The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New York City Bus Tracking System Delayed

A long-help plan to install GPS-ready bus tracking equipment to New York City buses has been pushed off indefinitely.

February 3 - NY1 News

Red Light Cameras Rigged

Following similar discoveries of fraud in the U.S., the Italian government has uncovered a scheme to increase local revenues by artificially shortening yellow lights.

February 3 - BBC News

Branded Spaces Spreading

"Branded cities" -- new heavily-sponsored real estate developments with a mix of live- work- and retail-space -- are gaining popularity among developers and spreading around the country.

February 3 - Media Week

With No Jobs, China's Rural Exodus Retracting

More than 20 million Chinese who had migrated to cities for work have been forced to return to the rural countryside as urban jobs dry up.

February 3 - Guardian

Google Earth Goes into the Deep Blue

New updates to the online visualization program Google Earth add oceans to the image-based virtual version of the planet.

February 3 - The New York Times


Bikes in the World Today

This three-part series from the <em>BBC</em> looks at bicycles in the modern world -- from Paris to Uganda to India.

February 3 - BBC

Vehicle Retirement Program Considered For Stimulus

A program known as ‘cash for clunkers’ is being considered for inclusion in the Senate stimulus package to make the U.S. auto fleet more fuel-efficient and stimulate demand for new, cleaner cars. Will the older vehicles will be scrapped or resold?

February 2 - Bloomberg News


City Buys Homes For Homeless

The city of Dallas is committing to purchase homes for hundreds of homeless residents, rather than building shelters.

February 2 - Dallas Morning News

Camouflaging Infrastructure

Artist Joshua Callaghan paints over utility boxes in his community to make them disappear into their surroundings.

February 2 - Joshua Callaghan

Houston Plaza Faces Re-Redesign

Jones Plaza in Central Houston was redesigned in 2001 to accommodate large concerts and events, but locals objected to the lack of green space. So planners are going back to the drawing board.

February 2 - The Houston Chronicle

Google Earth First!

Environmental activists and other organizations are using Google Earth to document environmental damage and to promote their various causes.

February 2 - Conscious Choice

BLOG POST

All Hail Paterson (and other overlooked mid-size cities)

<p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana">Paterson</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana">?<span>  </span>Yeah <a href="http://www.patersonhistory.com/">Paterson</a>, the City 13 miles to the west of NYC.<span>  </span>Birthplace of American industry, the “Silk City” founded by Alexander Hamilton and designed by Washington DC’s master planner Pierre Charles L’Enfant.<span>  </span>Besides textiles, Paterson was home to the first repeating revolver, first submarine and the Rogers Locomotive Works that, at one time, manufactured 80% of the Country’s locomotives.<span>  </span>Paterson is also home to the second largest waterfall in the northern hemisphere (Niagra Falls taking top honors of course) and a collection of foreign born residents so lar

February 2 - Scott Page

Toronto Considers Fast-Tracking Downtown Subway

The city of Toronto is considering a plan to fast-track the construction of a new downtown subway line.

February 2 - The National Post

A Major Step Toward An Ambitious Energy Goal

The City of Austin is set to take in a record amount of solar power to advance towards a goal of deriving 30% of local energy from renewable sources by 2020.

February 2 - Austin American-Statesman

History Tested Foreclosure Mitigation: Accessory Apartments

Accessory apartments benefit society and the economy, and it's time for tax credits to promote them, according to this oped from Patrick H. Hare and George W. Liebmann.

February 2 - The Baltimore Sun

Budget Extortion: Environmental Rollbacks Required

Republicans are using the budgetary process to roll-back environmental protections, claim environmentalists in California. The state is due to run out of funds in Feb and issue I.O.U.s unless the $18 billion gap is filled for the current fiscal year

February 2 - The Sacramento Bee

FEATURE

Towards 'Dynamic' Zoning

Don Elliott, author of <em>A Better Way to Zone,</em> argues that dynamic zoning regulations can help cities grow appropriately and avoid bottlenecks to good development.

February 2 - Don Elliott

Recession Hits Homeless Shelters

The recession is leading to a surge in demand for homeless shelters and services -- but also a dramatic drop-off in normal sources of funding.

February 2 - MSNBC

BLOG POST

Plugging into Planning: Baltimore and New Orleans

<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal">I am enjoying the last day of my Independent Activities Period (IAP) – the period after winter break in which all students at MIT can take one of many non-credit or for-credit course offerings at MIT, set up a winter externship, or just do nothing.<span>  This amounts to six weeks of bliss!

February 1 - Tamika Camille Gauvin

Open Source for Planners

Mark Gorton, creator of Limewire started developing his GeoServer software in 1999. Recently Portland adopted the software to plan bus routes. Gorton wants to foster a new revolution in participatory planning.

February 1 - Wired Blogs

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