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Senate Draws An Awkward MAP

<span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000" class="Apple-style-span"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; background-color: #ffffff"><p class="MsoNormal">Remember the legislation that, in 1965, affirmed universal suffrage in all elections?<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Yes, you do.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>It was called the National Voting Rights Act.</p>

April 18 - Josh Stephens

Nobody Walks in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates has plenty of tall, flashy buildlings, but the rush to build has largely left street life scarce in many parts.

April 18 - The National (Abu Dhabi)

Top Ten Sustainable Architecture Projects

The American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Enviroment has named its selections for the best examples of last year of sustainable architecture and green design.

April 17 - ArchiCentral

Transit, or Schools?

Atlanta school leaders consider renegotiating a Tax Allocation District (TAD) agreement that was set up to help fund projects such as the Beltline, a 22-mile loop of transit, trails, parks and development around the city.

April 17 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Can Dubai Survive?

Beneath the shiny allure of Dubai lies a litany of human rights and environmental abuses so severe that collapse cannot be far away, writes Johann Hari.

April 17 - AlterNet


Stadium to Nowhere

Kansas City has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a new indoor arena with the hopes of luring a pro basketball or hockey team. But a year and a half after opening, nobody's biting.

April 17 - The Atlantic

Luxury Replaces Local Goods and Services in Malibu

As a new luxury retail center replaces a decades-old hardware store in upscale Malibu, California, many worry about the troubled future facing local businesses and services.

April 17 - Los Angeles Times


Census Officials Concerned as Group Urges Migrant Boycott

As a bargaining chip to encourage federal immigration reform, a religious group is calling on undocumented migrant workers to boycott the upcoming U.S. Census. Officials say such a boycott could hurt many cities.

April 17 - USA Today

Green Roofs May Be Mandated in Toronto

Toronto City Council is planning to vote on a measure that would require green roofs on most buildings over 54,000 square feet, which would make it the first North American city to require green roofs. Developers are opposing the move.

April 17 - The New York Times

Un-Developing Abandoned Housing Developments

A stalled and abandoned development along the Florida coast is being scouted by the Trust for Public Land as a possible site for "un-development" -- a return to its natural state as open space.

April 17 - Los Angeles Times

Portion Control for the Road

In this blog post, Tom Vanderbilt connects the dots between road size ("portions") and driving behavior ("consumption").

April 17 - How We Drive

Ahead of Itself and Undeveloped

A Washington, D.C. entertainment district was meant to follow the construction of a baseball stadium, but, for now, the area is victim to overly ambitious plans to develop as quickly as possible.

April 17 - The Washington Post

BLOG POST

The APA needs a Sustainability Division

<p> Many planners and even American Planning Association (APA) members are unaware that the APA has special member bodies called <a href="http://planning.org/divisions/index.htm">Divisions</a>. These are essentially issue-focused member committees within APA that contribute to policymaking, develop conference sessions, publish newsletters, and generally act as focal points for like-minded APA members. </p>

April 16 - Daniel Lerch

Obama Trumpets High-Speed Rail

Quoting Daniel Burnham, Obama announced that America should "make no little plans" as he affirmed his administration's commitment to building high-speed rail across the nation. Ten corridors were highlighted.

April 16 - Washington Post

Funds Promised to Ease Water Troubles

The state's water supply is in trouble, and its beat-up water system can't hold up much longer. On Wednesday the federal government has promised to step in and help California rebuild its water system.

April 16 - San Francisco Chronicle

An Unsustainable Industry's Call to Planners

Australian transport official Nick Dimonpoulos has called on better land use and long-term planning to avoid flooding and temperature extremes brought on climate change caused by land transportation-related emissions.

April 16 - Transport & Logistics News

Urban Gardening and Quality of Life

According to this article, community gardens can reinvent struggling neighborhoods by causing its residents to "band together."

April 16 - Chicago Tribune

Walkability Around Schools Dwindling

As more parents drive their kids to school, areas around campuses have become increasingly dangerous for pedestrians. Narrow sidewalks and too-few crosswalks are partly to blame.

April 16 - The New York Times

Shanghai "Swaggers" Into the Future

With the unfettered ability to zone, plan and fund construction projects, the government of Shanghai is turning the city into what looks like "one immense architectural competition."

April 16 - The Globe and Mail

Largest Real Estate Bust In History

General Growth Properties, the 2nd largest mall operator in the nation, declared bankruptcy this morning. The company was felled by mounting debt from short-term mortgages it used to expand its holdings.

April 16 - The New York Times

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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.