The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>L.A.'s regional transit system needs a spine, and the "Subway to the Sea" from downtown to the westside could be that spine. But to make it happen, the city needs to think about a public-private partnership, according to this commentary.</p>

January 6 - The Daily News

<p>A private firm has announced a proposal that would create a free wireless Internet network in the entire city of San Francisco.</p>

January 6 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has vowed to dismantle Seattle's crumbling inner city freeway in 2012, putting extra pressure on transportation planners, local officials and the public to agree a replacement solution.</p>

January 6 - Nate Berg

<p>A $1.7 billion high-rise development proposal that would jut out into the Brisbane River has prompted the protests of many planners and architects in Brisbane, Australia.</p>

January 5 - The Australian

<p>This animation from <em>Good</em> looks at the etymology behind the names of some global capital cities.</p>

January 5 - Good

<p>A visit to Toronto -- Canada's largest city -- reveals what urban life can and should be, writes Olga Bonfiglio.</p>

January 5 - CommonDreams

<p>This article from <em>Progressive Planning</em> discusses the walls that run more than 700 kilometers in Palestine. But as author Gary Fields writes, this barrier is not about security, it's about control.</p>

January 5 - Progressive Planning

<p>San Francisco is in flux - more than just the sky-line is changing. Middle-class families, blacks, even Latinos may be in flight while whites and Asians are on the rise, and the young and old rich fill the new high-rises.</p>

January 5 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p><em>California Planning and Development Report</em>'s Morris Newman looks at the land use issue that caused the break-up of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former TV news reporter Mirthala Salinas.</p>

January 4 - California Planning & Development Report

Many big cities' plans for free citywide Wi-Fi networks fell apart in 2007. But this column from Governing argues that cities should keep broadband Internet access as a priority to remain competitive.

January 4 - Governing

<p>New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is pushing a bill that would offer tax credits of up to $75 million to businesses that locate within a half-mile of a transit station.</p>

January 4 - The Star-Ledger

<p><em>Los Angeles City Beat</em> talks with traffic expert Martin Wachs about congestion pricing and L.A.'s traffic problems.</p>

January 4 - Los Angeles City Beat

<p>In suburban Salt Lake City, Utah, plans are underway to replace an old strip mall with a mixed use, transit oriented development.</p>

January 4 - The Salt Lake Tribune

<p>In this video clip, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown discusses how presidential politics are unduly influenced by rural power, at the expense of the interests of cities.</p>

January 4 - AlterNet

<p>Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters examines both state and Census Bureau growth figures for California, concluding that the significant difference is less important than what the huge growth means for the future of the nation's most populous state.</p>

January 4 - The Sacramento Bee

The team chosen to redesign Toronto's waterfront has plans for updating the area with a better balance of car and foot traffic. Architecture critic Christopher Hume looks at the plans as a model of development the rest of the city should follow.

January 4 - The Toronto Star

<p>John Parr was one of the few people who could get narrow-minded local politicians, neighborhood organizers and business leaders to work together for the regional good. Tragically, Parr died in a highway crash just before Christmas.</p>

January 4 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>In this interview from <em>Land&amp;People</em>, author Richard Louv discusses his research into the importance of interaction with nature in child development, and explains his concept of "nature-deficit disorder".</p>

January 3 - Land&People

<p>TollRoads News reviews the "terminally inept Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff joint venture at the Massachusetts Turnpike's Big Dig project", and examines how the project is improving mobility -- estimated to be worth $168 million per year.</p>

January 3 - TOLLROADSnews

<p>The expansive Beltline transit and parkspace development planned for Atlanta is being hindered by one man's lawsuits over the legality of the funding used to build it.</p>

January 3 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution