's Cultural Landscapes designation attempts to leave room for places to evolve without losing their character.

March 11 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

A new book explores the disconnect between how a "mega-city" region is portrayed through statistics, demographics, etc., and how it is perceived by the public.

March 11 - re:place Magazine

FEATURE

March 11 - Scott Doyon

Officials in Reynoldsburg, Ohio are pushing through strict design guidelines with expensive requirements in an attempt to encourage high-end condos over rental apartments.

March 11 - The Columbus Dispatch