The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Those in the know know that it could be none other than UCLA professor Don Shoup, profiled here in the Los Angeles Times.

October 18 - Los Angeles Times

Stephen Smith questions the reasoning behind this increasingly popular breed of capital project, arguing the real benefits of connectors rarely justify their hefty price tags.

October 18 - Market Urbanism

HUD has awarded $98 million to 45 regions throughout the country in an effort to spur more sustainability planning efforts.

October 18 - Next American City

<em>The Architect's Newspaper</em> brings this cautionary tale of architect's accepting ambitious work projects in China that are too good to be true.

October 18 - The Architect's Newspaper

FEATURE

October 18 - Galina Tachieva

The two ends of the Gotthard Base Tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps are on the verge of connecting, marking a major milestone in the construction of what will be the world's longest transportation tunnel.

October 18 - The New York Times

The demise of a 20-year plan to improve rail linkages between Manhattan and New Jersey is symptomatic of America's $2.2 trillion infrastructure deficit, writes Rupert Cornwell.

October 18 - Independent (UK)

In an op-ed, Andres Duany and Jeff Speck discuss how the effects of sprawl they revealed years ago with the release of their book Suburban Sprawl is today being proven.

October 18 - The Washington Post

16 overgrown acres of land hide a long-unused railroad easement in Muskegee -- so long unused that no one knows who owns it. Muskegee Development wants it.

October 18 - The Muskegee Phoenix

As the economic downturn has caused many states and municipalities to borrow large amounts of money, some worry there may be a glut of them going bankrupt.

October 18 - Governing

A suburb of Tel Aviv is trying to revive itself by becoming an arts destination.

October 18 - Los Angeles Times

In the face of climate change and sea level rise, <em>Popular Science</em> offers four designs for urban lifestyles of the near future.

October 17 - Popular Science

AASHTO is pitching a replacement of the current fed excise fuel taxes with sales taxes - initially revenue neutral, but would increase with inflation, unlike stagnant excise taxes last increased in 1993. In 6 years, might raise an extra $43 billion.

October 17 - The Wall Street Journal - Business

Giant robot "worms" have been tunneling towards each other through opposite sides of the Gottard Massif for years. On Friday, they finally met, completing the 19-mile tunnel.

October 17 - NPR

Dense cities, argues Daniel Garst, are shaped like a pyramid, with the most density in the middle and sloping sides. Beijing, on the other hand, has developed more like a circus tent, with density at the sides but single-story homes in the middle.

October 17 - China Daily

The State of Virginia wants to put up 2/3rds of the cost of a new private railyard in Montgomery County. County officials say it doesn't fit the character of the rural area, and have sued to stop it from being built.

October 17 - The Roanoke Times

Freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Our cities will need to address these shortages with better design, according to author Steven Solomon.

October 16 - Grist

In the last ten years, more than two thirds of poverty growth has happened in suburban areas of American cities. According to Brookings', social services such as transit have failed to keep up in the face of decreasing tax revenue.

October 16 - The Next American City

<em>Next American City</em> talks with urban designer and bicycle planner Mike Lydon about cycling, ciclovias, and open streets.

October 16 - Next American City

The gas tax is becoming an increasingly outdated and unsustainable idea. This piece from <em>Miller McCune</em> looks at the prospect of replacing it with a tax based on vehicle miles traveled.

October 16 - Miller-McCune