The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Despite a 2002 General Plan update aimed at curbing sprawl in the Central California city of Fresno, repeated zoning amendments have allowed hundreds of developments to push the city's edge farther out into the fringe.

September 29 - Fresno Bee

Prague is building on prosperity and tourism by creating new public-private spaces for shopping and entertainment. Detractors are concerned that they are destroying real public space, and are paired with greater control on unwanted users.

September 29 - The Prague Post

BP's chief scientist provides his insight into solving the energy and climate crises, including the affect of higher gas prices and separating transportation from the heat and power sectors when dealing with strategies to reduce carbon emissions.

September 29 - Technology Review (MIT)

Thousands of Americans who have lost their homes in the foreclosure crisis may find themselves ineligible to vote in November.

September 29 - The New York Times

The developer of a nine block mega-project may pursue casino gambling as an added component to what promises to transform a derelict portion of downtown Miami.

September 29 - The Miami Herald

The Minneapolis-St. Paul region is spreading further south, according to a recent study, which shows that projected growth will require more than 50,000 new homes and millions of square feet of retail and office space.

September 29 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

If we can bail out the investment industry, we should be able to bail out our failing infrastructure, according to this column from Neal Peirce.

September 29 - Citiwire

The military presence in Afghanistan is expanding at a rapid pace, creating a military sprawl.

September 29 - The National Post

For the past year, a Washington state legislator has been devising a plan for replacing Seattle's damaged inner-city freeway, the Alaskan Way Viaduct. His plan has mainly been a secret -- until now.

September 29 - Crosscut

FEATURE

September 29 - Prakash M. Apte

Once a week, car-flooded streets convert into bike- and pedestrian-flooded public parks in crowded Mexico City.

September 29 - Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

<p> In thousands of planning and zoning laws across the nation, official announcements are required to be published in the local newspaper of &quot;<strong>general circulation</strong>.&quot; In an era of newspaper decline and expanding diversity of media, are these laws becoming obsolete? Furthermore, should we be concerned with newspapers at all if a newer, more universally accessible medium is available: the Internet? </p> <p> A variety of announcements are legally required to be published in a local periodical of &quot;general circulation,&quot; sometimes in addition to being published in an official government gazette. The practice entered the planning world through the U.S. Department of Commerce&#39;s highly influential <a href="http://www.planning.org/growingsmart/enablingacts.htm">standard zoning and planning enabling acts</a>.

September 28 - Robert Goodspeed

Alex Steffen of WorldChanging observes the growing divide in innovation between urban and rural America.

September 28 - WorldChanging

BLOG POST

<div> </div> <div> I&#39;ve always wanted, but never quite had the cred, to go to Burning Man. Instead, I went to this year&#39;s rendition of <a href="http://www.parkingday.org/" target="_blank">National Park(ing) Day</a> in the hopes that it would provide a reasonable, if diminuative, substitute in temporary parks across the country. Creative minds can do a lot with 180 square feet, especially when there are straight-laced passers-by to shock and paradigms to subvert. <br /> </div>

September 28 - Josh Stephens

This column from the <em>Globe and Mail</em> expresses some common frustrations with a slow-moving regional transportation plan.

September 28 - Globe and Mail

Will Allen began Growing Power, an urban farming non-profit, in an ailing Milwaukee neighborhood in 1993. He has since spread the gospel of urban farming throughout the world, and earned a MacArthur Genius grant for his efforts.

September 28 - New York Times

Midvale used to be the heart of Utah's mining industry. After an economic slump, downtown Midvale has come back thanks to small businesses and a new influx of immigrants.

September 28 - The Salt Lake Tribune

The California legislature has approved a "complete streets" bill to help make city streets more accessible and livable. The bill is awaiting approval from the governor.

September 28 - Daily News

Greenwich, Connecticut is a rich enclave of hedge fund managers- and thus is feeling the pain of the current financial crisis like a ton of bricks. Ned Lamont, a Greenwich resident who ran for Senate in 2006, says, 'This is our Katrina.'

September 27 - The Wall St. Journal

Elvira's Cakes is a home business that outgrew the kitchen and settled into Kansas City's ailing downtown. The city is looking to small business people like Elvira to breathe new life into Kansas City's struggling districts.

September 27 - The Kansas City Star