The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Governor Linda Lingle is proposing that the state bring the state's elevated rail project down to the ground to save costs, considering Hawai'i's budget problems.

January 17 - The Honolulu Advertiser

Steven Mouzon reflects on the huge investment a roadside reference like a Waffle House must make in infrastructure versus the relatively low expense for an inner-city restaurant.

January 17 - The Original Green Blog

Inhabitat reports on a Bulgarian designer who has a vision of a bicycle lane suspended in the air, taking bicyclists out of the line of traffic and onto a very precarious-looking track.

January 17 - Inhabitat

Cities along the British coast are being warned that sea level rise over the next 100 years will have significant destructive effects. Officials are being cautioned to consider city-altering plans that shift populations away from endangered areas.

January 16 - Guardian

Basra and Mosul are Iraq's second- and third-largest cities. In this post, Iraqi journalists talk about the two cities, their evolving public realms and the security issues they face.

January 16 - The New York Times

Economist Edward L. Glaeser takes a look at how the housing bubble has affected changing populations in the Sun Belt.

January 16 - The New York Times

<em>Metropolis</em> presents a slideshow of photographs by artist Christoph Gielen, who photographs suburban developments from a helicopter.

January 16 - Metropolis

Dallas is putting its hopes on architecture and art to spur the city's cultural development.

January 16 - The Texas Observer

Planner Sam Gennawey applies the Urban-to-Rural Transect concept to Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland.

January 15 - SamLand's Disney Adventures

Petaluma, California, made headlines last year when it got rid of its planning department. <em>The Architect's Newspaper</em> takes a look at how the city is adapting to contract-based planning through hired consultants.

January 15 - The Architect's Newspaper

<em>AskMen.com</em> has released a list of the world's top ten bike-friendly cities. Portland, Oregon is the one U.S. city to make the list.

January 15 - AskMen

A new report from the Health Effect Institute concludes that there is a strong correlation between exposure to traffic and heart ailments.

January 15 - The New York Times

First proposed in 1993, a higher peak toll may finally be applied to the Bay Bridge: $6 would be charged 5-10am and 3-7pm, while $4 charged off-peak. Weekends will see a $5 toll, the same as the other state-owned regional bridges if approved 1/27.

January 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> Every so often, one sees an article arguing that one mode of transportation is cheaper, more efficient, or less dangerous than another because it uses less energy/kills more people/costs more per passenger-mile. (1) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> It seems to me, however, that per passenger-mile comparisions are flawed in one key respect: they assume that trips on any mode of transportation will involve the same mileage, so that if the average driver lives 20 miles from work, the average bus rider will also live 20 miles from work.<span> </span> </p>

January 15 - Michael Lewyn

Detroit can come back using the model of European countries that downsized and densified, restructured their industries and created incubators for innovation, say Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley of Brookings.

January 15 - The New Republic

Caitlin Flanagan, writing in The Atlantic magazine, believes that the "edible schoolyard" movement is a waste of time that would be better spent having kids learn from books.

January 15 - Atlantic Magazine

In a world increasing concerned with reducing global warming, people and nations are embracing trains as an alternative to cars and planes because of their reduced carbon footprint. However, cost and time remain critical factors for travelers.

January 15 - CNN - Eco Solutions

By utilizing rental data Netflix makes freely available, the New York Times has published a Google Maps mashup illustrating the most popular rental titles in each zip code.

January 15 - New York Times

Officials in Hawaii have unveiled a strategic plan for removing garbage and debris from the ocean near the Hawaiian Archipelago.

January 15 - The Honolulu Advertiser

In its bid to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022, the United States has narrowed its list of possible host cities down to 18. Notably missing are San Francisco and Chicago.

January 14 - Marketwatch