The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Is there an inherent bias in the geographic and racial-ethnic patterns of Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) boards?

January 24 - The Brookings Institution

Conservative leader Stephen Harper, who will become Canada's new prime minister has promised to opt out of the Kyoto treaty.

January 24 - Calgary Sun

This second annual survey by Demographia rates and compares the affordability of the one hundred major urban property markets in the six nations covered.

January 24 - Demographia

Has the time come for this smaller, automated, electric transit service, the cousin of the Detroit People Mover?

January 24 - Detroit Metro Times

According to one advocate, a doctrine individuals can practice in all walks of life, making a tangible difference in promoting sustainability at a local level.

January 24 - The Austin Chronicle

Illegal conversion of single room occupancy ('efficiency') apartments in NYC threaten one of the few remaining sources of private, affordable housing in the City. Housing advocates attempt to stem the tide, but it's rough going.

January 24 - The New York Times

While L.A. searched for a new planning director to help implement Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's vision of a new L.A., one based on smart growth and higher densities, longtime area planner Mark Winogrond did more than keep the seat warm as City Planning director.

January 24 - The Planning Report

Strategists take note as Virginia's new governor tackles sprawl.

January 24 - Elm Street Writers Group

A citizens' group, angered over the Supreme Court's recent controversial eminent domain decision, is seeking to use the new law to evict Supreme Court Justice David Souter from his own home.

January 24 - Common Dreams

Local police departments are increasingly relying on federally-funded surveillance camera networks to pick up where local citizens and underfunded police left off -- keeping their 'eyes on the street'.

January 23 - The Washington Post

"The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment", commissioned by the UN and released January 19, spelled out a grim future for humanity and the earth -- but it also showed how this future can be avoided.

January 23 - The Los Angeles Times

Successful litigation by a Sierra Club chapter in California's Central Valley results in $17.5 million to purchase conservation easements in San Joaquin County, as well as the establishment of a farmland preservation fee in the City of Stockton.

January 23 - The Stockton Record

Peter Calthorpe and Andres Duany are among those involved in shaping the rebuilding efforts after hurricane Katrina.

January 23 - Associated Press

To arrest the trend of historic tear-downs with incompatable 'mega-mansions' built in their place, the City of Atlanta has placed a temporary halt to the practice.

January 23 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Philadelphia's University City neighborhood is seeing existing housing stock moving full circle; having gone from single family to multi-apartment student rentals, it's being reborn as quality family housing.

January 23 - The Daily Pennsylvanian

Neal Peirce argues that despite negative reports in the press, the Katrina rebuilding process is shaping up to be a superlative planning effort, a unique opportunity to rid New Orleans of corruption and involve more citizens.

January 23 - National Academy of Public Administration

Hank Dittmar, Director of the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, a nonprofit organization founded by Sir Charles, The Prince of Wales, discusses the balance of tradition and innovation in urban design.

January 23 - David Gest

Meier, Piano, Calatrava, oh my! A host of starchitects have descended on Hotlanta, spicing up downtown's skyline.

January 23 - Creative Loafing Atlanta

Philadelphia's Civic Coalition on Slots hopes not, seeking to force future casinos in the neighborhood to pay for millions of dollars worth of community improvements.

January 23 - Philadelphia Weekly

Former chiefs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- five Republicans and one Democrat -- criticise the Bush administration's response to global warming.

January 22 - The Guardian Unlimited