The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced that the city will work to redevelop a 6.2 stretch of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, selling large tracts of city-owned land to developers.

May 1 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Clean energy is a major component of the Obama Administration's plans for an upgraded electricity grid. But with variable outputs, clean energy generation from solar and wind will need to be augmented, according to this piece from <em>NPR</em>.

May 1 - NPR

More Chicago area residents are riding transit when compared to figures form 2003, and they're riding more often.

May 1 - Chicago Sun-Times

Despite efforts to clean up Beijing during last year's Olympic Games, pollutant reductions were very minor, according to a new report.

May 1 - ScienceNOW Daily News

In the sixth of a ten-part series, National Public Radio investigates the sustainability of smart grid technology in the places where its likely to be applied.

May 1 - National Public Radio

The $8.5 billion CityCenter casino complex designed for the Las Vegas Strip had been stalled over financial issues between two of the funders, but now an agreement has been reached and the mega project is set to complete on time.

May 1 - Associated Press

The Spanish government is moving forward with plans to build the largest casino and entertainment complex in Europe

May 1 - BBC

Environmental review processes and logistical issues are delaying the creation of a bike sharing program in San Francisco, announced in February by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Set to start with 50 bikes, some have criticized the program for aiming too low.

April 30 - The Contra Costa Times

A new search tool from Google makes it easy to find public information, a move the company hopes will encourage governments to be more transparent with their data.

April 30 - The Washington Post

After Greensburg, Kansas was nearly flattened by a tornado in 2007, rebuilding the town has taken an environmentally conscious road.

April 30 - CNN

David McCullough's <em>Newsweek</em> essay ponders the negative effects of a proposed development on the majestic Brooklyn Bridge's image.

April 30 - Newsweek

Urban planning is falling into obsolescence, according to this piece, but employing old bottom-up techniques that value input from a variety of sources will make it relevant again.

April 30 - re:place Magazine

Now that Los Angeles' Century Plaza Hotel has been listed as one of the nation's most endangered historic places, preservationists argue the irony behind developers' plans to demolish the building to "green" the area.

April 30 - Los Angeles Times

According to architect critic Witold Rybczynski, most iconic architecture never intended to be, and it should stay that way.

April 30 - Finance And Commerce

A senior executive at Navistar, a manufacturer of medium and heavy trucks, says the industry is heading for significant changes, including a shift away from long hauling to regional distribution.

April 30 - Transport Topics Online

Diversity is important to neighborhood commercial areas, but getting the right balance of retail and restaurants without disincentivizing the former is not so simple.

April 30 - Greater Greater Washington

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing the Tehachapi slender salamander as an endangered species, which could cause problems for large developments in California like the massive Tejon Ranch project.

April 30 - The Los Angeles Times

Transport Textbook maps new data about car ownership in Melbourne, and finds clear evidence that transit makes a difference.

April 30 - Transport Textbook

During the campaign, Obama promised U.S. mayors that he'd create an Office of Urban Policy. But indications so far are that the office is facing a significant downgrade, writes Dayo Olopade.

April 29 - The Root

Proposition 13 has long been associated with California's budget woes and "fiscalization of land use" policies. Meant to apply primarily to residential property, commercial property owners have benefited more. 'Split role' could correct the problem.

April 29 - Sacramento Bee