The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Cyclists are much more likely to use bike lanes when they're available -- even if it means going out of their way and taking longer routes, according to a recent study from Portland State University.

October 17 - Nate Berg

As construction begins on two large dams in the Amazon, thousands of indigenous people grapple with the prospect of the coming flood and the loss of their land, while environmentalists continue to oppose the construction.

October 17 - The Washington Post

As election day approaches in Honolulu, the Hawaiian capital's mayoral race has centered around transit. The incumbent has been pushing light rail, but now the challenger has unveiled a cheaper bus rapid transit system.

October 16 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Canadians went to the polls yesterday and re-elected Stephen Harper's Conservative Party -- which downplayed environmental issues -- while rejecting the "Green Shift" carbon tax plan of the Liberal Party.

October 16 - Globe and Mail

New Orleans homeowners have begun receiving letters from the Army Corps of Engineers demanding that they remove objects that obstruct nearby levees' rights of way, including fences and trees. If history repeats itself, this may get messy.

October 16 - The Times-Picayune

Witold Rybzynski details the vicious cycle behind the nation's shortage of affordable housing.

October 16 - The Wilson Quarterly

Canada's wide open spaces and clean cities are misleading: its arable land could fit in Montana and most of its dirty manufacturing has moved to Asia. A more accurate economic model is required to account for Canadians' ecological footprint.

October 16 - The Walrus

BLOG POST

<p> The answer is: “Because people today would rather not work and instead just sit at home collecting welfare checks.” </p> <p> And the question? If you guessed, “What should you <em>not</em> say in a room full of city planning students?”, congratulations! You win. We would have also accepted, “FDR began a ton of new federal programs during the New Deal. As long as we have a $700 billion financial bailout, what programs would you enact or not enact as part of a New Deal today?” Thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts for you. </p>

October 16 - Jeffrey Barg

Washington, D.C. is almost out of space, and planners are now considering building upward to combat sprawl.

October 16 - The Seattle Times

The Conservative Party may have won Canada's federal election yesterday, but did so without much support from major cities. With few urban MPs in the Conservative cabinet, how will the incoming parliament deal with issues facing cities?

October 16 - The Globe and Mail

In a contest sponsored by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, architecture firms nationwide competed to show off how they would best use land currently devoted to strip malls. <i>Bustler</i> provides the winning entries.

October 16 - Bustler

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced that within the next five years, $5 billion will go to funding 20,000 new affordable homes near public transportation.

October 16 - The Architect's Newspaper

MBTA is spending almost $200 million for 75 new rail cars from a South Korean company that has yet to sell its cars in the U.S., so rail experts have expressed doubts about the wisdom of this purchase for the troubled Boston T.

October 16 - The Boston Globe

Tonight's presidential debate is the candidates' last chance to address respective suburban and urban issues.

October 15 - The New York Times

Commercial real estate developers go into detail on the impact of the financial crisis on their ability to make projects happen.

October 15 - Mlive.com

Raised and fortified homes in Beachtown, a community in Galveston, Texas, took a direct hit from Hurricane Ike, and survived, intact.

October 15 - New Urban News

To keep its gaming rights which will in turn preserve its property value, The Queen of Hearts casino must open for eight hours every two years.

October 15 - Los Angeles Times

Paradoxically, Chicago's roads are more gridlocked than ever despite fewer trips by car overall due to gas prices.

October 15 - Chicago Tribune

FEATURE

How is the financial crisis impacting urban planning and land use policy? Managing Editor Tim Halbur takes a look at some early indicators drawn from recent news headlines and conversations with planning professionals.

October 15 - Tim Halbur

The authors of one study assert that vibrant cities can't be engineered by the application of "nuanced criteria"; however, this has very much become the paradigm of urban planning.

October 15 - Toronto Star