The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A new paper evaluates claims that highway capacity expansion is a cost effective and desirable solution to urban traffic congestion problems.

September 14 - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

With several plans for new transit lines developing simultaneously, local officials and politicians are trying to balance the region's enormous need with the fiscal realities in Washington.

September 14 - The Los Angeles Times

Stockholders in JCDecaux, the world's largest street furniture company, are smiling after the company announced higher profits due to growing demand for advertisements in airports and transit stops.

September 14 - Christian Madera

The race to paint the ivory tower "green" is underway, with colleges and universities hoping to attract students to new eco-conscious campuses.

September 14 - Grist

Governments concerned about sound urban planning need to pay more attention to the role played by anchor public institutions, such as public libraries, in invigorating local economies, writes urban strategist and former Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray.

September 14 - The Toronto Star

Blue-collar Michigan workers leave the land of the sagging auto industry to work in Wyoming's energy boom.

September 14 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<img src="http://www.planetizen.com/tech/files/20060913cstrampolineclass.jpg" alt="Anhinga Island" align="right" /> I've just about finished researching and writing an article about the implications for planning in a virtual environment called <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a>. <br /> <br /> If you're one of the 578,672 people worldwide who participate in the virtual world called Second Life, you are empowered. You use the game's virtual environment to interact with others, design buildings, develop communities, or even construct your own island, complete with an economy, design guidelines, and many of the same issues and problems that come with a real community.

September 14 - Chris Steins

The ingredients for a lively music scene aren’t just talent and recording studios, but an urban venue of great streets and neighborhoods where artists can interact and draw inspiration.

September 14 - Terrain.org

This editorial asks why farmers in centuries passed could plan ahead for Botswana's rainy season, but rains cause chaos for the country as administrators can't seem to plan an effective infrastructure system to handle the downpour.

September 14 - AllAfrica.com

Alabama residents voted down a proposition to create a zoning and planning district in the community of Fowl River over fears that the appointed 7-member board would have too much power to shape the town.

September 14 - Mobile Press-Register

This summer's biking statistics show a 15% increase in biking in Sweden's capital city.

September 13 - Dagens Nyheter (Swedish)

Architect Margaret Helfand, reporting from the 10th annual Venice Architecture Biennale, describes the exhibition as a "call to arms" in a "life or death" struggle to ensure humanity's survival in a rapidly urbanizing world.

September 13 - ArchNews Now

The Center for Land Use Interpretation's Land Use Database is a repository of information about unusual and exemplary sites throughout the United States.

September 13 - MetropolisMag.com

Developers and planners working on plans for Midtown are coming up against the city's own car-friendly regulations as they envision a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban village in the center of Houston.

September 13 - The Houston Chronicle

According to a recent study in the online journal PLoS Medicine, longevity varies by ethnicity and location.

September 13 - Richmond Times-Dispatch

New York City officials release a public health report on bicycle safety and announce a major expansion of New York City's bicycle network.

September 13 - Streetsblog

Terrain.org offers a case study of Austin's new six block Second Street District.

September 13 - Terrain.org

A week after its glowing profile in the New York Times, Atlanta's Beltline project could now be in jeopardy as a suburban developer threatens to sell his critical piece of the proposed transit corridor.

September 13 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Interactive multimedia presentations review the design and progress of rebuilding at Ground Zero and Flight 93 and Pentagon memorials.

September 13 - USA Today

Global warming and rising sea levels are posing a threat to the livelihood of Southern Spain's bustling beach resorts. Some resort owners are already bringing in their own sand to counteract the receding beach space.

September 13 - The Guardian Unlimited