The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The CA Attorney General wants cities to take their housing obligations seriously - so much so that he has joined a 2006 lawsuit against the Alameda County suburb of Pleasanton over a 'housing cap' of 29,000 units approved by its voters in 1996.

July 6 - CBS Broadcasting

The 96th Street Station of the New York Subway is a bustling, noisy place. Artists and MTA staff are hoping a sound installation of nature sounds will calm the urban scene.

July 6 - The New York Times

The Federal Department of Transportation has sent a request to borrow $20 billion from the Treasury to compensate for shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund.

July 6 - CQ Politics

<em>The New York Times Magazine</em> profiles Will Allen, the urban farmer from Wisconsin who recently received the MacArthur Foundation's "genius" grant for his work in agriculture.

July 6 - The New York Times

This piece from <em>Grist</em> looks at the use and abuse of the sustainability buzzword "LEED".

July 6 - Grist

Environmentalists in Berkeley and Oakland are realizing that the inner-city development they protested in the past is actually more eco-friendly than the alternative.

July 6 - East Bay Express

FEATURE

Our nation's roads must be greener, says David Wenzel of HNTB. A green road is one that is designed, built and maintained in a manner that protects and enhances the environment, lessens the impact on its surroundings, and encourages mass transit.

July 6 - David Wenzel

Winners have been announced in an open competition to design what could become a permanent, sea-based, autonomous living facility.

July 6 - Bustler

The Los Angeles Times has created an interactive game where you can make the hard choices in where to cut the State's expenditures.

July 5 - The Los Angeles Times

A controversial effort to develop a modern art museum in San Francisco's Presidio has come to an end.

July 5 - San Francisco Chronicle

As Houston considers extending its urban boundaries, planners and locals struggle with the proper techniques for ensuring good development without zoning.

July 5 - Houston Chronicle

A new study from UC Irvine in Los Angeles concludes that women who live within 1.9 miles of a major roadway increase their risk of premature birth by 128%.

July 5 - Treehugger

High speed rail advocates in Chicago have released a study that says building a 220-m.p.h. train between Chicago and St. Louis is an achievable goal.

July 5 - Chicago Tribune

Steve Mouzon explains how to think about cities and towns as living species, and how that perspective should guide the practice of planners and architects.

July 4 - Living Urbanism

Terrapin Run LLC proposed a 4,300 home development in Allegheny County. Local officials decided that the project was not in keeping with environmental or smart growth objectives for the area, and the developer answered with a lawsuit.

July 4 - Baltimore Sun

A new study by market research firm Synovate says that when given the choice between a "green" car or a "dream" car, 6 out of 10 people choose green.

July 4 - Vancouver Sun

The population is falling -- the population of U.S. troops stationed in Baghdad, that is.

July 4 - The New York Times

Gov. Deval Patrick of Mass. has released a draft zoning plan to regulate the waters off the state's coast, particularly around Cape Cod and Cape Ann.

July 4 - Gloucester Daily Times

As a power struggle between legislators in New York drags on, statutes in the state are expiring, leaving many cities with procedural headaches and tied hands.

July 3 - The New York Times

With the Census Bureau still without a Director and the 2010 Census looming, the count is facing a new threat in the form of right-wing conspiracy theories.

July 3 - The Progress Report