The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Chile's 8.5 earthquake resulted in a significantly lower death toll than the recent quake in Haiti. Partly it was the location of the epicenter, but strict building codes played a part as well.

March 2 - The Infrastructurist

"If we don't do it, you know this whole city is going to go down," said the Mayor. A new study by the mayor's staff shows that roughly one in three parcels are vacant lots or abandoned homes.

March 2 - The Detroit News

Recent transit-oriented developments in Maryland have mixed success. Demographics are on their side, but lack of parking and fierce competition make retail a significant challenge.

March 1 - The Washington Post

Palo Alto is where Silicon Valley started, yet locals eagerly pick up the Daily Post, the Daily News, as well as read PaloAlto-Online. The New York Times investigates why print media flourishes here while regional and national papers struggle.

March 1 - The New York Times - U.S.

In an unprecedented move, L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has placed a business owner under arrest for posting an illegal "supergraphic" billboard.

March 1 - The Los Angeles Times

Between official encouragement, revived art institutes and "guerrilla" artists, Detroit is becoming a magnet for artists as it seeks creative ways to revitalize.

March 1 - The Globe and Mail

A group of development agencies came together to undertake a historic-preservation and community-development effort in Cairo's Al-Darb al-Ahmar community. The project was such a success that they're still working, by invitation, restoring the area.

March 1 - Metropolis Magazine

Federal money is making high-speed rail possible, but state governments are unsure if they can afford to maintain and operate the systems once they are in place.

March 1 - Stateline.org

The single largest source of air pollution in Southern California are the Ports of LA and Long Beach. Environmentalists, environmental justice advocates, and Teamsters are working together to replace offending diesel drayage trucks.

March 1 - The New York Times - Business

Desalinization is a costly process because of the massive electricity needed to make it work. A Canadian startup believes it can cut that cost by 80% with a thermo-ionic process.

March 1 - The Los Angeles Times

A number of hotels across the country have found that having a resident ghost is good for the bottom line, attracting tourists and thrillseekers.

March 1 - USA Today

A small manufacturer of wind turbines in Colorado Springs, Colorado is ramping up to become the city's first renewable-energy company, specializing in small wind systems for urban homes.

March 1 - The Gazette (Colorado Springs)

The Olympics have ended in Vancouver, but their costs live on.

February 28 - The New York Times

Nicola Twilley and Sarah Rich are launching a project called Foodprint NYC with the goal of creating a comprehensive vision for a food policy for New York. Urban Omnibus has this interview.

February 28 - Urban Omnibus

Much of the land use plan is focused on what will not be used -- areas set aside as urban preserves.

February 28 - The Oregonian

The City of Seattle is looking to revive some of its often forgotten and neglected urban spaces: alleys.

February 28 - The Seattle Times

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant is coming up in the world but is managing to preserve its African-American culture throughout.

February 28 - The New York Times

A new survey conducted by HNTB Corporation says that nearly nine in ten Americans are currently open to high-speed rail travel for long-distance travel within the United States.

February 27 - HNTB Newsroom

<em>The New York Times</em> reviews a new book by Joel Kotkin about the role of immigration and minority populations in America.

February 27 - The New York Times

Port-au-Prince is not an outlier. Many other major cities in developing and poor countries lie along earthquake fault lines and are in danger of destruction.

February 27 - The New York Times