The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt">One important planning approach for sustainable living is how to locate and integrate the natural and man-made attributes of the land to configure a low-carbon site for large scale development.

June 8 - Rick Abelson

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is showing a scale model of the Loop and nearby areas on Michigan Avenue.

June 8 - Chicago Tribune

BLOG POST

<p> Thanks to the <a href="http://www.vacantproperties.org/index.html">National Vacant Properties Campaign</a> for another important conference on vacant properties - this time in Louisville.  I was duly <a href="/node/27856">impressed with the first conference</a> on the subject a year and a half ago but what struck me this time was the growing diversity of voices concerned with the issue. </p> <p> At the last conference, I (and I assume many others) had the feeling that it was a therapy session of sorts for like-minded spirits.  &quot;Older industrial&quot; cities were sharing information and ideas because, while all cities are unique, we share a lot of the same challenges.   </p>

June 8 - Scott Page

Fort Lauderdale joins a national program which will provide $3.7 million to change foreclosed homes into affordable housing.

June 8 - Sun-Sentinel

Caltrain officials are planning to cut midday service by half, raise parking fees by 50 percent, and charge more for the monthly Go Pass.

June 8 - The San Francisco Chronicle

The act of running and building our homes is responsible for almost half of the U.S.'s carbon footprint. GOOD Magazine asks, so why are we so obsessed with making cars sustainable instead of homes?

June 8 - GOOD Magazine

It was hailed as the solution to America's infrastructure spending deficit, but the influx of private funds has come to halt along with the failure of banks and the huge investment from the Recovery Act. Plus, many schemes aroused taxpayers wrath.

June 8 - The New York Times - Economy

The transportation reauthorization bill will be hotly debated this fall on at least two fronts - finding a sustainable funding source and apportioning the revenues. The 18.4 cent gas tax, its funding source, declined 33% due to inflation since 1993.

June 8 - The New York Times - U.S.

The Metro's Rail Management Committee of East Valley is considering trading the naming rights of light rail stations for revenue.

June 8 - East Valley Tribune

Officials of Bridgeport admitted that the city's Master Plan of Conservation and Development was improperly adopted last year.

June 8 - Connecticut Post

Schadenfreude is a German concept that means "taking pleasure in the suffering of others." Columnist Meghan Daum is experiencing 'debtenfreude'; the pleasure in watching house flippers and McMansion builders fall to the economic downturn.

June 8 - Los Angeles Times

FEATURE

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy spent two years looking at smart growth policies in a number of states to see how well they've achieved their goals. Gregory K. Ingram, President of the Institute, explains the results.

June 8 - Gregory K. Ingram

Starting June 6th, several streets in Brooklyn will be pedestrian- only.

June 8 - STREETSBLOG.ORG

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) refers to communities with high quality public transit services, good walkability, and compact, mixed land use. This allows people to choose the best option for each trip: walking and cycling for local errands, convenient and comfortable public transit for travel along major urban corridors, and automobile travel to more dispersed destinations. People who live and work in such communities tend to own fewer vehicles, drive less, and rely more on alternative modes. </span> </p>

June 7 - Todd Litman

Two representatives of a committee charged with implementing reductions in VMT to meet California's SB 375 goals discuss the challenges.

June 7 - The Planning Report

The videos from the time-lapse images compiled from NASA Earth Observatory show some most impressive conquests of man over environment.

June 7 - THE DIRT

Concern: Ames Shovel Shops might be demolished.

June 7 - The Boston Globe

Notwithstanding a $24.3 billion state budget deficit, CA is well-positioned to receive at least 10% of the Recovery Act funding for high speed rail, says Biden. Two corridors in southern and northern CA have been identified for funding.

June 7 - Los Angeles Times Blog

Chicago's historic landmarks ordinance is being challenged in the courts and is expected to be ruled unconstitutional. Blair Kamin discusses the impact the rule change could have on historic preservation in Chicago and beyond.

June 7 - Chicago Tribune

John DeCicco, senior fellow for automotive strategies at the Environmental Defense Fund, and author of the Green Book--a rating system for the environmental impact of cars--talks about the regulatory reforms necessary for the car industry.

June 6 - VerdeXchange News