The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Planning Institute of Australia released a report that predicts a grim future for Australia's suburbs, unless the government moves to radically overhaul its transport and urban policies.

February 15 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Regional water issues are of major concern in many parts of the world. The Chicago area is especially sensitive to water. New efforts are underway there to help preserve a threatened resource.

February 15 - Citiwire

Areas once thought to be virtually immune to the downturn in the housing market are starting to see signs of decline.

February 14 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p> Urban planning is an inherently knowledge-intensive activity. Even the most prosaic zoning change or development proposal can generate reams of memos, transcripts, minutes and notes. Planners routinely manage statistical and geographic data for research and analysis. In fact, this material proves so voluminous there is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Planners-Use-Information-Hemalata-Dandekar/dp/1884829724/ref=tmm_pap_title_0">even a book</a> on how planners can collect, manage, and share information effectively. </p> <p> A comment I heard recently reminded me how often these systems can go awry. After calling a government agency to track down information about a program, my wife was told &quot;the person who knows about it&quot; wasn&#39;t in so she would have to call back. Is this common situation inevitable? The field of knowledge management argues it can be avoided through deliberate organizational strategies. Without them, individual employees hoard critical information and managers fear the impact of retirements or departures. For the disorganized organization, hiring new employees can also require a lengthy orientation process. When it comes to government organizations, these problems are not merely about organizational inefficiency. Disorganization can result in costly mistakes, legal trouble, and effect the ability for the public to access information in a timely way. </p> <p>

February 14 - Robert Goodspeed

The award show, held at London's Building Centre, highlights social media use in the built environment, according to Joe Peach of This Big City.

February 14 - thisbigcity.net

Elisa Wood says that Obama's recently introduced initiative will spur innovation among high-tech companies, as well as the usual architects, builders, and energy-efficiency companies.

February 14 - RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Using the example of the failed regeneration of Green Bay's downtown led by Victor Gruen, Della Rucker argues that disregarding input from the public can have devastating repercussions.

February 14 - New Geography

Communities in the slums of India are well known for "making do". A new exhibit looks at how that spirit of innovation and adaptation plays out in these cities and how other cities can learn from them.

February 14 - The Architect's Newspaper

FEATURE

What, as a society, do we share? Natural resources? Internet access? Public space? Jay Walljasper and the nonprofit On the Commons cross political boundaries to advocate for the common good and all that we share.

February 14 - Tim Halbur

Mega-cities of 10 million people or more are getting a lot of attention these days. But smaller big cities are really where interesting and potentially hazardous growth patterns are occurring, according to this piece.

February 14 - Citiwire

Newcastle, Australia's downtown business district lacked street life and was littered with empty buildings. A "Renew Newcastle" campaign brought new life and new residents. PPS talks with the man behind the plan.

February 14 - Project For Public Spaces

It started with the popular desire to dissolve what some consider to be the cause of the 2008 melt-down - Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and has spread to rethinking the tax write-off of home ownership - a clearly unpopular notion for many.

February 14 - The New York Times - Business Day

The 1970s were the heyday of the environmental movement; the 1980s and 90s ushered in the era of sustainability. Today, the cities movement reigns supreme, according to Linda Baker.

February 14 - PortlandUrbanista

Three public plazas in the center of Philadelphia are set to see much-needed makeovers, and soon.

February 14 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A Charleston environmental group has suggested an alternative to a proposed expansion of Interstate 526 which solves the congestion problem with refinements to local streets and costs half the price.

February 14 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

BLOG POST

<p> My sense is that most new urbanists and smart growth advocates were happy to see Barack Obama elected President two years ago.  While John McCain opposed Amtrak and had not been overly supportive of local public transit, Obama created an Administration full of advocates for transit and urbanism, and high-speed rail is one of his Administration&#39;s signature programs.  So the Obama Administration will slow sprawl, and will make our cities more transit-oriented, prosperous and walkable.   Right?  </p>

February 13 - Michael Lewyn

A new report from NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy reveals that the parking minimums required for new developments are a significant part of why housing in New York is so expensive.

February 13 - Streetsblog

"Intelligent cities" is picking up steam as the new buzzword in planning and a potentially game-changing way of using data to drive decisions. But we need to be sure we don't lose the human intelligence in planning.

February 13 - Next American City

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is promoting a number of green initiatives for the city, including new guidelines for the raising of chickens and honeybees in urban areas. The City Council approved the guidelines last week.

February 13 - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

President Obama's six-year, $53 billion high speed rail funding proposal must overcome stiff opposition of a skeptical Republican congress, particularly by House Transportation Chair John Mica who referenced swindler Bernie Madoff in his response.

February 13 - Orlando Sentinel