The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A new report from the Urban Institute examines the hidden life of urban parks in creating stronger neighborhoods.

July 8 - Urban Institute

In a historic agreement, home builders from Mexico and the U.S. team up to provide more quality affordable housing.

July 8 - National Association of Home Builders

Patrick M. Condon presents a fascinating report about the differences between planning, the growth of sprawl, and transportation investment in Canadian vs. US cities.

July 8 - Funder's Network For Smart Growth And Livable Comm

A 6-acre housing development in the Twin Cities suburb of Mahtomedi exemplifies the battle being waged over the metro area's last pockets of open space.

July 8 - Star Tribune

State efforts to generate revenue from tribal casinos is often at odds with local impacts.

July 8 - The Los Angeles Times

The drab construction material has a bright future, literally. An exhibit in Washington highlights the next wave in walls: translucent concrete.

July 8 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Despite locals' doubts, Mayor Hahn has given a go-ahead to a development ban for the former California Water War battleground.

July 8 - The Los Angeles Times

In what Al Norman calls 'the Wal-Mart Paradox,' many shoppers hate no company more, but can't resist "Everyday Low Prices."

July 8 - The Baltimore Sun

The U.S. could provide energy efficient cars for all travel by low-income transit riders for less than the cost of transit subsidies.

July 8 - Heartland Institute

What is a food desert, and what does it have to do with Wal-Mart?

July 7 - MaineToday.com

Columnist Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune shows a snapshot of Cabrini-Green as it undergoes its "transformation." She writes that in the end, its success depends on the people. The first of a series on Cabrini-Green.

July 7 - The Chicago Tribune

The median price of a California home is nearing 1/2 million dollars.

July 7 - Builder Magazine

SUVs and other gas guzzlers would pay tax, while enviro-friendly cars would get rebates.

July 7 - The Guardian Unlimited

Struggling to halt the planned demolition of the 108-year-old Century Building, St. Louis preservationists find themselves up against an unexpected adversary---the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

July 7 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Atlanta Journal Constitution plans to chronicle the birth of the small community of Pendergrass as it grows from a rural railroad crossing to a bustling Atlanta suburb.

July 7 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Joel Kotkin argues that culture and tourism alone cannot not save cities.

July 7 - The Los Angeles Times

Two LA Times reporters race from Los Angeles to San Francisco. One drives, the other takes a plane.

July 7 - The Los Angeles Times

New York State DOT has begun to build roundabouts throughout the State to improve road safety, but the public is not yet convinced.

July 7 - Times Union

A populist petition puts the "FasTracks" plan to construct six new rail lines in the Denver region on the November ballot.

July 7 - The Denver Post

BLOG POST

Via <a href="http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/003430.html">SmartMobs</a>, an interesting piece of forthcoming software called <a href="http://www.civicspacelabs.org/">CivicSpace</a>. According to the site, it's based on DeanSpace, one of the pieces of social networking software that the Dean for President campaign used as an organizing tool. Salient bits from the description:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>CivicSpace is being built with the needs of distributed organizations in mind. It will give you and the supporters within your community a solid framework for organizing and engaging those around you in action. But it also will allow you to plug your community into a network of other communities where you can share your ideas, knowledge, relationships, and organizational information.</blockquote>

July 6 - Anonymous