The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Desalinization is a costly process because of the massive electricity needed to make it work. A Canadian startup believes it can cut that cost by 80% with a thermo-ionic process.

March 1 - The Los Angeles Times

A number of hotels across the country have found that having a resident ghost is good for the bottom line, attracting tourists and thrillseekers.

March 1 - USA Today

A small manufacturer of wind turbines in Colorado Springs, Colorado is ramping up to become the city's first renewable-energy company, specializing in small wind systems for urban homes.

March 1 - The Gazette (Colorado Springs)

The Olympics have ended in Vancouver, but their costs live on.

February 28 - The New York Times

Nicola Twilley and Sarah Rich are launching a project called Foodprint NYC with the goal of creating a comprehensive vision for a food policy for New York. Urban Omnibus has this interview.

February 28 - Urban Omnibus

Much of the land use plan is focused on what will not be used -- areas set aside as urban preserves.

February 28 - The Oregonian

The City of Seattle is looking to revive some of its often forgotten and neglected urban spaces: alleys.

February 28 - The Seattle Times

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant is coming up in the world but is managing to preserve its African-American culture throughout.

February 28 - The New York Times

A new survey conducted by HNTB Corporation says that nearly nine in ten Americans are currently open to high-speed rail travel for long-distance travel within the United States.

February 27 - HNTB Newsroom

<em>The New York Times</em> reviews a new book by Joel Kotkin about the role of immigration and minority populations in America.

February 27 - The New York Times

Port-au-Prince is not an outlier. Many other major cities in developing and poor countries lie along earthquake fault lines and are in danger of destruction.

February 27 - The New York Times

When people talk about cable cars, they picture San Francisco's quaint trolleys. But cable-propelled transit (CPT) is a viable transportation option in the 21st century, argues Steven Dale.

February 27 - New Geography

The new urban design review board once again deems that a publicly backed project doesn't do enough to encourage activity on the street and sends the Downtown Improvement District back to the drawing board.

February 27 - Omaha World Herald

The backlash against red-light cameras provide a cautionary tale for those who want to cut costs and raise revenue through technology.

February 26 - Wall Street Journal

Planning policies that produce cheap, abundant parking are fundamentally at odds with efforts to promote transit, biking, and walking. A new report from ITDP shows how some cities have started to align parking policies with sustainable transport.

February 26 - Streetsblog

Long commute + High Fuel Costs = Home Losses in Exurbs.

February 26 - Marketplace

Andres Duany has designed a prefab house specifically for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. 1,000 of them are on their way to the island now.

February 26 - CNU

Streetsfilms launches a new series they're calling "Fixing the Great Mistake.”

February 26 - Streetsblog

This post from <em>GOOD</em> looks at a bill from California state senator Alan Lowenthal that seeks to incentivize cities into reforming their parking rules.

February 26 - Good

After more than two years of declines in American driving patterns, the amount of driving seems to be on the rise.

February 26 - USA Today