The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Aerial trams are an effective, if idiosyncratic, mode of transportation. Reconnecting America's Jeff Wood reflects on how and when to explore this dramatic transit option.</p>

June 12 - Reconnecting America

<p>How transportation, density, discretionary income, and limited land-use regulation combine to maximize opportunity zones for upward social and economic mobility.</p>

June 12 - The Houston Chronicle

<p>Metro Atlanta ranked as the second costliest area to live in the U.S. for working families after the region's sky-high transportation costs were considered along with housing costs.</p>

June 12 - Alex Pearlstein

BLOG POST

<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial">Having sat through a Transportation Task Force committee meeting recently where a representative of local government requested funds to enable the completion of a particular road project, I had to chuckle – folks had been asking for the final funds for that road for several years and, several times, various community leaders had touted the resolution of the funding problem with “full speed ahead” declarations.<span>  </span>While not quite as embarrassing as the President Bush’s now dated declaration of “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq, it was gaining the same notoriety locally.<span>  </span>The actual construction was less than half completed and years away from being finished.<span>  </span>Several levels of government ha

June 12 - Steven Polzin

<p>While the federal government resists taking action on climate change, municipalities are implementing their own plans and guidelines to reduce energy consumption and the production of greenhouse gases.</p>

June 12 - The Washington Post

BLOG POST

<p>For the last couple of years I have been tracking decision support tools that bring audio into the planning process. At our <a href="http://www.communitymatters.org" title="CommunityMatters">PLACE<strong>MATTERS</strong>06</a> conference, Harris Miller Miller &amp; Hanson Inc. (<a href="http://www.hmmh.com" title="hmmh">HMMH</a>) demonstrated their suite of acoustical environmental tools for planning, including a simple online <a href="http://www.hmmh.com/soundscape_02sbuilder.html" title="soundbuilder">soundbuilder</a> enabling visitors to create  different mixes with several sound overlays. <br />

June 11 - Ken Snyder

BLOG POST

<p>It is now about 22 months since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. I was recently in New Orleans for the first time and had plenty to see. The city is still very much in a state of devastation. But there has also been a lot of progress.<br /><br />In this post, I&#39;d like to share some pictures I took when I was there and some facts and figures I&#39;ve come across that help illustrate the current situation in the city.</p>

June 11 - Nate Berg

<p>The Kyoto Protocol is a "mess" but a free market approach could help fix its weaknesses.</p>

June 11 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Using a technique typically used by advocates, California's Attorney General is trying to use lawsuits to persuade local governments to curb sprawl and prevent global warming.</p>

June 11 - USA Today

<p>Critics warn $11 billion hydroelectric dam project could cause environmental damage while supporters point to economic and infrastructure benefits.</p>

June 11 - The New York Times

<p>With significant oil reserves in its rainforests and rampant poverty, Ecuador has a dilemma. The country's president is asking the international community to compensate the country for its plans to protect the rainforest by not drilling for the oil.</p>

June 11 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>In preparation for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing and other Chinese cities have taken measures to clean up their "urban villages", demolishing homes and displacing thousands of poor migrants, which has resulted in the creation of many slums.</p>

June 11 - The Economist

<p>A California State Supreme Court ruling has given cities and counties broad authority of what type of retail developments can move into their municipalities, and where they can be located. Under the ruling, cities will be able to ban big box stores.</p>

June 11 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>With more and more grandparent raising their grandchildren nationally, developers are responding to the demand for housing that can accommodate both age groups and provide the specialized services each needs.</p>

June 11 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Though it is a National Historic Landmark, the Garden District of New Orleans never had official local historic recognition, leaving the city powerless to prevent demolition or renovation of historic buildings. Recently, the city gained that power.</p>

June 11 - The Times Picayune

FEATURE

Stormwater mitigation rules are supposed to help protect the environment, but the current regulations also end up encouraging sprawl over urban redevelopment.

June 11 - Lisa Nisenson

<p>Over 20,000 people descended on San Antonio to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects -- whose conference focused on how sustainable design is changing the way buildings are located, designed and constructed.</p>

June 11 - Multi Family Housing News

<p>The city is working hard to increase density, but with Angelenos firmly attached to their cars and the region's transit moving at a snail's pace, can smart growth really work in L.A.?</p>

June 11 - LA Weekly

<p>Plans call for redeveloping the north parking lot of the Seattle Seahawks stadium into a new mixed-use development that will add 400 housing units to the historic district and better link the neighborhood with adjoining areas.</p>

June 10 - The Seattle Times

<p>Instead of getting cities to issue more speeding tickets, what if cars automatically sensed the posted speed limit and prevented motorists from driving too fast?</p>

June 10 - BusinessWeek