The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

<p> Last week, voters in San Francisco voted against a measure to compel the city to set aside $30 million for affordable housing. Opponents of the proposal argued that &quot;the city already has spent more than $200 million on affordable housing in the past several years, and is building more units - some affordable, some not - than anytime in recent history.&quot; (1) San Francisco is not alone; government at all levels seeks to provide housing assistance for the poor.  </p> <p> But at the same time, government zones and rezones property to protect &quot;property values&quot; (2) - in other words, to cause home prices to increase over time rather than decrease. So government makes housing expensive with one arm while trying to provide affordable housing with the other. </p>

November 6 - Michael Lewyn

As part of a series in <em>Harper's</em> on how to save capitalism, James K. Galbraith argues that America can fix many of its economic troubles with better planning -- urban planning, infrastructure planning, and financial planning.

November 6 - Harper's

Los Angeles County voters narrowly approved Measure R, a half-cent sales tax measure, by 67.4% (2/3 was necessary) to fund rail and road projects, including the Subway to the Sea. The victory is seen as a huge coup for LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

November 6 - Los Angeles Times

On Monday, Gothamist revealed the winners of a contest to redesign the traffic-clogged intersection of 4th Avenue and 9th Street in Brooklyn.

November 6 - Gothamist.com

The American Society of Landscape Architects has released a study revealing that while most adults practice energy-efficient strategies at home, they are considerably less green in their yards and lawns.

November 6 - Land Online

Measure B would have allotted $30 million to lower-income residents who currently can't afford to live in San Francisco.

November 6 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Some residents living too close to wind turbines are feeling the negative effects of the noise they produce: nausea, headaches, and vertigo, to name a few.

November 6 - USA Today

It's time for Seattle to take a few chances with its architecture, according to the author of this article.

November 6 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Erie Canal has been long forgotten as a passage for transportation, but the affordability of shipping goods by canal barge is making it a more attarctive option than doing so by trucking.

November 6 - The New York Times

Editorial: Long Island is one of the nation's most affluent suburbs. With very high housing values and located by NYC, it would be not expected to be hit hard by the subprime crisis. But it has - and its roots lie in its racially segregated past.

November 6 - The New York Times

The manufacturing town of Zaragoza, Spain is beginning to feel the crunch of the global economic slowdown, as a General Motors plant goes on a temporary hiatus.

November 6 - The New York Times

Stadium construction in New York that was intended to have only a small cost to taxpayers has turned out to be a major investment and allocation of tax breaks, causing many to question whether the economic benefits of rebuilding will ever be seen.

November 6 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> The United States has been reborn.<span> </span>The election of Barack Obama has put – or reintroduced – the United States to the world stage as a beacon of hope for all people.<span> </span>We have proven that we believe and embody the ideals of equality and equal opportunity and that these ideals are the right of every citizen and not just a few.<span> </span>More importantly, this election is a ray of hope for our nation.<span> </span>We advanced the fight against racism to elect the first black president of the United States.<span> </span>Barack Obama’s election also gives hope to Americans as we witness and feel the stinging affects of the economic and housing crises, the energy crisis and two wars. </p>

November 5 - Tamika Camille Gauvin

The fourth attempt proved a charm as Marin and Sonoma county voters narrowly passed a 1/4 cent sales tax measure to build and run a diesel light rail train through both counties along with an adjacent bike path. The tax measure needed 2/3 to pass.

November 5 - Marin Independent Journal

Voters in Honolulu have approved a 20-mile light rail system for the Hawaiian city -- the largest public works project in the state's history.

November 5 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

The Wedge -- a well-known bodysurfing spot in Newport Beach made famous in the 1966 surf film "The Endless Summer" -- is becoming a part of local history, thanks to a group of bodysurfing preservationists.

November 5 - Los Angeles Times

A sales tax plan to fund light rail in Kansas City has failed.

November 5 - The Kansas City Star

A $10 billion high speed rail bond is winning with 52.2% voting 'Yes' with 95% of the precincts reporting. This would be the first state bond measure supporting high speed rail to be supported by voters in U.S., though it only funds 1/3 of costs.

November 5 - San Francisco Chronicle

Thanks to the ambitious clean-up efforts of a few residents, a neglected, unofficial park on city land is now maintained daily and is on its way to being a greenway.

November 5 - The New York Times

Draper, UT will soon be seeing new transit-oriented development, where there will be no building height restrictions or population caps.

November 5 - Deseret News