The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Neighborhood Carbon Challenge

A neighborhood in Corvallis, Oregon, is the pilot site of a neighborhood-wide "carbon challenge" in which residents try to reduce their carbon footprint.

August 1 - Corvallis Gazette-Times

Mapping Kenya's Largest Slum

A new project has created a digital map of Kibera, a large slum outside Nairobi, Kenya.

August 1 - Design Observer

Seattle Could Ban New Houseboats

The city has hundreds of houseboats on its waterways, but new shoreline regulations could prohibit any new houseboats.

August 1 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Happy Magic Watercube Waterpark

That's the name of the new project being built in the Beijing Watercube, one of the city's highlight architectural creations built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

August 1 - Contract

High Speed Rail for Wisconsin, Like it or Not

Despite what either of the state's two Republican gubernatorial candidates want, high speed rail is on its way to Wisconsin, according to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

August 1 - BizTimes


Variable Pricing Parking Meters Unveiled in San Francisco

San Francisco has begun a two-year test of variably-priced parking meters in an effort to see how pricing affects driving and parking decisions in parts of the city.

July 31 - San Francisco Chronicle

New Jersey's Forests Disappearing

A new study shows that the amount of urban development in New Jersey now outnumbers the state's forest acreage.

July 31 - New Jersey Star-Ledger


Cairo Facing Possible Future of American-Style Suburban Sprawl

Real estate investment is expected to rise sharply in the greater Cairo region. Some fear this will bring about American-style suburban sprawl.

July 31 - Global Real Estate Monitor

Small-Town Seafood Shack Creates Big Traffic Problem

A popular seafood shack in small-town Maine is causing huge traffic problems. Officials are considering a $100 million solution.

July 31 - The New York Times

Towns Across The Country Let Their Paved Roads Return To Nature

"When counties had lots of money, they paved a lot of the roads and tried to make life easier for the people who lived out here," said Stutsman County Highway Superintendent Mike Zimmerman, "Now, it's catching up to them."

July 31 - Wall Street Journal

Liveability Loses Out

The House of Representatives voted on the 2011 appropriations bill for Transportation and Housing and Urban Development yesterday, stripping $200 million from liveability initiatives that the Obama administration wanted.

July 30 - Streetsblog

Solar Power Gains Cost Advantage Over Nuclear

Diana Powers reports that the cost of solar photovoltaic panels has declined "to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month."

July 30 - New York Times

Bike Sharing Rolls Out in Chicago

The Chicago Tribune interviews Josh Squire, the entrepreneur responsible for Chicago's bike sharing pilot program.

July 30 - Chicago Tribune

One Town That Celebrates Its Oil Spill

Taft, California was built on oil money, and saw its famous unstoppable oil gusher (still the largest spill in American history) as a boon rather than a disaster. Locals worry this year's centennial celebration may be overshadowed by the BP spill.

July 30 - The Wall St. Journal

Camouflaged Public Art

Culver City, California has put together a map illustrating the locations of all the public art pieces around the town, including Joshua Callaghan's "Almost Invisible Boxes" - utility boxes painted to disappear into the scenery.

July 30 - LAist

Successful Debut Of Congestion Pricing On Bay Bridge

July 1 marked the $2 premium, commuter toll on the Bay Bridge, as well as new first-time charges for car pools on all Bay Bridges, and increased tolls ($5) on seven state-owned bridges. Congestion on Bay Bridge reduced by half during morning peak.

July 30 - ABC News via KGO-TV

The Double O's Were the Hottest Years on Record

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Report published on Wednesday found that the last decade has been the hottest on record, and clearly points to the conclusion that our planet is warming.

July 30 - The New York Times

Miami Approves 50-story Electronic Signs

The Miami City Commission has controversially approved a pair of 50-story electronic signs to be built atop a parking garage next to the City's Arsht Performing Arts Center.

July 30 - Miami Herald

'Next Exit for Transportation's Future' is Generally Banal

The latest planning exhibition at the Center for Architecture has a "certain 1970s openness, a live-and-let-live philosophy, a crunchy impression enhanced by the bicycles hanging in the Center’s double-height display window," says Alexandra Lange.

July 30 - The Architect's Newspaper

Better Transportation Options to Relieve Inequality in Latin America

Safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable public transport options could be integral in addressing inequality in Latin America.

July 30 - TheCityFix

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