The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

What Happens When A Company Town Scales Back Public Services?

The quaint lumber company town of Scotia, California, fears a merger with its slightly larger, but economically-depressed neighbor across the river.

July 12 - The New York Times

Mass Transit Under Attack

Seven bombs exploded on Mumbai's commuter rail system, the lifeline of the world's fifth most populous metro area. These bombings are the lastest in a decade of terrorist attacks on mass transit around the world.

July 12 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Will Tampa Be The Next New Orleans?

A University of South Florida professor predicts that a hurricane with similar intensity as Katrina would cause even greater devastation to Tampa Bay than was experienced by New Orleans in 2005.

July 12 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Planning for Good Health

Sacramento's MPO thinks it's time to re-establish the old link between public health and city planning. But is smart growth really healthier? And whose responsibility is it to build healthy cities anyways?

July 12 - The Next American City

The Younger Crowd Wants Transit

As the country's housing preferences shift from the widely spread to the urban and dense, the prevalence of transit-oriented development planning increases.

July 12 - Smart Growth Online


When Downtown Becomes Too 'Livable'

With residential development booming, Vancouver officials are concerned that the downtown is losing its commercial vitality.

July 12 - Governing

Urban Renewal in Post-Industrial Detroit

As part of a larger, worldwide series, Guardian's architecture critic Dejan Sudjik writes about grand plans for Detroit's turnaround.

July 12 - BBC News


Bruegmann: Urban Myths About Sprawl And Congestion

Robert Bruegmann, author of "Sprawl: A Compact History," writes that traffic congestion is caused not by sprawl but by misconceptions about sprawl.

July 12 - The Los Angeles Times

U.S. Population Goes Coastal

Every day 1,500 new homes rise along the U.S. coastline. National Geographic asks, "Are America's coastlines are in danger of being loved to death?"

July 12 - National Geographic

South Africa To Distribute Industry

The South African government has unveiled a new plan to spread its industrial development -- and the jobs it provides -- to poor regions in the country.

July 12 - Business Day

Planning For Border Zones

Architect Teddy Cruz shares his philosophy on architectural and urban planning solutions for the problems that proliferate in international border zones.

July 12 - Architecture Radio

California's Worst Highways

A Los Angeles Times special report looks at California's crumbling highway system and identifies the state's worst roads.

July 11 - The Los Angeles Times

The Battle Over Sprawl and The Future Of America

Former journalist Anthony Flint discusses his new book, which chronicle of the fledgling smart-growth movement and the challenges it faces. Some see Flint as a moderate voice in the highly-charged debate.

July 11 - Grist Magazine

How To Make Melbourne The Most Livable Again

Architects, artists, urban planners, developers, designers and historians comment on the world's formerly most livable city, why it's lost the title and how to can reclaim it.

July 11 - The Age

Smart Growth Is Also Smart Investment

Current trends indicate that pedestrian- and transit-oriented developments are becoming more and more attractive, especially to younger people. This smart growth is also turning out to be a profitable investment.

July 11 - CNN

Convention Center A Bad Investment For Taxpayer Dollars

Los Angeles' recent decision to provide over $300 million in public assistance for a new convention center hotel complex doesn't help the city or the taxpayer, says Joel Kotkin.

July 11 - The Los Angeles Times

A Scathing Rebuke For LA's Building Department?

The Los Angeles City Controller issues a 235-page audit of the city's Department of Building and Safety. While the report appears to be highly critical, a close reading indicates most problems result from chronic understaffing.

July 11 - Los Angeles Business Journal

The Greening Of The U.S. Building Industry

National Public Radio's Chris Arnold tracks how the green building movement is sweeping the construction industry in the United States.

July 11 - Weekend Edition Sunday, National Public Radio

Can Connecticut Avoid Making "Sprawl" Mistakes?

Two leaders of the smart growth movement, former Maryland Gov. Perris Glendening and former New Jersey Gov. and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, highlight some of the lessons learned from other states.

July 11 - The Hartford Courant

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