The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Study Links Urban Universities To Global Change

In the context of the World Urban Forum, a Canadian columnist says that the "higher education industry" could be the most important industry in the world, and could have a dramatic impact on the relationships between cities worldwide.

June 21 - The Toronto Star

Mortgage Changes Could Lead To More Foreclosures

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) have traditionally been lower than fixed rates, but recent slowing in housing markets has led to an increase in rates and decrease in affordability.

June 21 - MSNBC.com

Miami's Metro Rail Expansion May Be Foiled By Local University

Even with projections that call for a large increase in students, faculty, and therefore congestion, officials at Florida International University are rejecting the Miami-Dade Transit Authority's best laid plans for alleviating traffic.

June 21 - The Miami Herald

Northwest Cities Become Whiter

In downtown Seattle and Portland, white gentrification leads to black flight to the suburbs.

June 21 - The Washington Post

Florida Enacts Workforce Housing Innovation Program

The affordable housing crisis in Florida, arising from the state's booming real estate market, has pushed moderate income residents out of the housing market. Florida's legislature passed a bill in 2006 to create new programs addressing the problem.

June 21 - Sun-Sentinel


Older, Close-In Suburbs Could Make Difference In Mid-Term Elections

The midterm elections to take control of the House may hinge on "close-in" suburbs, once seen as strictly the domain of Republicans. These older suburbs may now give the Democrats a slight advantage due to changing demographics.

June 21 - The New York Times

'Murky' Supreme Court Decision Limits Clean Water Act

Major environmental decision by the U.S. Supreme Court could limit the federal government's protection of wetlands.

June 20 - The San Francisco Chronicle


2006 State of the Nation's Housing Identifies Cities With Highest Home Prices

Affordability problems are escalating even as the housing market cools, according to a new report published by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. House prices will continue to appreciate in 2006.

June 20 - Harvard University

The Most Livable Cities For Non-Drivers

A new guide to the best cities to live in without driving.

June 20 - Auto-Free Livable Cities Guide

All Aboard the Atlantic City Casino Express

Long considered second rate versions of Las Vegas, Atlantic City casinos are looking to cash in on the high rollers from New York City by developing a direct train link to the Big Apple.

June 20 - Associated Press

Portrait Of Lee Koppelman, 'Long Island's Planner'

A portrait of the career of Lee Koppelman, chief of Suffolk County's planning department and executive director of the Long Island Regional Planning Board.

June 20 - Newsday

Oil Drilling Runoff Slides Past Regulation

Water runoff from oil drilling sites will now face far fewer regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency, allowing possibly contaminated dirt and debris to flow directly into streams and wetlands.

June 20 - The Denver Post

Washington Metropolitan Area Jobs Projected To Decentralize

Regional employment forecasts project trends opposing planners' visions, with jobs spiraling outward from the city to the suburbs.

June 20 - The Washington Post

Construction Of North American Superhighway May Begin Next Year

Despite serious environmental, immigration, and security concerns, plans for a limited-access superhighway four football fields wide, from Mexico to Canada, which would incorporate pipelines but bypass U.S. ports altogether, are nearing completion.

June 20 - The Scotsman

Building Industry Blames Onerous Regulations For Housing Shortage

In the second of two reports, the California Building Industry Association asserts that "red tape and regulations", primarily the California Environmental Quality Act, prevent builders from meeting housing demand and boosting the state's economy.

June 20 - The Contra Costa Times

Mountain House, A New City, Builds Up

Eventually, 44,000 residents will call Mountain House home. Currently, about 4,000 people live in the much-fretted-over planned development.

June 20 - The Contra Costa Times

Comparing A Manhattan Landmark With L.A.'s Grand Avenue Project

The Frank Gehry-designed Grand Avenue project in downtown Los Angeles looks to a well-known Manhattan urban landmark for inspiration. Will it work?

June 19 - Abhijeet Chavan

The Next Ten U.S. Cities To Become Tech Hubs

With the cost of living so high, Silicon Valley, CA has become a victim of its own success. eWeek weighs in on the debate over which cities have the right ingredients to become the next tech hubs.

June 19 - eWeek

Approaching A Half Century Of The Interstate Highway System

On June 29, the U.S. interstate highway system celebrates its 50-year anniversary. Conceived as a 41, 000 network of fast, intersection-free, transcontinental highways, it has changed the American landscape in far more ways than just transportation.

June 19 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Penn Plans River Revitalization

The university is gearing up to develop a 40-acre plot of land next to the Schuylkill River with green space, housing, retail, and office spaces, with the aim of creating a lively city core, uniting Center City and West Philadelphia.

June 19 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

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