The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Passenger rail is on the minds of voters and politicians more than ever. Some say the next train era is on its way.

November 5 - San Francisco Chronicle

Interest in houses made from shipping containers has been rising in Hawaii, where these inexpensive homes' designs can range from studios to multistory apartments.

November 5 - The Honolulu Adviser

Quirky, artistic bike racks are cropping up in cities around the country--a trend that benefits more than just cyclists.

November 5 - USA Today

The security border fence designed to combat illegal immigration into the U.S. is raising concerns over its impact on habitats and wildlife.

November 5 - OneWorld.net

FEATURE

The balloons have fallen, and the yard signs have been yanked up. The people have chosen, and in a historic win, Senator Barack Obama will soon be our next president. Now the hopes and promises of the campaign must harden into reality. Managing Editor Tim Halbur summarize what we can expect from an Obama presidency in regards to urban issues.

November 5 - Tim Halbur

One architecture critic addresses two skyscraper-related conundrums: Decorative lighting that tops the buildings are energy inefficient, and they are dangerous to migrating birds.

November 4 - Chicago Tribune

Artist Edgar Arceneaux is the man behind the Watts Towers Project, a collaboration of international artists to make the poverty-stricken neighborhood facing on the famed folk art structure into works of art in their own right.

November 4 - Los Angeles Times

The James Bond films have featured some of the most memorable built environments in all of cinema. Too bad Bond invariably blows them up.

November 4 - Guardian (UK)

Democratic insiders have mapped out the possible face of an Obama presidential cabinet. Shortlisted for Secretary of Transportation are Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar.

November 4 - Politico

A grassy median in a tony Santa Monica neighborhood has been a hotspot for local fitness buffs looking for a nice place to workout for years. But residents tired of the constant outdoor gym that invades their street are complaining to the city.

November 4 - Los Angeles Times

This piece from the <em>Pittsburgh Tribune-Review</em> looks at the rising amount of wildlife being seen in urban Pittsburgh. According to local experts, this trend has both good and bad implications.

November 4 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Democrats are in cities and Republicans are in rural areas, according to the results of recent elections. But with two metropolitan candidates in this year's election and an increasingly urbanized populace, that split may become obsolete.

November 4 - Citiwire

By planting in under-utilized backyards, farmer Trevor Paque has brought small-scale farming to more than 50 homes across San Francisco -- a decentralized farm expected to feed more than 150 families come spring.

November 4 - USA Today

Sixty years after twenty people died from air pollution spewing from a steel and zinc mill in Donora, PA (just outside Pittsburgh) in perhaps the worst air quality tragedy in the U.S., a museum has opened to commemorate and learn from the tragedy.

November 4 - The New York Times

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors recently approved a package of green building ordinances that may be the most comprehensive and far reaching green building legislation at the local level in the country.

November 4 - The Planning Report

Entrepreneurs do better in smaller cities than larger ones, according to a new study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

November 3 - Financial Post

With rising energy prices, lights are dimming in New York City. Legislation in the state seeks to reduce the city's glow even more.

November 3 - The New York Times

In a privately-owned plaza designed by Mies van der Rohe in Toronto, owners have sliced into benches to dissuade skateboarding. Some call it an affront to the legendary designer's work.

November 3 - The Globe and Mail

David Brooks is dismayed at all the failed 'stimulus packages' and those yet to come. Instead, he points to short and long term infrastructure plans, mostly in transportation, that will help the country in addition to any stimulus to the economy.

November 3 - The New York Times

A federal judge has put the kibosh on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to require taxi companies to use mostly hybrid vehicles by 2012.

November 3 - New York Times