The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Tax incentives of nearly $10 million have been approved for hotel and condo development on one of Georgia's struggling state parks, but some worry that providing tax breaks leaves little or no money left for park maintenance and improvements.</p>

July 26 - The Atlanta Jounral-Constitution

<p>The Treasure Valley metro area, centered around Boise, Idaho, is the latest region to explore the ideal of rail transit, with officials looking to Salt Lake City as a model.</p>

July 26 - The Boise Weekly

<p>Metro Atlanta ranks highly in many "best places" lists. But there's one ranking the region is not proud of -- it has the second least healthy commute in the nation.</p>

July 26 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

<p>As the popularity of condos and lofts in industrial areas rises amongst both developers and buyers, cities such as Chicago, L.A., and New York are taking steps to protect their historic industrial zones.</p>

July 26 - Architectural Record

<p>This article takes a look at redevelopment plans for the Los Angeles River, the San Francisco Transbay Center, and San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island.</p>

July 25 - Architectural Record

Congress and the Interior Department investigate whether the Bush administration undermined federal protections.

July 25 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>Transportation planners and city officials are trying to find innovative ways to build a subway system in Amsterdam, a soggy city in a country that is mostly below sea-level.</p>

July 25 - Associated Press via Oakland Tribune

<p>An enormous fire in Edmonton that destroyed a condo development under construction and damaged more than 70 nearby duplexes has resulted in calls to upgrade Canada's building codes.</p>

July 25 - The Globe and Mail

<p>The City of Newark, New Jersey misused its power to condemn 14 acres for a private development, rules a New Jersey judge.</p>

July 25 - The New York Times

<p>Preservationists have successfully moved over one hundred homes out of the path of the city's downtown redevelopment.</p>

July 25 - The Arizona Republic

<p>A new high density residential project adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border is pioneering the market for high-end condo living in the traditionally sprawling metropolis of Tijuana.</p>

July 25 - San Diego Union Tribune

<p>Public land is being used to solicit proposals from developers to build five new carbon neutral towns.</p>

July 25 - The Times Online

AARP's annual list of great places to retire focuses on urban areas with amenities that allow seniors to maintain independence -- mixed-use housing, transit, walkable streets.

July 25 - AARP

<p>To help encourage development around downtown and increase the supply of affordable housing, planning officials in L.A. want to relax the rules governing the sizes of housing units. Critics argue that the plan will lead to the creation of tenements.</p>

July 25 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>When other activist tactics failed, a couple fighting to keep out a monster garbage dump turned to architects.</p>

July 24 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Boston officials hope to recreate parts of the city in the popular virtual world "Second Life".</p>

July 24 - The Boston Globe

<p>The online scholarly journal Theory &amp; Event has published a symposium of articles dealing with "urbicide" -- the intersections between "urban violence and violent urbanism."</p>

July 24 - Theory & Event

<p>Lauded city official and smart growth champion Rick Cole argues that California can't reach 'green' goals without changing its car culture.</p>

July 24 - The Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

<p>Should Segways be allowed on sidewalks? Should all bicycles travel only in designated bike lanes? Should motorized scooters be treated as if they are wheelchairs? Where should rollerblades, skateboards, adult tricycles, bikes with trailers or kick scooters travel? The world of personal mobility is expanding. And so is the pressure in favor of alternatives to the grandaddy of personal mobility -- the automobile. In spite of its importance as image-maker and status-definer, a car is just a method for getting a person from Point A to Point B. Moving people -- that’s its basic purpose.<br />

July 24 - Barbara Knecht

<p>Thanks to unbeknownst peace-making by NYC Mayor Bloomberg between the Democratic governor and the Republican Senate Majority leader, his congestion pricing plan has been salvaged with a new deadline for legislative approval set for March 31, 2008.</p>

July 24 - Associated Press via Newsday