The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

From Memories to Master Plans

Maine mill town asks citizens to record their memories at downtown "Heart Spots" as part of the master planning process.

October 18 - The Journal Tribune

Let's Try Cap-and-Trade on Babies

Not having babies is, arguably, the most effective way of limiting one's carbon footprint. Experts discuss ways to approach this touchy subject.

October 17 - Miller-McCune

Teens on Planning Commissions? No More, Says Michigan

Michigan's one-year experiment in giving local mayors and township supervisors the option to appoint someone less than 18 years-of-age to a planning commission appears to be coming to an abrupt end.

October 17 - Building Place Notebook

From Foreclosure to Green TOD in Phoenix

Foreclosed homes in Phoenix are a new goldmine for one developer, who is buying up land near the city's mass transit lines and marketing properties as transit oriented development.

October 17 - NPR

Clearing 30,000 Cars From Vancouver's Streets

When it hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics next year, Vancouver will need to clear more than 30,000 vehicles off its roads everyday to avoid total gridlock. Doing so will require much cooperation from locals.

October 17 - The Globe and Mail


42nd Street Light Rail?

Vision 42 has proposed closing NYC's 42nd Street to car traffic and adding light rail along its length. The Mayor isn't interested, but lots of others are.

October 17 - The New York Times

Friday Funny: ADA FAIL

The Wheelchair Foundation has some work to do to become ADA-compliant.

October 16 - FAILblog


The End of Free Parking in Santa Monica

Santa Monica, CA is making the move to market-based parking in order to reduce congestion, reduce pollution, and make alternatives more appealing.

October 16 - Los Angeles Times

Atlanta To Map Itself

A group of 200 volunteers with GPS devices will walk the streets of Atlanta this weekend to create a community-owned map of the city and its intricate details.

October 16 - BBC

Chicago & Rio's Green Ambitions

This article reviews the lengths Rio and Chicago went to show the Olympic Committee their green ambitions. Hint: both planted trees.

October 16 - Fast Company

Is Bright Right or Blight?

A proposal to create a new outdoor advertising district in San Francisco has some locals anticipating a retail revival, while others dread the possible billboard blight.

October 16 - San Francisco Chronicle

Some New Yorkers Can't See the Forest for the Trees

MillionTreesNYC says they're on track to reach their goal by 2017. Trees provide shade and allay problems of air pollution. They've planted hundreds of thousands of trees already... and received some complaints.

October 16 - Los Angeles Times

LaHood to Detroit: Don't Worry About High-Speed Rail

Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club recently, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed high-speed rail, Detroit's bus crisis, and the economic future of the area.

October 16 - Crain's Detroit Business

CA Cities Switching to LED Lighting

Following the success of programs in L.A. and San Francisco, more cities in California are making the switch to LED lights to save on energy costs and provide more sustainable street lighting.

October 16 - SF Streetsblog

5,000 New Acres of Parks

U.S. cities added 5,000 new acres of parkland over the past year, according to a new study by the Trust for Public Land.

October 16 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Uncertainty Over Dubai's New Metro System

With barely a third of its metro stations in operation, there is some doubt over whether Dubai's metro will be a success.

October 16 - The Christian Science Monitor

Bloomberg's Housing Plan Gains, Loses

Despite the NYC Mayor's progress in preserving or creating affordable housing, overall the city has seen net losses.

October 15 - The New York Times

CEQA Waived for Stadium

The California State Senate has approved a bill that grants a proposed stadium project in the City of Industry an exemption from the CEQA process.

October 15 - Pasadena Star-News

Reduce Oil Dependence, Pay the Saudis

While other nations work to fight climate change and cut oil consumption, Saudi Arabia thinks they should be guaranteed compensation for the fall in revenue.

October 15 - The New York Times

To Save Water, Developers Ditch Lawns

Developers of Sterling Ranch, a proposed master-planned community in Colorado, want its future residents to curb their water use. One way they're ensuring this is by nixing traditional, lush lawns from their plans.

October 15 - The Wall Street Journal

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