The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<em>Grist</em> takes a look at the Olympic city of Vancouver, and lists some of its greenest attributes, and some of its less-than-green downfalls.

February 12 - Grist

BLOG POST

<p>I recently posted an open-ended question on facebook to my <em>friends</em> about Governor Palin, asking for their views. It was remarkable how condescending many of those views turned out to be, just as Gerard Alexander noted in his excellent February 4 Washington Post editorial. </p><p>Herewith are my thoughts on the tea party thing - whatever it is - and how it relates to the challenges faced by the New Urbanists and advocates for Smart Growth....</p>

February 12 - Charles Buki

An op-ed by Los Angeles County Supervisor criticizes the Grade Crossing Policy employed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the recent approval of a light rail extension.

February 12 - The Planning Report

One of London's major soccer teams is floating plans to rebuild its stadium. But with its location in one of the city's most impoverished sections, many say the new plan doesn't do enough for its neighborhood.

February 12 - London Evening Standard

The developers that purchased L.A.'s Century Plaza Hotel, a swooping mid-century building, planned to raze it and start over. Preservationists fought back, and a new plan has been announced to preserve a significant section of it.

February 11 - Los Angeles Times

Pedestrianized area's in Manhattan's Herald Square and Times Square will remain permanently closed to auto traffic.

February 11 - Crain's New York Business

After 30 years of government studies of a regional transportation system, an influential private-sector group is set to unveil its own plan that includes commuter rail and even toll lanes added to local interstate highways.

February 11 - Indianapolis Business Journal

Houston Mayor Annise Parker is considering a big shake-up of the city's public transportation, including the option of transitioning to a fare-free system.

February 11 - The Houston Chronicle

With water in increasing demand and unsustainable land use patterns threatening supplies, a new report claims that nearly 40% of the earth's surface is arid and in danger of desertification.

February 11 - Science Daily

This post from IBM's <em>A Smarter Planet</em> blog looks at how advanced monitoring techniques and analytics are helping to improve the management of sewage and wastewater in cities like Sacramento and Dubuque.

February 11 - A Smarter Planet

The winner of the SHIFTboston Ideas Competition is a proposal to turn the unused Tremont Street Subway tunnel under Boston Common into a network of underground cultural venues.

February 11 - Metropolis Magazine

The Obama administration has cancelled two Federal programs - Save America's Treasures and Preserve America - that were responsible for the restoration of nearly 900 historic structures over the past 10 years.

February 11 - Treehugger

Huffington Post offers a slide show of finalists in the 2010 Michelin Challenge to come up with the electric cars of the future. The radical designs include unicycles, rolling spheres and designs based on flying fish.

February 11 - Huffington Post

This piece from <em>Urban Re:Vision Magazine</em> looks at a variety of water reuse and stormwater capture projects in cities across the U.S.

February 11 - Urban Re:Vision

FEATURE

February 11 - Tim Halbur

With Congress mired in the health care debate, legislation critical to rebuilding communities, such as ACES and the reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Bill, languish. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) details the political climate in D.C.

February 10 - The Planning Report

The CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority details the feast or famine of transportation planning in Southern California in 2010: budgets are being slashed while a new sales tax and federal stimulus go online.

February 10 - The Planning Report

A local Council in Scotland is considering convening a Citizens Panel to consider the next round of difficult cuts to local budgets. This opinion piece debates whether public involvement is a value-added, or if it just slows down decisionmaking.

February 10 - The Inverness Courier

BLOG POST

<p class="ecxMsoNormal"> A decade or so ago, after reading some of Jane Jacobs’ work, I became aware of the distinction between mixed-use and single-use neighborhoods.<span>  </span>In those days, I imagined that in a well-functioning urban neighborhood, every non-polluting use would be mixed together, and the lion of housing would lay down with the lamb of commerce. </p>

February 10 - Michael Lewyn

<em>The Tyee</em> talks with former Vancouver Mayor and British Columbia Premier Mike Harcourt, who argues that the investment to host the 2010 Winter Olympics are worthwhile.

February 10 - The Tyee